Santa Clara County, CA November 3, 1998 General
Smart Voter

Moffett Federal Airfield

By Mike Kasperzak

Candidate for Councilmember; City of Mountain View

This information is provided by the candidate
We must prevent Moffett from becoming a regional airport
Moffett Federal Airfield is, and will remain for the foreseeable future, a federal facility under the absolute control of the federal government. It is important to distinguish the different areas of the Ames/Moffett Complex. In addition to the airfield which is comprised of the runways, hangers and support areas, there is also the NASA Ames Complex and the military housing and administration area. When we talk about the "airfield", we are really talking about the runways and associated structures, not the entire complex.

As the military use of the airfield draws down with the departure of the VP-91 and VR-55, the last remaining Naval Reserve flying units, there will still be a very strong Air National Guard Unit based at the airfield. However, this presence alone is not enough to keep the airfield from becoming a commercial airport. Many airports around the country that serve commercial airlines also have Air National Guard units.

The Federal Government has many issues to consider when it evaluates what to do with its holdings at Moffett. Unfortunately, the needs of Mountain View and Sunnyvale are insignificant factors in the governments decision making. If it will serve a "national" or even regional interest, the federal government could very easily turn the airfield over to the county for use as a commercial airport. WE MUST PREVENT THIS FROM EVER HAPPENING!

The question is how?

Our efforts to preserve the Naval Reserve were unsuccessful because we really didn't have a plan. We must immediately begin a planning process so that if the airfield is ever "surplused", we can put our Master Plan into motion, rather than sit by and wonder what we should do.

More importantly, we must work with the government NOW to create uses on and near the airfield that will effectively prevent commercial aviation uses with actions such as:

  • Move forward with developing the California Air & Space Center in Hanger 1
  • Support the Air National Guard's plan to build a new maintainance hanger
  • Aggressively pursue annexation
  • Support incorporation of the historic wetlands into the Don Edwards San Francisco National Wildlife Refuge

These and other projects which serve the National and local interests could effectively block development of a regional airport because they are incompatible with the operation of a major airport.

The future of Moffett requires creative solutions that meet a variety of interests. Has anyone even considered purchasing the airfield from the federal government and leasing it back to NASA at a reasonable price for however long it is needed for acceptable and pre-determined uses? If we don't even consider such unconventional ideas, we will always live with uncertainty over the future of Moffett Fedeal Airfield.

Simply stated, WE must do what we can to control the destiny of Moffett Federal Airfield.

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 23, 1998 10:27
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