"Santa Maria Public Airport, mobile home tenants square off again"

Demands by residents of the Airport Mobile Home Park are being taken to another level just as the Santa Maria Public Airport board of directors is set to consider an action that could close the park much sooner than earlier stated.

Airport staff members are recommending that the board solicit proposals from companies who can create a “conversion impact report,” which would be the first step in possibly closing the park.

The board is scheduled to discuss the issue at 7 p.m. today in the boardroom at the administration building, 3217 Terminal Drive. If the action is approved, proposals for a report would be due by Nov. 30.

The roughly 90-unit park has been on airport property for about 50 years but must be moved if the airport gets approval of its plan to build a 740-acre business park and golf course. The proposed development area includes the 11-acre mobile home park.

Airport officials have said that the park would be able to stay at its location in the 4000 block of South Blosser Road through at least the first phase of the business park development, which could last through the next eight to 10 years.

However, if the board opts to start a conversion impact report, that could trigger the closure of the park much sooner. It's estimated that it could take about two years to complete such a report.

The report would then be used to create a relocation plan that would spell out the exact costs associated with the closure and how it could be accomplished.

“We are trying to prepare ourselves for any option that might come up,” said board president Carl Engel.

But just because officials are looking for a company doesn't necessarily mean the report will be done immediately, he added. “We are looking to see what's out there.”

While the board is reassessing the park's timeline, residents of the park are once again taking their demands for maintenance and improvements to the board - however, this time they have an attorney.

The residents of the park, who banded together to create Vecinos Unidos, or United Neighbors, have hired Santa Maria attorney Mario Juarez to represent their interests to the board.

Earlier this month Juarez submitted a letter to the board requesting the airport make repairs to the park including fixing pavement problems and utility issues.

Many of the complaints have been taken to the board in the past.

“The biggest issue is the lack of maintenance and meaningful participation,” Juarez said, adding that the airport's position on the park seems to fluctuate.

The attorney is critical of the airport, especially the board's “refusal to even meaningfully participate in discussion to relocate the homeowners.”

In addition to what residents see as a lack of maintenance, Juarez described the lack of long-term leases as leaving the homeowners in a “legal limbo” that forces them to leave the park one-by-one.

Airport officials have maintained that the park will be closed in accordance with state law in an open process and homeowners will be taken care of.

Jaurez's letter also includes a threat of legal action if repairs are not made. The correspondence was the subject of a special closed session of the board held Tuesday.

“We are going to do everything that we need to do to give us a comfort feeling that these residents are safe,” airport manager Gary Rice said of the maintenance issues, prior to Tuesday's meeting.

The board was briefed on the 41 issues listed in the letter, Rice said Wednesday after the meeting, and also authorized staff to use an informal bidding process to get some repairs done quicker.

Rice noted that some of the issues raised in the letter have already been taken care of and others, such as utility maintenance, are being worked on.


Jose Aguilar, right, relaxes with his son Francisco, left, Manny Guzman, 6, second from left, and Jose Gallardo, 8, at the Santa Maria Airport mobile home park. The airport is expected to request proposals from companies specializing in the closure of mobile home parks to create a conversion impact report.