CAA: GA News, "Pleasanton Again Interested In Seat On Livermore Airport Panel"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Saturday, November 30, 2002

Pleasanton Again Interested In Seat On Airport Panel
The Livermore (CA) Independent


Pleasanton Mayor Tom Pico plans to sound out Livermore about seating a
Pleasanton resident on the Livermore airport commission.

Pico told the Independent he has talked to Livermore Mayor Marshall Kamena
in the past about the airport. Kamena seemed receptive to the idea of having
a discussion.

Pico wants to pursue the proposal further, now that the airport commission
is making an update of the airport plan, with an eye toward expanding
facilities. Lengthening a 2700-foot runway to 4000 feet is the major
suggested improvement that could have some bearing on east Pleasanton
residents, who are in the airport's flight path. The major runway, which is
lighted at night, would remain at its length of 5255 feet. Other proposals
are to add more covered hangars to replace open-air plane tie-downs, and
have more facilities related to airplane service.

Pleasanton has approached Livermore previously concerning the airport. Two
or three years ago, the idea was turned down by the previous Livermore city
council, said airport manager Leander Hauri. After Mark Beeman replaced John
Stein on the council, and Marshall Kamena took over from Cathie Brown as
mayor, Pico mentioned the idea to Kamena.

The Livermore mayor said the talk occurred about a year ago. He said he'd be
glad to pass along any comments that Pico might have now about a Pleasanton
seat on the panel. City-adopted rules set the commission membership at five.
All commissioners must be Livermore residents and three must be pilots.

Pico said the airport is regional in nature, so it is a good idea to include
regional seats. He said that perhaps Dublin, which is also near airport
traffic, would be interested in membership. Pleasanton's eastside residents
have long been concerned about take-offs and landings. Noise, safety and
hours of operation have been their issues.

Councilmember Kay Ayala, who has also brought up the airport commission seat
in the past, said it would be similar in concept to her efforts to try to
get Pleasanton a seat on the board of the Dublin San Ramon Services District
(DSRSD). Pleasanton is DSRSD's biggest customer . Tthe district's wastewater
treatment plant is in Pleasanton. Since what DSRSD does affects Pleasanton
in a major way with rates and facilities, Pleasanton should have a vote,
Ayala said.

Livermore airport is a regional facility with an impact on Pleasanton, too.
Membership and a vote on the commission would make sense, said Ayala. "I
believe we should have representation when our jurisdiction is affected. We
would not be there to cause problems, but to find solutions before problems
occur," said Ayala.

The Livermore airport, the 11th busiest in California, is undergoing its
first master plan update in about a decade, said Hauri. The recommendation
to lengthen the shorter of two runways will help keep air traffic from
stacking up at busy times, said Hauri. Aircraft larger than one-engine small
planes must use the long runway. However, if it's busy, sometimes they have
to fly in a circle around the airport, bringing the pilots over more
populated areas.

Approximately 600 planes are berthed at the airport, including 500 in
covered hangars. There is a waiting list for covered hangars, so more will
be penciled into the master plan. Details haven't been completed. There
could be approximately 80 more covered spaces, said Hauri. Currently, the
commission is finishing an environmental plan and should be publishing it
early next year, said Hauri. He estimated the cost of extending the short
runway at about $1.4 million. He is hopeful the federal government will come
up with most of the money.

Kamena said he was in Washington in January looking for federal money for
airport security under the Homeland Defense Act. The Livermore airport is a
busy, regional facility and is near a federal research center, so there
should be some priority for it now that the United States is vulnerable to
terrorism, he said.

The Federal Aviation Administration told him that there is plenty of grant
money to fence out moose and deer that might collide with planes taking off.
However, there is not much money available for the kind of anti-terrorist
fence and security camera installation that Kamena has in mind, because
there are so many applicants for the funding.

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