Cloverdale City Council Votes to Close Airport

[Elisha 1]

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4887956-181/cloverdale-city-council-votes-to?artslide=0

I hope this falls through....original article posted back in July. Similar Kimmie types have complained about noise for years.

I have about 50 jumps here over two different owners (called San Francisco Skydiving then NorCal).

Btw...the King Air rotting in the background on the second pic I believe used to be used down in Cabo years ago until the owner died in an accident.

[BIGUN 1,053]

Quote

Closing a general aviation airport is a major undertaking and could take years, according to an airport consultant hired by the city.

The federal government and the FAA view airports not just as a regional or local facility, “but a national treasure or asset and a part of the national robust aviation network,” said consulting attorney Henry Nanjo.

“I’ve seen very few airports close. Typically the process takes 7 to 9 years,” Nanjo said Tuesday.

My guess is those investors will have moved down the road long before this. They want as many tax-deductions and to start making distributions on that money yesterday.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[skyjumpenfool 2]

"Laulima officials, who are proposing an equestrian center, 150-room hotel and 80 luxury homes, say the airport is not a good mix for horses and guests at the high-end resort."

So, don't build the "high end" resort! If it's not a good fit, go somewhere else and build a horse park.

Birdshit & Fools Productions

"Son, only two things fall from the sky."

[obelixtim 100]

Our local airfield, which came into being in the 1920s, is very busy, flight training, agricultural and rescue helicopters, skydiving, ambulance and charter flights.

In 1996 someone who bought a piece of land off the end and to the side of the main runway decided to open an equestrian centre.

From day 1, they kicked up a fuss about how the aeroplanes were scaring the horses.

Both operations are there to this day, so they must have trained the horses better, because the airfield was never gonna shut down.

What are these people thinking when they do something like that?

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[billvon 2,396]

>So, don't build the "high end" resort!

Unfortunately, everyone wants high end resorts. Tax income, jobs, rich people buying stuff in the area etc etc. Around here it's horses vs mountain bikes. Every time a decision gets made, it's in favor of horses, because rich people ride them.

[AlanS 1]

The irony is Cloverdale is far enough away that a "high-end" resort could benefit from an airport near-by, so the high end clients could fly over NAPA valley instead of drive through NAPA valley where they likely would find better accommodations in a city half as far away.

Cloverdale is a 2+ hour drive from here in Palo Alto. But why would someone drive that far when Napa, Yountville, Calistoga are half that distance and all along they way.

They would be better served by keeping that airport, so people that can afford it would take a small plane to fly there.

[Baksteen 84]

That's what I was thinking... a resort shuttle service could hire the local pilots to ferry customers to the local airport, thereby keeping the money in circulation and everybody wins.

Even skydiving could have a place there, with the resort offering an adventure package (tandem and/or AFF) and the skydivers doing demos on resort events.

But haters will be haters...

"That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport."
~mom

[Boomerdog 0]

Sounds like you jump at NorCal Skydiving and having read some about the DZ, the DZO has invested almost his whole life savings in that DZ. Now he may be upended by some developer who is also urging the Cloverdale City Council to invoke eminent domain and may be willing to pay back to the FAA all of the grant many the airport has received over its history.

With the recent forest fires there, I'm curious to know whether Cal Division of Forestries (CDF) had to use Cloverdale for some of the smaller firefighting aircraft as the "heavies" might have oversaturated the ramp at Santa Rosa Airport, Napa Airport etc. If so, then the existence of the Cloverdale Airport may serve a direct public safety interest.

Having grown up in California and living the last 15 years in the Napa Valley, I'm fully aware of the NIMBY petulance of a very vocal few who have nothing better to do but make life hell for the rest of us.

Good luck.

[Elisha 1]

Boomerdog

Sounds like you jump at NorCal Skydiving and having read some about the DZ, the DZO has invested almost his whole life savings in that DZ. Now he may be upended by some developer who is also urging the Cloverdale City Council to invoke eminent domain and may be willing to pay back to the FAA all of the grant many the airport has received over its history.

With the recent forest fires there, I'm curious to know whether Cal Division of Forestries (CDF) had to use Cloverdale for some of the smaller firefighting aircraft as the "heavies" might have oversaturated the ramp at Santa Rosa Airport, Napa Airport etc. If so, then the existence of the Cloverdale Airport may serve a direct public safety interest.

Having grown up in California and living the last 15 years in the Napa Valley, I'm fully aware of the NIMBY petulance of a very vocal few who have nothing better to do but make life hell for the rest of us.

Good luck.

I haven't done a jump there in close to two years...about 50 total, over half racked up several years ago around the ownership transition when they had a 206T.

[wan2doit 6]

Boomer you said - "...to pay back to the FAA all of the grant many the airport has received over its history. "

Do you know any cfr or some FAA rule that documents that.

Reason I ask is that I'm concerned over an airport near me and if there is a documentary reference for the statement it might help me.

[grimmie 173]

Closing an obligated airport is a long, complicated and involved process.
All skydivers should take a look at the FAA's Airport Compliance Manual. 5190.6b
http://www.faa.gov/airports/resources/publications/orders/compliance_5190_6/

This is the rule book for the airport sponsors to follow.

[SansSuit 1]

grimmie

Closing an obligated airport is a long, complicated and involved process.
All skydivers should take a look at the FAA's Airport Compliance Manual. 5190.6b
http://www.faa.gov/airports/resources/publications/orders/compliance_5190_6/

This is the rule book for the airport sponsors to follow.

How did Daley get away with it in Chicago?

Peace,
-Dawson.
http://www.SansSuit.com
The Society for the Advancement of Naked Skydiving

[AndyBoyd 0]

SansSuit

***Closing an obligated airport is a long, complicated and involved process.
All skydivers should take a look at the FAA's Airport Compliance Manual. 5190.6b
http://www.faa.gov/airports/resources/publications/orders/compliance_5190_6/

This is the rule book for the airport sponsors to follow.

How did Daley get away with it in Chicago?

He used bulldozers to tear huge X's on the runway in the middle of the night. End of story. He wasn't one for legal formalities.

Actually, he claimed to be using emergency police powers to stop potential terrorists from using Meigs as a launching area for terrorist attacks. In reality, his wife wanted to build a park there, so he just did it the Chicago way. Just take what you want and worry about the legalities later. He got away with it. Meigs Field is now a public park.

http://willystreetblog.com/wp/2013/03/31/the-day-meigs-field-died/