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MOJAVE - Despite the plummeting economy, the East Kern Airport District
reports that business remains strong at the Mojave Air and Space Port.
Although a few rocket and space companies went under earlier this fall,
the district was able to turn around quickly and lease the properties to
other entities, returning the facility to 100% occupancy, General Manager
Stu Witt reported to the district board of directors Tuesday.
Fuel sales - which, combined with hangar and property leases, are the airport's bread and butter - are higher than forecast. The airport sold more than 62,000 gallons last month, up from 21,400 gallons the previous December and down only slightly from the 67,700 sold in November.
"We're still doing very well compared to the last two years," said Erika Westawski, district financial director.
Even with conservative sales projections for the remainder of the budget year, the airport is on track to increase fuel sales by 100,000 gallons over last year, or an increase of approximately 20%. The midyear budget report presented to the board shows funding available for desired projects that were awaiting approval pending news of the airport's financial position in these uncertain economic times.
With a Federal Aviation Administration grant to cover a $2.6 million project to refurbish the general aviation area of the airport, the district frees up some $220,000 in funds that had been set aside for that purpose.
In addition, the district has requested the $129,000 in property taxes it is due from Kern County.
Director Dick Rutan expressed his approval of the report, but remained cautious.
"We're still not out of the woods yet on the economy," he said. "It hasn't happened to us yet."
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With a positive report for the first half of the budget year, the East Kern Airport District approved plans to spend no more than $30,000 to transform a baseball field on the west end of the Mojave Air and Space Port into a softball field for use by the Mojave High School softball team.
The project will use district labor to perform the work and will include refurbishing the diamond itself, sod, sprinkler system, trees, fencing and concrete work.
The goal is to have the field ready for use by March, General Manager Stu Witt said.
Some 20 years ago, a softball field was constructed on airport property near the entrance on Belshaw Avenue. Under agreement with the airport, the field has been used variously by the Mojave Unified School District and local Little League teams.
The airport tenants have requested a softball field for employees' use; the field would also be available to the school district.
The field is named for Dan Sabovich, the man credited with turning a World War II Marine Corps air station into the world-class aerospace test facility it is today.
"I think Dan would be real proud of this when we're finished," Witt said.
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The East Kern Airport District authorized General Manager Stu Witt to accept federal grant funding for a $2.6 million project to refurbish the general aviation area of the Mojave Air and Space Port.
The district submitted its grant request to the Federal Aviation Administration earlier this month and is expected to receive approval shortly.
The project would replace the asphalt surrounding the hangar area at the west end of the airport flightline, as well as make repairs to the taxiways in that area.
The project is the primary infrastructure project on the district's agenda for this year.
"We have delayed action on this particular project for at least two and a half years, waiting for this to get to a priority level to be funded by the FAA," Witt said. "It's a source of frustration when the asphalt's been in need of repair for some time."
Because all but one of the five district directors owns or otherwise has real property within the vicinity of the project, the board had to randomly select enough members to form a quorum.
JoAnn Painter and Marie Walker were selected to join Jimmy Balentine in voting to accept the grant.
In a separate agenda item, the board unanimously agreed to begin preparation work for another federal grant project in order to be prepared should additional funding become available at the end of the fiscal year. This secondary project would replace the deteriorating concrete on the airport's main runway.
The danger of the broken bits of the concrete surface causing damage to aircraft is so great that the district is spending nearly $25,000 immediately for emergency repairs.
The board approved $4,500 to prepare the environmental impact report for the project, so that it may be "shovel ready" when funding becomes available.
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The East Kern Airport District approved an accelerated reimbursement plan for a tenant in order to help the company through these difficult economic times.
Bandini and Sons, which stores landscaping bark at the airport, agreed to pay for half of a railroad switch installed on the railroad spur that serves the airport in exchange for a discounted lease rate until the district paid off the switch.
The deal was originally for 18 months, but the company requested accelerating the rate of reimbursement to conclude in eight months. This acceleration amounts to a greater cut on the lease rate, but for a shorter period of time.
"The guy's been a good tenant. He's done a lot for the airport," General Manager Stu Witt said, and it would benefit the district to keep the company as a tenant.
The move has no fiscal impact on the district.