Mojave Space Port video gets yes vote
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press
Monday, February 9, 2009.
By ALLISON GATLIN
Valley Press Staff Writer
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MOJAVE - The Mojave Air and Space Port's singular development planning
process will be the subject of a new promotional video intended to aid
prospective tenants.
A $10,000 contract to produce the video was approved by the East Kern
Airport District directors Tuesday on a 4-1 vote, with director Dick Rutan
dissenting.
The district has a precise development plan, approved by Kern County, which governs future development at the airport.
By applying this plan, developers can bypass the often lengthy process of applying through the Kern County Planning Department.
In effect, the airport district is its own planning department, providing a much quicker path through the permitting process.
It is not uncommon for prospective tenants to approach the district and want to know what their options are for locating their business to the airport.
District engineering staff will then prepare plans for placing the business on the airport based on the business' needs.
The video will detail that process for prospective tenants, General Manager Stu Witt said, freeing some staff time from the many queries received.
Two major projects are now in the works with the airport, where staff has had multiple meetings with different project managers to discuss the process.
"This would've been a nice tool to have in those cases," Witt said. "It's a communication mechanism."
Tom Weil, who handles many of these transactions as the district's business operations director, said that projects often have a number of project managers, each needing briefing on the process, requiring multiple visits with staff.
"It would be nice to point and click and send them on their way," he said.
Video is valuable in this case for its speed in communicating the necessary information, rather than printed materials.
"It's a process that needs to be articulated in a very fast medium," Witt said.
Celestial Mechanics, the company contracted to produce the video, already created a marketing video for the airport which is readily available on the Mojave Air and Space Port Web site as well as online services such as YouTube.
The airport's Web site receives thousands of visits each day, providing exposure to this information, Witt said.
The new video would market the airport around a process, one that is unique to the facility.
"My vote is yes because it's proactive," said Director Marie Walker, adding that it is important for businesses to see how they can help tenants through the process quickly.
"That's so worth advertising, I think," she said.
Rutan disagreed with the idea that a video was necessary to communicate the information, preferring printed materials in light of the cost.
He said the video was like putting chrome hubcaps on a car: the car will run just as well without them.
Board President Jim Balentine disagreed.
"It's not a hubcap to me. It's wheels," he said, calling the video a tool to get people's attention. "I tend not to shortchange my tools."
Although hesitant to spend the money in these uncertain economic times, Director Cathy Hansen ultimately voted in favor of the video.
"You just wonder if something like this is going to be the key to unlock something for someone," she said.
agatlin@avpress.com
agatlin@avpress.com