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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 07131993 - 1.145 4s AIRCRAFT PILOTS. OF THE BAY AREA, INC. 18136 REAMER ROAD, CASTRO VALLEY, CA 94546 RECEIVE Board of Supervisors Contra Costa County5 19 Administration Building= JM 1651 Pine Street Martinez , CA 94553 CLERK BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, CONTRA COSTA CO. Ladies and Gentlemen: June 15 , 1993 On October 6 , 1947, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to accept and comply with the terms and conditions put forth by:.the Federal Government under Regulation 16 . These terms and conditions were restated in the Instrument of Transfer, dated October 2, 1947, which transferred operating rights to the County for the privilege of managing what is now known as Buchanan Field (CCR) . Please place a-.motion before the full Board, at their next regulaf meeting, to vote to reaffirm the County of Contra Costra' s acceptance and compliance with those terms and conditions. Please be advised that any attempt to delay a vote, will be considered and act of non-compliance. Ftfu Submitted, dger ative Chairman P. O. Box 2147 Alameda, CA 94501 (510) 523-3465 ' (510) 732-6889 FAX cc Jack Dahl , President Will Price, Chairman - The Airports Coalition C �-a- �-1 r spew AIRCRAFT PILOTS OF THE BAY AREA, INC. 18136 REAMER ROAD, CASTRO VALLEY, CA 494546 RECEIVE® .-A JUN 1 419W Mr. Will Price June 9, 1993 Chairman, The Airports Coalition CLERK BOARD OF SUPERVISORS P.O. Box 27192 cONTRA COSTA Co. Concord, CA 94527 Dear Mr. Price: Your letter to Jon Rodgers, our Legislative Chairman, was read and discussed at our Board of Directors meeting on June 7, 1993. This letter is in response and will try to address the concerns and issues you have raised. Specifically: 1. That APBA is "Hayward based" and to your knowledge has no affiliation with any Buchanan Field organizations... "an outsider with little or no first-hand knowledge of the facts." L APBA was established in 1941, and its members are either tenants of or users of every airport in the Bay Area. I myself have been a tenant at Buchanan Field since 1978, and many of our members have aircraft based there. Attached is a copy of our Statement of Purposes, and an APBA Historical Note. We are hardly outsiders, and our decades of being around far overshadows your coalition's three months of existence. 2. That APBA is "neither a member of, nor speaks for the Coalition." APBA has made no such claims. We do not pretend to be an exclusive bargaining authority at any airport, nor do we recognize any other organization that would seek to preempt our right to speak for ourselves. Contra Costa County does not recognize either of our organizations as a sole voice for the users of Buchanan Field. 3. Your are disturbed that an "outsider" (APBA) with "little or no knowledge of the facts... would interfere with a process that is beginning to produce tangible results." APBA is not an outsider (see reply to item 1). Jon Rodgers and I addressed the Board of Supervisors at their regular meeting of March 9, 1993. Where was no mention at any time of an "Airports Coalition", and other than Ron Sorenson and Patrick Corr, we were the only pilots there. The facts from that meeting were obvious and typical: a. A pandering politician (Sunne McPeak) was urging a minute segment of home- owners to complain about noise, from normal and legal helicopter operations. b. Wally Wiggs gave a typical plea that those operations were lowering property values, and destroying their peace and tranquillity. c. McPeak made promises of federal intervention through Senators Boxer and Feinstein, to give greater local control over airport operations, and pressured staff to pursue ways to limit or remove Patrick Corr from the airport. page 2 d. McPeak ignored her own legal advice from County Counsel regarding federal law, and relied on staff reports from the Public Works Director who, along with County Counsel admitted they had never seen the controlling documents of the airport - i.e., the Instrument of Transfer that was unanimously accepted by the Board of Supervisors on October 9, 1947. e. County Counsel stated that it was good for the Board to hear Jon Rodgers, as an unsolicited outsider, verify what he had been saying for years about the county's obligations under federal law, for operating the airport. f. County Counsel offered no rebuttal to Mr. Rodgers' remarks concerning the Real Estate Fraud and Disclosure Law, and Supervisor McPeak fell totally silent. While we recognize and encourage your efforts, we do not feel that conciliatory and restrictive pilot and FBO concessions are useful "tangible results." Our goal is to protect everyone's right of access to Buchanan Field to the full extent provided by federal law. We will tolerate no limitations on the airport's usefulness for normal and legal aviation activities, and will resist political intimidation or manipulation of any kind. If placing the law on the table is "confrontational", so be it. We spoke to both Ron Sorenson and Patrick Corr, and told them of our plans, and that political pressure impacting their financial stake was nothing more than blackmail. In summary, your coalition did an outstanding job before the Board of Supervisors. However, APBA's strength is not in numbers but in knowledge of the law, which has been used successfully. Our two resources combined would be a tremendous asset. Very truly yours, AIRCRAFT PILOTS OF THE BAY AREA, INC. �. -lack Dahl, President Attachments (2) Copies: Board of Supervisors, Contra Costa County County Counsel, Contra Costa County County Administrator, Contra Costa County Manager of Airports, Contra Costa County Karen Halladay, President - Contra Costa County Association of Realtors Harry York, Concord Chamber of Commerce Ron Sorenson, Navajo Aviation Patrick Corr, Helicopter Adventures Wally Wiggs Hal Yeager Don Mount CRAMP OPUA ' � ' ` AIRCRAFT PILOTS OF THE BAY AREA, INC. IS A NON-PROFIT CORPORATION IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. THE FOLLOWING IS A STATEMENT UFPURPOSES: TO PROMOTE, PROTECT, AND REPRESENT THE AERONAUTICAL INTERESTS OF THE MEMBERS; ' TO FURTHER THE ART, SCIENCE, AND INDUSTRY OF AERONAUTICS; ' TO FURTHER THE SAFETY, POPULARITY AND ECONOMY OF GENERAL AVIATION. THE CURRENT MAILING ADDRESS IS: AIRCRAFT PILOTS OF THE BAY AREA, INC. 10]6REAMER ROAD CASTRO VALLEY, CA 94546 ' THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS N[M8E85HlP ROSTER IS FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF THE MEMBERS, AND MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED OR DISSEMINATED WITHOUT THE EXPLICIT CONSENT OF THE MEMBERS AND OFFICERS OF THE CORPORATION. ' ° A.P.B.A. - A H I S T 0 R I CAL NOTE AIRCRAFT PILOTS OF THE BAY AREA, INC. (APBA) was created in 1941. It was originally a group of local pilots who designated themselves an unofficial chapter of AOPA (Aircraft Owners b Pilots Association, Washington, D.C.). However, AOPA demurred and as a result the local group went on its own as "APMO" (Aircraft Pilots of Metropolitan Oakland). In 1973 our name was changed to "APBA" toreflect the widening participation of members from the greater San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. APBA has, since 1941, been dedicated to promoting activities most enjoyed by private flyers, including programs on safety and proficiency in flying, monthly and weekly group fly-ins, dinner meetings, parties and special events throughout the year. The monthly publication, STATIC LINE, keeps members informed of current news and provides a forum for expression of ideas and opinions by members. APBA also has its serious business side. Its constitutional purposes include promoting, protecting and representing the aero- nautical interests of the members. During the long history of APBA, there have been many occasions when activities undertaken by the organization have been effective in achieving these purposes. Additionally, APBA has created a number of categorical awards with which to recognize those who have performed distinguished service, or an outstanding achievement, in behalf of aviation. APBA provides a common ground for pilots and aviation minded people to share flying experience and pleasures. The special relationships between flyers in APBA have created lasting friendships and mutual bonds that have endured over long years. Members come and go with time and changes in life circumstances, but APBA remains a healthy and viable organization. To many of our members, APBA is a "family" in the broad sense of the word. Through voluntary cooperation and the mutual enjoyment of the many activities found in ABPA, private pilots have a valuable resource with which to express their needs and make contributions toward a better future for general aviation and an enrichment of the quality of life for all.