Dream big 

On March 26, the SLO County Board of Supervisors will begin discussing a five-year master plan for the future of the Oceano Airport.

Oceano is a changing, upcoming, and vibrant community. Smack-dab in the middle of Oceano is the ragtag airport. Looking at it as you drive by, it is a run-down eyesore. It's like having an ugly permanent scar in the middle of your face.

The Oceano Airport is only used by pilots of small planes. Small planes mean that only a small number of people can be accommodated on each flight. A small number, maybe 20 spaces, are available for tie-downs there. The runway is short, by airport standards, but takes up a lot of valuable space in the middle of Oceano. You have to be pretty good at landing and taking off on a runway that short, so most pilots go elsewhere.

In addition to the space needed for runways for taking off and landing, a lot of valuable real estate near the airport is in a "clear zone," which means that development is severely restricted with regard to the size and use of any development. You can't build a hotel, a sit-down restaurant, or apartments in a clear zone. This puts Oceano at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to economic development.

The only commercial fixed-base operation I've seen at the Oceano Airport is the company that will fly you around in a biplane. I'm sure other pilots offer flying lessons or charter services, but without business licenses. Who knows what illegal or dangerous stuff could be entering the county through the Oceano Airport. There is no control tower or other on-site supervision.

When I, as a SLO County supervisor from 1985 to the end of 1996, asked about closing the airport, staff repeatedly reminded me and other supervisors that the FAA has given SLO County money to improve the airport to the tune of more than $2 million. If the airport is closed, the county would have to pay the money back. SLO County currently has a budget deficit of about $5 million. If they take more FAA money, it just puts the county in a deeper hole.

Well, if Oceano could grow and develop like other communities, county revenue from increased tax base and other fees would easily come to more than $2 million in just a few years. Like I said, Oceano is vibrant, growing, and changing.

If the county really is determined to keep an aeronautical use in Oceano, why not convert it to a heliport. Helicopters rise in the air, straight up more or less, then they fly away. No need for runways or clear zones. Tall buildings in big cities have heliports on their roofs. So do hospitals, law enforcement buildings, and hotels. Helicopters can land and take off in the dunes, in open fields, in big parking lots, and off the roofs of tall buildings, just like Superman.

Someone could build a tall building with a big roof on the Oceano airport property and operate a heliport and other businesses that could be an economic asset to Oceano and SLO County. Just think, a big, tall building in Oceano could be a hotel with retail shops, restaurants, and other amenities, with a heliport on top.

A few supervisors have personally told me that they have "friends" who use the Oceano Airport. Well folks, you don't keep an economic drag in a community to satisfy a few "good old boys." Supervisors are supposed to be concerned about the long-term benefits to the entire community. Δ

Evelyn Delany writes to New Times from Pismo Beach. Send a response to publication to [email protected].