Overview

Our Master Plan Business Plan for RHV will be going to the Board of Supervisors on August 23rd for their approval. The Business Plan for South County Airport will be going to the Airports Commission in August and then to the Board sometime in September. When both of these business plans have been approved, two of our three Master Plans will be complete. We will add the detailed appendices and maps to the five approved chapters and get the entire package for both airports to the FAA later this fall for their review. A draft of Chapters 3&4 (airfield and building area design) for the Palo Alto Master Plan should be going to the public for review sometime in late October or early November. We weren't able to secure any FAA grant funding for the environmental review of our airport master plans this year but, with at least two of the plans being complete this fall, we anticipate that we will have a better chance at obtaining a grant for this work next spring. As always, check with our website www.countyairports.org for the latest info on our Master Plan process.

Palo Alto After some controversy related to the City's approval of previous and current grant assurances for several FAA grant requests, we are starting the engineering design for pavement improvements to the portion of Embarcadero that is related to airport access including the addition of a new electronic entrance gate adjacent to the golf course maintenance yard. We are also optimistic that this year's security related grant request will at least be partially funded so we can start the design work for new fencing, access controls and security cameras and the addition of an AWOS system at the airport. In addition to these projects, the County is working with the City of Palo Alto and the Water District on a project that will repair and improve the levee that protects the airport from high tides in the bay and winter storm surges.

Reid Hillview Pardon our dust! Those of you who have visited the airport in the last few weeks have noticed that we have started a fairly major construction project to repair parking lots, access roads, taxilanes and install new fencing, a main access gate and other airfield improvements. Stop in the lobby and check out the map that shows the various elements of the project. We ask for your patience during the project as we need to shift vehicle parking and some aircraft parking until the project is complete. A follow-on project to install fencing, gates, access control systems and cameras will hopefully start shortly after this project is complete. We are still waiting for word from the FAA whether we will get a grant for our Airport Noise and Operations Monitoring Equipment this year or next. Once funded, Ken Betts will be very busy getting the project out for bids and getting the equipment installed. We are also trying to replace the roofing and HVAC systems on both the terminal and Swift Avenue buildings later this fall before the winter rains start up again.

South County Our continuing hangar project is still under construction. After encountering a number of delays due to contractors on the project, we are optimistic that their new estimate for completion in September or October is going to hold this time. The fire suppression water tank and pump project is complete and ready for connection to the hangar sprinkler system. You will see several landscaping improvements around the airport as part of this project. Similar to RHV's security project, E16 will also be getting new fencing, gates, an access control system and security cameras thanks to an FAA grant. This project should follow closely on the heels of the hangar project when it is completed. We are also going out for bids on an AWOS system for E16 and we are currently planning on this project being completed this fall. The airport recently received additional FAA grant funding to remove the trees along the eastern boundary of the airport along Highway 101. These trees have grown into the FAA's airspace safety zone over the years and cannot just be topped anymore. After removal we plan to replace them with more compatible landscaping (like Oleander) that still provides a visual barrier without growing into the safety zone.