News - Hemet-Ryan firefighting base to undergo rebuilding |

Hemet-Ryan firefighting base to undergo rebuilding

10:00 PM PDT on Friday, June 8, 2007

By STEVE FETBRANDT
The Press-Enterprise

RIVERSIDE - The Riverside County Board of Supervisors has allocated $2.5 million in redevelopment funds to help rebuild the air-attack base at Hemet-Ryan Airport.

Supervisors, sitting as the Riverside County Economic Development Agency governing board, this week also earmarked $417,000 to conduct an environmental-impact study in preparation for extending the runway from 4,300 feet to 6,000 feet. County officials say the longer runway is needed to accommodate heavier firefighting aircraft and increased corporate jet traffic.

The balance of the air-base renovation project, estimated at $25 million, will be funded by the state. The county also is applying to the Federal Aviation Administration for $10 million in grants to pay for the runway extension and hopes to have the money by 2009.

Colby Cataldi, deputy director for the Economic Development Agency's Desert Region, said a comprehensive environmental study will be done over the next 18 months on the runway project, which will require realignment of Stetson Avenue and Warren Road. The process includes public hearings and time for the agency to respond to environmental concerns.

"Meanwhile, the agency will ask the board in July to approve an architectural contract to design the base project," Cataldi said. "We plan to bid out the project between July 7 and September 2008 and start construction in October 2008. Construction will take a year."

Cataldi said the improvements will not affect existing aviation operations. During construction, Cal Fire plans to have a temporary 3-acre site to continue fire-suppression services.

In adopting its findings, the board said the base project will help eliminate blight at Hemet-Ryan Airport in Hemet and improve essential emergency fire-protection and public-safety services.

The county has contracted with Cal Fire for fire services since 1921, and the airport has served as an aerial firefight/attack base since 1967. It houses four permanently based fixed-wing aircraft and a Cal Fire helicopter, providing initial air-attack services for more than 830,000 acres in Riverside and neighboring counties.

In 2006, the county's Economic Development Agency entered into an agreement with the state to cooperate and coordinate in the development of a new air-attack base.

Cataldi said redevelopment funds will be used for the county's portion to pay for architectural design, engineering, environmental studies, airport master-plan update, inspection, and construction. The county plans to seek bids for the project on behalf of the state and jointly manage the construction.

The 12-acre base will contain a 5,842-square-foot, 22-bed barracks building, a 4,812-square-foot three-bay vehicle storage facility and shop; a 4,646-square-foot, two-story operations building containing pilot facilities, administration and dispatch center; a 15,300-square-foot, two-bay open-shade canopy and an 8,211-square-foot helicopter/ OV-10 enclosed hangar.

Also planned are new public and secured staff parking areas, six fire-retardant loading pits to handle interagency aircraft, along with equipment tanks, pumps and piping used to mix and deliver fire retardant.