Developer, CAL FIRE Clash Over Airport Land

Friday, July 20, 2007

Developer, CAL FIRE Clash Over Airport Land

HollisterFreeLance.com of Hollister California: "

Developer, Cal Fire Clash Over Airport Land

12:49 AM
By Anthony Ha

Hollister - Developer Andrew Barnes thinks he has the answer to Hollister's financial woes.

Barnes wants to develop six hangars at the Hollister Municipal Airport. The hangars would be rented out to corporate jet owners, generating jobs, rent money and around $1.5 million annually in taxes for the city's general fund, Barnes said.

There's just one catch. City Manager Clint Quilter said most of the land is already committed to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for a new air-attack base, and it's been committed since the City Council directed staff to begin lease negotiations in 2001.

'It's been a long, drawn-out process,' Quilter said.

There are several reasons for the lengthy discussions, Quilter said, including turnover at the state Department of General Services - which handles negotiations - and uncertainties with the state budget.

Cal Fire real property manager Luke Wilson said the existing 'substandard' base is more than 40 years old. Plans for a new one have been in the works since 1999 and call for four fueling pads, a hangar, an operations building and a tractor shed.

Barnes, who submitted a proposal for the land on June 13, said he hadn't heard about the city's commitment to Cal Fire"

No comments:

How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Friday, July 20, 2007