Countywide : Hotline Taking Calls on El Toro Base Reuse

Orange County has set up a hotline so that South County residents can voice their concerns about an international airport proposed for El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, officials said Wednesday.

Many airport opponents--such as elected officials in Irvine and Lake Forest--have refused to take part in the county’s base-reuse planning process. But instead of shunning the process, airport opponents and others need to be involved, two South County activists said.

“The train’s leaving the station, and we’re not on it,” said David Markley, an Irvine resident with an aviation background who recently joined the county’s Citizens Advisory Commission overseeing base reuse plans.

“We need to take advantage of this opportunity,” added retired Marine Col. Jack W. Rippy, a Lake Forest resident who flew planes out of El Toro while in the military and who recently joined the county commission.

The county last week proposed three potential reuses for the base, which will be abandoned by the military in the next three years: a commercial airport that at capacity could serve 38 million passengers a year; a general aviation and cargo facility; and a center for business, recreation and education uses.

“It’s important to remember these plans are not in concrete,” Markley said.

Comments will be accepted until mid-May and will be used to guide an Environmental Impact Report.

The proposals are available at public libraries and will be presented at a series of public meetings. The meetings, each starting at 7 p.m., will be Monday at the Costa Mesa Community Center, next Thursday at Lakeview Senior Center in Irvine, April 29 at Orange City Hall and May 1 at Mission Hills Center in Laguna Hills.

South County residents can leave a message or return phone number for Markley or Rippy at (714) 834-6120.

Written comments can be addressed to Paul Lanning at the Orange County Environmental Management Agency at P.O. Box 4048, Santa Ana, CA 92702-4048.