Joint Use at Mugu Is the Best Option It would cost millions of dollars to reproduce a runway inferior to the existing one at Port Mugu and it might be impossible to find a site remote enough from centers of housing.

A regional airport in western Ventura County would be a boon to business and the local economy. A feasibility study conducted for the Southern California Assn. of Governments (SCAG) indicated that the demand for air services would support an airport about the size of the Palm Springs airport.

There is a need for direct passenger service to cities other than Los Angeles. The largest single source of employment in Ventura County is the Navy. Its bases at Port Hueneme and Point Mugu depend on civilian contractors located throughout the United States. These contractors, who have been hampered in their commute by infrequent and irregular service, are one example of existing business need.

Literally hundreds of Ventura County businesses send salespeople, technicians, executives and other employees out of Southern California or out of the state every month. Still other businesses depend on visits from out-of-town and out-of-state customers, consultants and vendors.

Most of us have experienced the drive to Los Angeles International Airport. We have felt the pressure of worrying about traffic jams, whether Pacific Coast Highway is even open and of airport parking. Based on this experience, it is easy to understand the benefit a regional airport would confer on businesses that rely on frequent air travelers.

Increased convenience to current commuters is only a small part of the benefit the local economy would enjoy. The largest boon would be in new opportunities.

Recently, a company with a West Coast processing and distribution facility in Ventura County planned to establish a national training center at one of its facilities in Southern California. The company decided to locate it near Ontario rather than in Ventura County. The reason was proximity to services provided by Ontario International Airport. With a Ventura County regional airport, we would be able to compete for this type of opportunity.

Business-related tourism would increase as a result of a regional airport. Ventura County would be able to compete for conventions that require air accessibility. An area without air service is simply not considered by many convention planners who must move hundreds or thousands of people to and from a site for a relatively short period of time.

An airport in Ventura County would remove this barrier to hosting conventions here. Hotels, restaurants and transportation providers would be the first beneficiaries. Businesses that provide supplies and services would benefit next. This ripple effect would spread benefits to much of the economy.

Destination resort sites in Ventura County now suffer from underutilization. Among them are the harbors at Ventura and Oxnard. The ability of tourists to reach these areas conveniently, by air, would greatly enhance their potential for success.

A nearby airport would also enhance the development of Cal State Channel Islands. Accessibility would facilitate visits to the campus by individuals and groups of experts in various disciplines contributing to the exchange of ideas crucial to the academic growth of students and facility.

The Port of Hueneme is a Ventura County economic success story. The only deep-water harbor between Los Angeles and San Francisco, it provides niche services not provided at larger ports. Its primary customers are the importers of automobiles and importers and exporters of agricultural goods.

Air services to the area would make it easier for the port to do business. Port users would be able to oversee their operations more readily. Port employers would be able to meet with customers more efficiently.

As important as movement of air passengers would be the potential for local air freight service. Currently, thousands of trucks move goods into and out of Ventura County every day. Much of this is bound for air freight terminals at LAX or Burbank Airport. The SCAG feasibility study suggested that much of this air service could be provided from a local regional airport.

Air freight carriers could benefit from operating out of a congestion-free airport. They would probably enjoy economic advantages such as lower facility charges and would experience lower operating costs.

Local businesses would share in these savings. They might receive reduced shipping rates from air carriers. They would certainly enjoy reduced trucking charges because of the shorter distance to air service terminals.

The ability to ship products and receive materials more easily would help all local manufacturers and processors. Agricultural products would be able to quickly reach markets throughout this country. This would allow the growers of crops with a short shelf life to compete in wider markets and would help the county’s specialty crops find new markets.

Reduced delivery times for materials and parts would mean increased production efficiency. Local businesses could spend less money on stockpiling materials if they were assured of a readily accessible supply. They would experience less down time waiting for parts and thus reduced operating costs.

How can the demand for passenger and freight air service be satisfied in the near future? The joint use of the Navy’s Point Mugu Air Station is the most desirable answer.

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Constructing a new airport would be economically and environmentally difficult. A new facility would have to be located on the Oxnard Plain. To avoid wetlands and other sensitive habitat areas, it would have to displace hundreds of acres of agriculture. It would cost millions of dollars to reproduce a runway inferior to the existing one at Port Mugu and it might be impossible to find a site remote enough from centers of housing.

Existing civilian airports are not adequate. Both the Camarillo and Oxnard airports are too close to population centers and both would require extensive runway and navigational systems upgrades to adapt them to regional service.

Joint use of the Point Mugu air facility would make more efficient use of an existing, publicly owned facility. It would not require substantial runway or navigational system upgrades. Civilian use could be served by a small terminal facility and accessed by a taxiway from land adjacent to the Navy base. This would minimize displacement of agricultural uses.

Joint use would require the cooperation and agreement of the Navy. The Navy invited discussion of a joint use airport in 1994 and a joint powers authority was formed to look into the matter. The Navy has now indicated a reluctance to continue discussions, because of potential increased Navy use of the airstrip.

A Ventura County regional airport is too important an opportunity to pass over based on short-term concerns. The local economy cannot hope to reach its full potential without the airport. Ventura County businesses and business organizations should actively support the resumption of discussions of the joint use airport between the Navy and the Joint Powers Authority. Based on the experience of joint civilian and military use airports elsewhere in the country, the result could be overwhelmingly positive for both the Navy and the residents of Ventura County.