By LESTER CHANG
Although using Moffett Field as a hub for commercial air cargo is still on the back burner, NASA unveiled potential uses for the former naval base Feb. 10 that officials say could ensure its economic stability.
NASA is trying to persuade the Coast Guard to station five of its helicopters, now at the San Francisco Airport, and four airplanes, now based at McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, at the airfield.
The San Francisco Airport wants to expand and seeks the land the Coast Guard owns, and the Air Force base is slated for closure, said Suzanne Petroni, marketing director for NASA at the airfield.
"[The Coast Guard and the Air Force] should realize they are secure at Moffett, where they will not be threatened with relocation," said Petroni at a meeting of the Community Advisory Committee on Moffett Federal Airfield, which was held at the Sunnyvale Library Feb. 10.
NASA has also approached the California Conservation Corps about moving to Moffett. The CCC trains at-risk youths to fight fires and to provide disaster assistance, she said.
Other potential tenants are the Military Sealift Command, the U.S. Forest Service and the Military Entry Processing Service.
NASA officials have also made contact with the Naval Air Reserve-Santa Clara, the California Air National Guard and the Army Reserve--all current users of the airfield--about expanding their operations, Petroni said.
NASA would also consider having more space camp programs at the facility, she said.
The Space Camp Foundation, with headquarters in Huntsville, Ala., stages programs in Alabama and Florida and at Moffett. Space Camp students, who are in fourth through sixth grades, use shuttle and launch simulators to get acquainted with the space program and learn about the solar system, Petroni said.
If the new tenants are pursuaded to move to NASA, they could help NASA offset future budget shortfalls, Petroni said.
The agency needs $11.9 million this year to operate the airfield and buildings. The 20 tenants, which include Lockeed-Martin Missiles and Space and the Naval Air Reserve, paid $8.8 million, leaving a $3.1 million shortfall, she said.
In 1995, NASA proposed using Moffett as a hub for commerical air cargo companies, such as Federal Express, as a way to offset losses that stemmed from the closure of military bases in 1994. The suggestion touched off controversy in Sunnyvale, Mt. View and surrounding communities, where many residents objected to the noise such an operation could produce overhead.
Committee members had opposing viewpoints on the new options proposed by NASA. Fred Fowler, a Sunnyvale resident, said the options are "limited and are unpleasant."
One option to allow small airlines to operate from the airfield would mean "a lot of planes flying at all hours," he said.
Peter Contostavlos, also of Sunnyvale, said the options offer key opportunities for NASA to raise revenues. At the same time, he said he didn't think an air cargo service would help NASA much.
"They have already said that they won't help pay for the shortfall," he said.
Werner Gans, another Sunnyvale resident, said he wouldn't support carrier flights even if they helped NASA stay in the black.
"They aren't needed," Gans said. "There is noise, air pollution and loss of property values, all the things associated with airports."
Walter Bays, a Sunnyvale resident, said he is optimistic about the options, but said NASA should forget about cargo service because they aren't wanted by the community. Residents don't want to deal with early morning or nighttime flights over their homes.
NASA postponed action on the air cargo proposal last summer because it wanted to determine where residents stood on the issue. Mt. View residents voted against air cargo by a margin of 2-to-1in an advisory measure in November. The Sunnyvale City Council opted not to put a similar advisory measure on the ballot for local residents.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, February 19, 1997.
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