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City's work on Moffett Field hangar yields payoff
$14 million for new hangar helps to ensure the Guard stays put and an airport stays out
By Joann Liao
The U.S. House of Representatives Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee recently approved $14 million to construct the new composite maintenance hangar at Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View for the 129th Rescue Wing of the California Air National Guard.
In an effort to get the Air National Guard to stay on site, the city of Sunnyvale played a major role in helping to get the funding approved, according to the office of U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo. The city engaged professional lobbyists in the legislative arena and worked with the Navy and Air Force budgeting departments, according to Pat Vorreiter, vice mayor of Sunnyvale. The city also worked with NASA, which controls the Moffett complex and leases the airfield to the Air National Guard.
"There were so many players at the table, it was hard to pull it all together," Vorreiter said. "It took a lot of hard work."
The 129th Rescue Wing, the only Air National Guard rescue wing in California, performs rescue and recovery operations during natural disasters. It also supports the Air Force and the Department of Defense in contingency operations around the globe. The 129th Rescue Wing performs at-sea rescue missions from the Oregon border down to Mexico and supports federal and state drug interdiction operations. According to the wing's public affairs office, the unit was directly responsible for saving seven lives in 1998, and has saved nearly 300 lives since its inception in 1975.
The unit's current maintenance hangar was built during World War II and was designed for blimps. "It is inadequate to support the mission, has serious safety hazards, is not seismically sound and is expensive to maintain," according to the public affairs office. "The new hangar will save lives, support the unit's missions, eliminate safety hazards and save American tax dollars by reducing current operation and support costs."
Dan Rich, assistant to the city manager for the city of Sunnyvale, added that the cost of renovating the old hangar to conform with safety standards would exceed the cost of building a new one.
Sunnyvale has been working on getting funding for a new hangar for several years, according to Vorreiter. "In the last couple of years, it has become increasingly clear that if they don't get a new hangar," he said of the rescue wing, "they would request a relocation and would relocate to another site. They cover the entire West Coast, so practically speaking, they could be in Seattle or in San Diego. They don't need to be here. It's not a threat, it's just reality."
Neither Sunnyvale nor Mountain View, which has also been actively involved in seeking funding, wants to see the 129th Rescue Wing leave. The presence of the unit ensures that the airfield at the Moffett complex will remain under federal control. "Keeping it federal is to our advantage because it minimizes the possibility that Moffett Airfield might become a commercial airport," Vorreiter said. "That's what we're trying to prevent."
"If they [the Rescue Wing] were to leave, NASA might not be able to control the airfield, and who knows who might end up controlling it?" Rich said. The city feared that the airfield might become used for the overflow from San Jose International Airport, according to Vorreiter.
As well as preventing the commercialization of the airfield, the 129th Rescue Wing provides valuable services to the community, such as rescue operations. Sunnyvale has used their services before. "It's the only resource like this in California," Rich said.
The House Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee's recommendation is expected to be on the floor of the full House during the week of July 12. If the House passes the bill, the only step remaining is the president's signature. Sunnyvale officials are optimistic. "We're getting ready to celebrate," Rich said.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
