Hollister
– The Hollister Municipal Airport will get a long overdue
facelift this summer.
Hollister – The Hollister Municipal Airport will get a long overdue facelift this summer.
Airport Manager Bill Gere said a $450,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration will fund efforts to repaint the airport’s two runways and seal their cracks. Although the FAA won’t make the formal grant offer until June, Gere said agency representatives have already confirmed that the airport will be getting the money, and work will probably begin in July or August.
It’s been more than 10 years since the runways have been repaired, Gere said.
“It’s definitely a good thing and a needed thing,” said Eric Teeters, who teaches flying in both Hollister and Salinas.
Teeters said the Hollister airport’s infrastructure has been neglected in recent years, with the runways becoming more and more dilapidated as time goes on.
“It’s not dangerous or anything … but it’s good to get it taken care of before it becomes a problem,” he said.
The aeronautics division of the state’s Department of Transportation has also chided the city for the state of its runways. After an inspection earlier this year, Caltrans sent Gere a letter reporting that many of the runway markings have been obliterated, while older, outdated markings are reappearing. Caltrans also noted that grass is growing through cracks in the runways and taxiways.
Fred Meyer, a pilot who was recently appointed to the newly re-formed Airport Advisory Commission, said he doesn’t take off or land on dangerous parts of the runways. But some segments have become badly cracked, he said.
“I’m looking forward to (the repairs),” Meyer said. “I don’t want to get my tire stuck in a hole.”
Earlier this year, Gere gave the FAA a five-year plan for improvements to the airport. Many locals have called the airport one of Hollister’s neglected resources, and Gere said Thursday that with the right care, the airport could give a shot in the arm to the city’s economy.
“Everyone keeps talking about revitalizing Hollister,” Gere said. “And I keep wanting to say, ‘OK, hello, we’re right over here.'”
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or
ah*@fr***********.com
.
