The city of Santa Paula, California has just received a $5.7 million grant that guarantees the historic, privately owned airport will never be developed for commercial and industrial use. The grant enables the city to purchase the property development rights and agree to ensure the property will remain open to the public as an airport in perpetuity. Mark McClardy, manager of the airports division in the Federal Aviation Administration's Western Pacific Region announced that "This was a grant to preserve it".
The 1930 airport is the only such property in the nation to win such funding in a pilot (no pun intended) program designed to protect "vibrant, privately owned airports". The Santa Paula Airports Association which owns the airport joined with the city to qualify for the grant. Rowena Mason, President of the association, stated "The city agreed to apply (on) our behalf-we never could have done it without them".
In February 2005 the adjacent rampaging Santa Clara River overran its banks and flooded a considerable portion of the airport, undermining inwards 165 feet of airport land, undercutting the transient aircraft parking area and cutting deep into the lone runway with flood damage. Rowena Mason investigated federal money to fix the airfield after the association borrowed $600,000 in 2005 to repair the runway and fill back in the transient parking area. She was stymied because taxpayer funds are not supposed to be used for private benefit. She then learned of the program, authorized in 2002 for private airports, and the Santa Paula City Council decided to apply for the grant.
The cash was wired last Friday to the city and will go into an endowment fund for airport operations and maintenance. It is expected to repay quickly the $300,000 cost of restoring and resurfacing the runway 04-22. Major resurfacing of the runway will occur, because repairs were only piecemeal in 2005. The airport was closed to outside use for over five months then, reopening just in time for the airport's August 2005 75th Anniversary Airshow fly-In. The airport brings millions of dollars to the area annually and is a revered local asset recognized as one of America's greatest small airports. City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz was quoted as saying "The deal is a win for both parties".