By Julian J. Ramos/Staff Writer jramos@santamariatimes.com | Posted: Tuesday, July 13, 2010
With less money coming in from the city, the Santa Maria Museum of Flight is looking to add events to boost its attendance and revenues. In the current fiscal year, which began July 1, the museum will receive $15,000 from Santa Maria’s General Fund — $8,960 or 37 percent less than last year.
Despite losing funding, Museum of Flight President, Mike Geddry Sr. is confident the museum can withstand any financial trouble and will not fail for a lack of local interest. “It could never happen,” he said this week of operating the museum without community support.
Since 1991, municipal financial support to the museum has come from the city’s General Fund — which includes public safety, libraries, recreation and parks, and general government spending — rather than from transient occupancy tax (TOT) receipts. Per the city code, funding for the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and Santa Maria Valley Historical Society and Museum has been tied to a portion of TOT revenues. Both entities also have seen their city contributions shrink this year, which mirrors a TOT drop of about 12 percent compared to the previous year.
Better known as the “bed tax,” the 10-percent tariff is charged to visitors as part of the cost of a hotel room. Through June 30, 2011, the city expects to collect just over $2 million in bed tax, 12 percent less than a year earlier. Overall, municipal contributions to outside agencies have shrunk by 6 percent — similar to departmental budget reductions across all city departments.
Unlike other museums in the city, Geddry said, the Museum of Flight has no resources such as grants and endowments to fall back on.
The museum at 3015 Airpark Drive is dedicated to collecting, developing and preserving artifacts related to the city’s aviation history.
Geddry also said he doesn’t like taking money away from the city’s General Fund that could go toward employees, and strives to give the city a return on its investment, with the philosophy of giving back $5 for every $1 given. Instead of General Fund money, Geddry has suggested a funding switch from the General Fund to a percent of TOT receipts and working with the chamber to bring in tourism and boost TOT revenues.
The museum draws visitors from outside the state and country, Geddry said, and there are plans in the works to attract tour bus stops with overnight stays in the city.
The annual Thunder Over the Valley air show, scheduled from Aug. 27 to 29, is the largest event at the airport, and is expected to draw up to 10,000 spectators for the weekend. Despite significant growth in airshow attendance over the past five years or so, the event has yet to turn a profit since 2005.
In 2009, the nonprofit museum saw about 6,000 visitors.
The historical society is also dealing with the funding cut by raising money to cover its deficit. While grateful to the city for its years of support, the effect of the reduction has been crippling, said Richard Chenoweth, historical society director. If the group can’t narrow its deficit, hours at the museum at 616 S. Broadway could be slashed, he said. For the year, the historical society will also receive $15,000, just like the Museum of Flight, a cut of $8,960. The council also allocated $15,000 to the group last year instead of a small percentage of bed tax.
Fundraisers have included an “Evening with Jane Russell” program in June and the organization is selling a block of tickets for “Songs for a New World,” a Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts production next month on the Hancock College campus. Also, members have been asked to give extra donations, and the drive has been successful, Chenoweth said.
The Chamber of Commerce won’t see as much of a change as other agencies because its budget is in step with and adjusted according to TOT figures from the previous year, said Bob Hatch, president and CEO of the chamber. When bed tax money goes up, its funding goes up, and accordingly it goes down when there is less, he said. The chamber’s portion of bed tax funding is based on a formula of the original 8-percent bed tax and the additional 2 percent tax. The city gets the bulk of the first part of the bed tax, while the chamber gets a sizable share of the second part, Hatch said.
Santa Maria Administrative Services Director Rene Vise said the chamber gets 20 percent of the initial 8 percent of the TOT and the economic development contract receives 8.5 percent of the 8 percent of TOT. Of the remaining 2 percent of the bed tax, the chamber gets 70 percent.
For the current fiscal year and the second consecutive year, the chamber also voluntarily took a funding cut, matching city department reductions in the municipal budget. “We thought it would only be fair and reasonable that we would take that same reduction,” Hatch said.
Over the next two years, the chamber is budgeted to receive $652,210 total from bed taxes for its services to the city, including economic development services to retain and attract new businesses to Santa Maria and operation of the Visitor and Convention Bureau, which is meant to promote and increase the trade, commerce, tourism, and convention activity in the city.
A two-year extension for economic development services has been approved for $120,520 per year — a $22,410 drop from last year. Funding for the contract also comes from the bed tax.
Hatch said the chamber also supports attractions in the city, such as museums, through its special events grant fund of about $80,000 for marketing of events that bring overnight stays to local hotels.
Posted in Local on Tuesday, July 13, 2010
By Julian J. Ramos/Staff Writer jramos@santamariatimes.com
Beginning today, various rates and charges at Santa Maria Public Airport will go up as the Airport District tries to recover costs of operating and maintaining hangars at the facility. To generate more money to cover expenses for a money-losing part of the airport, the Santa Maria Public Airport District Board of Directors has raised hangar rents by an average of 11.8 percent — to be spread out over the next two years in six-month increments.
The new fee structure is based on a flat per-square-foot basis. Average cost per square foot was about 17 cents — it is now close to 19 cents under a new formula set by the highest per-square-foot rate before the new fees. For example, over the next two years, the cost of a 940-square-foot hangar will go up $15.08 or 9.2 percent, and a 1,078-square-foot hangar will go up $41.22 or 25.3 percent.
Rents for storage units — located on the ends of hangar buildings — are also going higher, based on square footage.
For the 2010-11 fiscal year, which begins today and runs through June 30, 2011, hangar-area operations are expected to end $54,343 in the red, excluding depreciation.
There are more than 180 hangars on the airport property — 140 T-hangars, eight corporate T-hangars, and 35 corporate hangars. All are rented on a month-to-month basis, and there is a waiting list for access.
Revenues for the hangar area come solely from hangar storage fees and expenses include utilities, maintenance, and supplies. Airport General Manager Chris Hastert said the hope is to reduce administrative costs for the hangar area while bringing revenues for the sector up. “We hopefully meet up somewhere in the middle,” Hastert said of reaching a break-even point in two years.
Hangar rates will go up every six months for two years, with the last hike on Jan. 1, 2012. Owner-built hangars are not included in the rate changes approved in May.
At the end of the two-year period, the airport will see an estimated $55,960 in new hangar revenues or $13,990 more every six months.
Before the new rate structure, rent for T-hangars — ranging from 870 square feet to 1,078 square feet — were set at $163 per month. Per square foot averages for all hangars varied widely, from just over 15 cents to almost 19 cents. The previous rates had been in place since July 2008.
Airport board member Ted Eckert, who voted with Carl Engel and Hugh Rafferty in favor of the hangar increases, said this week the new methodology of the hangar fees is easy to understand and logical. As with any increases, Eckert said, there will always be a few people who are unsatisfied and contest any changes. However, the decision of the Board to break up the increases over four increments are meant to make the hike less painful, said Eckert, a Board Member for 21 years.
In a down period in the economy is not the time to raise rates, said Director Chuck Damiano, who voted against the hike. Instead, the airport should focus on belt tightening when it comes to it’s own spending, he said this week. “(Rate increases) sound more Washington (D.C.) than Santa Maria Airport,” he said.
Director Chuck Adams abstained from voting on the new rates.
Lack of maintenance to the hangars was brought up by public speakers and Board Members during the rates discussion. A planned preventative-maintenance program is meant to tackle bird and rodent entry to the hangars and other issues before they become more costly, Hastert said.
Corporate hangars, which are about 2,000 to 3,000 square feet each, house larger planes or multiple small planes, while nesting T-hangars, from 870 square feet to 1,078 square feet, are suitable for one small plane. Corporate T-hangars are about 1,000 to 2,000 square feet.
Santa Maria’s hangar rates typically are among the lowest among Central Coast airports, Hastert said.
On the South Coast, Santa Barbara Airport owns and operates 24 – 1,026-square-foot T-hangars at a rate of $698 a month — about 68 cents per square foot, according to Hazel Johns, Assistant Airport Director. Santa Maria Airport, also called SMX, is well-known for having “disproportionately” low hangar rates, Johns said.
Beginning Aug. 1, 2010 of the 24 Santa Maria Airport storage unit rates are set to go up. New rates have been set at about 39 cents per square foot. Under the old rates, per-square-foot costs varied from 15 cents to about 39 cents. For example, monthly renters of 155-square-foot units will see no change, while 537-square-foot unit holders will see a $127 increase or a 157-percent hike. The Airport District uses four units for storage while the Federal Aviation Administration has two.
Posted in Local on Thursday, July 1, 2010 9:30 am
With a continued decline in revenues from a slowdown in passengers and fewer landings at Santa Maria Public Airport, the agency that runs the facility has again dipped into reserves to cover its deficit for the coming fiscal year.
Taking into account operating revenues and expenses plus non-operating revenues and expenses, and all capital projects and improvements, the overall deficit is $280,004 for the 2010-11 budget year, which begins Thursday, Airport General Manager Chris Hastert said.
Overall, Hastert said he is pleased with the work done by airport staff to create the budget. “I feel like we did a good job in getting this together …,” Hastert said.
Total operating revenues are estimated at $3.3 million with total operating expenses, excluding depreciation, of $3.6 million, according to the budget.
Almost half of the operational spending, about $1.7 million, is salaries, contract staff, security and Aircraft Rescue Firefighting (ARFF) services mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration. The airport contracts with the Santa Maria police and fire departments for security and ARFF, respectively.
Approved by a 4-1 vote Thursday by the airport district’s board of directors, the budget includes increased spending on maintenance in a move to be proactive, rather than reactive, to upkeep of the facility, Hastert said.
Directors Carl Engel, Chuck Adams, Hugh Rafferty and Ted Eckert voted in favor with Charles Damiano dissenting because of items on the capital budget he believed shouldn’t have been there and were not safety related.
Also, more money is going toward local marketing of the airport through TV, print, and radio advertising and working with an aviation consulting services firm to attract a new airline to the airport. The ultimate hope is to draw more passengers and create more revenues, Hastert said.
With slower passenger traffic in the terminal because of the recession, rental car revenues to the airport also have dropped.
Terminal revenues — (TSA) lease, restaurant, airlines, car rental percentage rent — are expected to come in at an $884,136 loss.
The most significant source of operating income, $634,637 or 40%, is non-aviation revenue-generating land — the Airport Business Park, Radisson hotel, mobile-home park, Sunset Ridge Golf Course and 603 acres of leased farm land.
To generate more revenues, the board has raised hangar rents by an average of 11.8% to be spread out over two years in six-month increments.
Proposed capital projects are budgeted at $5.8 million of which the airport is on the hook for $1.6 million.
Most of the capital costs are for a long-awaited runway extension project. It will be built in two phases across two federal budget years as the majority of the project, 95%, will be covered by a FAA Airport Improvement Plan grant.
The first phase of the runway development includes infrastructure improvements such as electrical conduit and a taxiway extension. Hastert said the airport expects to put the initial runway project out for bid as soon as Thursday. Work could begin in September or October. Budgeted at $4.5 million, $4.2 million of phase one will be paid by the FAA grant, while the district cost for phase one is $222,700.
Phase two, runway paving and relocation of navigational aids for the Instrument Landing System, is expected to cost about $8 million. It will also be funded mostly by the FAA.
Airport officials have promoted the longer runway as a draw for larger commercial and private planes, and longer corporate jet flights, such as nonstops to Japan or Europe.
Other significant capital projects include:
- $270,000 for new roofs on three buildings.
- $126,123 for reconfiguration and replacement of the terminal building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system.
- $100,000 for main hangar renovations.
- $100,000 for design of car-wash facility for rental cars.
- $100,000 for asphalt rehabilitation.
Posted in Local on Monday, June 28, 2010 12:00 am
A F-4 Phantom is one of the planes displayed on the tarmac at the Santa Maria Museum of Flight.//Bryan Walton/Staff
A century of aviation history is on display at the Santa Maria Museum of Flight overlooking the city’s public airport.
The museum, which boasts everything from a full-scale replica of the Wright Brothers 1902 glider to a fragment from the ill-fated Space Shuttle Challenger, is housed in two buildings at 3015 Airpark Drive, northwest of the airport terminal.
The main building, a modest-looking, tawny-colored wood structure, has a bit of history of its own. It was a hangar built for Disney’s “The Rocketeer” filmed at the airport in 1991.
A metal hangar nearby — once the original museum — remains part of the complex, said head docent John Killpack, a World War II and aerospace veteran and knowledgeable guide.
Hanging from the ceiling of the wood hangar, devoted to early aviation, is the Wright Brothers’ glider. “It’s flimsy-looking — it’s sturdy though,” said Killpack. “Those two bike mechanics figured all this out.”
Elsewhere in the spacious room are “all kinds of models,” said Killpack, voicing an understatement. He pointed out full-size vintage aircraft such as a 1929 Fleet Model 2. There also are large radio-controlled airplanes down to planes the size of a child’s toy. A set of prized Topping dioramas depict aviation history. Walls hold photos and maps. Aviation “firsts” abound.
The museum highlights Capt. G. Allan Hancock, who pioneered much of Santa Maria’s airplane history. There is a model of the Southern Cross, the first plane to fly across the Pacific, financed by Hancock, and photos of his College of Aeronautics where Hancock College now stands.
Outside between the buildings are an F-4 Phantom, an A-4 Skyhawk, an F-86 Sabre, and Titan and Delta rocket engines. The second hangar includes a half scale P-38, a mockup of a cockpit for “The Aviator” film, a Stinson Reliant, a once-secret Norden Bombsight and the Challenger fragment.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults, less for seniors and children. Military personnel and dependents are free.
The museum also sponsors the “Thunder Over the Valley” air show to be held Aug. 27 through 29.
For more information, call 922-8758 or go to www.smmof.org.
Posted: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 12:00 am
A B-17 Flying Fortress, a P-51 Mustang, and a B-24 Liberator – part of The Collings Foundation’s Wings of Freedom tour – were scheduled to arrive Monday, but rain delayed their flights.
Visitors are welcome to tour the inside of the vintage aircraft and 30-minute flights also are available, organizers said.
Viewing the exterior of planes is free. Interior tours of the B-17 or B-24 will cost $12 for adults and $6 for children under 12 years old.
Flights aboard the B-17 or B-24 cost $425 per person per flight while P-51 flights are $2,200 for a half hour and $3,200 for a full hour. Reservations can be made through the Collings Foundation at (800) 568-8924. Donations are tax-deductible.
The planes will be parked on the ramp behind the Radisson Hotel, 3455 Skyway Drive, from 9 a.m. to noon today for ground tours and viewing. They’ll depart at noon.
Posted in Local on Wednesday, May 19, 2010
The Collings Foundation’s Wings of Freedom tour will bring a B-17 Flying Fortress, a P-51 Mustang, and a B-24 Liberator to the Santa Maria Public Airport from Monday through Wednesday.
American warbirds, crucial to winning World War II, are coming to the Central Coast next week. The Collings Foundation’s Wings of Freedom tour will bring a B-17 Flying Fortress, a P-51 Mustang, and a B-24 Liberator to the Santa Maria Public Airport from Monday until Wednesday.
Visitors are welcome to tour the inside of the vintage aircraft and 30-minute flights also are available, organizers said. Viewing the exterior of planes is free. Interior tours of the B-17 or B-24 will cost $12 for adults and $6 for children under 12 years old. Flights aboard the B-17 or B-24 cost $425 per person per flight while P-51 flights are $2,200 for a half hour and $3,200 for a full hour. Reservations can be made through the Collings Foundation at (800) 568-8924. Donations are tax-deductible.
The planes are scheduled to arrive Monday afternoon at the airport and will be parked on the ramp behind the Radisson Hotel, 3455 Skyway Drive, until Wednesday.
Hours for ground tours and display are from 2 to 5:30 p.m. Monday; 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday. Flights are typically scheduled before and after ground tour times.
The B-17 is restored and painted as the 8th Air Force, 91st Bomb Group’s “Nine-O-Nine” which flew a record 140 missions over enemy territory during World War II without an abort of lost crewman. It’s one of only nine of its type flying today in the America, organizers said.
The B-24J has been restored and repainted as the 8th Air Force, 467th Bomb Group’s “Witchcraft” that flew 130 missions with no crewman injured or lost.
The dual control P-51C Mustang, named “Betty Jane,” honors Col. Charles M. McCorkle, commander of the 31st fighter group based in North Africa and Italy. He recorded 11 confirmed enemy kills in the air — 6 in a Mustang named “Betty Jane.”
The versions of the B-24 and P-51 are the only flying examples of their types in the world, according to organizers.
Santa Maria is part of a 110-city nationwide “living history” tour to promote education and awareness of World War II air power, The Collings Foundation said.
The local visit is hosted by the Santa Maria Museum of Flight. Wings of Freedom has come to the airport five of the past seven years and typically has a good turnout, said Mike Geddry Sr., Museum of Flight president.
A barbecue from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday is being planned to welcome the flight crews, he said. For reservations, call the museum at 922-8758. Prices have yet to be set.
For more information on the Massachusetts-based organization and its planes go to www.cfdn.org
Staff Report posted in Local on Saturday, May 15, 2010
By Julian J. Ramos/Staff Writer jramos@santamariatimes.com
Although no grades will be handed out after a drill simulating a plane crash Wednesday at Santa Maria Public Airport, officials from the city and the airport said the exercise served as a valuable test run for a real-life incident.
Coordinated chiefly by the Santa Maria Public Airport District and the Santa Maria Fire Department, which is contracted by the airport to handle fire services, the drill is a test of coordinated emergency services between several area agencies, officials said.
A full-scale drill, held every three years, is an important test of the effectiveness of the airport’s emergency plan, said Chris Hastert, airport general manager. Overall, Hastert said Wednesday’s results were satisfactory. “I couldn’t be more pleased,” Hastert said.
The mass-casualty scenario was meant to simulate a 30-passenger airliner crash on the runway with a post-collision fire and leaking fuel. A yellow school bus served as the downed aircraft and a plume of simulated white smoke from a canister represented the fire in the aircraft.
Hancock College Emergency Medical Services (EMS) students acted as victims for the drill, while others portrayed families and friends.
About 100 members from various agencies — American Medical Response, county fire and Sheriff’s departments, and the county’s Emergency Medical Services Agency, for example — participated.
There is no pass or fail for the exercise, rather it is a valuable tool to gauge what works and what does not, Hastert said.
Going over notes detailing observations from evaluators is the next step for airport and city officials. The process is anticipated to begin next week.
It was the first such drill at the Santa Maria Airport, also known as SMX, for Hastert since becoming general manager in October 2008.
The two-hour exercise took between two and three months to plan, and was the first in which the city fire force was one of the lead agencies organizing the scenario, said Jeff Jones, Santa Maria’s fire chief. There were many critical, moderate, and minor injuries along with 17 fatalities among the 29 souls on board, he said, describing the drill during a press conference.
Shortly after the mock plane crash, the city’s “crash” unit vehicle assigned at the airport sprayed water from a cannon to simulate a foam blanket around the aircraft that would allow the victims and firefighters to exit the fuselage safely. Victims were taken off the aircraft and into a hangar where they were divided up by the severity of their injuries.
American Red Cross staff members were on hand to support first responders to the incident and to aid crash victims and their families.
The airport remained open for normal operations during the exercise, which was held in an area away from the runway and close to the airport fire station and the former Space Coast Flight Center facility.
In August 2008, the city assumed the airport contract from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department to provide Aircraft Rescue Firefighting (ARFF) services as mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration. Under FAA regulations, the airport must supply aircraft rescue staffing during every takeoff and landing of commercial flights and large charters. The specialized staff must be on hand to respond 15 minutes before and after each flight.
Posted in Local on Thursday, May 6, 2010
A simulated plane crash is scheduled for today at Santa Maria Public Airport.
The airport will remain open for normal operations during this exercise, and people in the terminal, Pepper Garcia’s restaurant and general aviation areas will be notified of the drill, city of Santa Maria officials said.
The drill – involving the city police and fire departments, Santa Maria Public Airport District, and many other agencies – is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon.
Posted in Local on Wednesday, May 5, 2010
A simulated plane crash is scheduled for Wednesday at Santa Maria Public Airport, city of Santa Maria officials announced.
The airport will remain open for normal operations during this exercise, and people in the terminal, Pepper Garcia’s restaurant and general aviation areas will be notified of the drill, the city said.
The mass-casualty scenario is meant to simulate a 30-passenger airliner crash with a post-crash fire and leaking fuel. A school bus will represent the downed aircraft, a canister of simulated smoke will be used to represent the fire, and Allan Hancock College students will act as victims for the drill, while others will portray families and friends.
The drill – involving the police and fire departments in Santa Maria, Santa Maria Public Airport District, and many other agencies – is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon.
For more information, call the City Manager’s Office at 925-0951, Ext. 372 or Airport General Manager Chris Hastert at 922-1726, Ext. 15.
April 29, 2010
A restored B-17 bomber will visit Santa Barbara from April 23 to 25 during a 60-city “Salute to Veterans” national tour. It’s one of two Flying Fortresses scheduled to land on the Central Coast this spring. The other will arrive in Santa Maria in May.
During its Santa Barbara visit, “Aluminum Overcast,” the Experimental Aircraft Association’s restored B-17 bomber, will offer flights and interior tours for a price. The plane will be at the Santa Barbara Airport south of Hangar 1, junction of Arnold Place and Cook Place.
Self-guided tours cost $5 per person or $15 per family (meaning adults and children up to 17 years old and including immediate family members only). Children under 8 years old can tour for free when accompanied by paying adult. All active-duty military members and veterans also will be admitted for free.
A minimum of six people is required per flight. Pre-booked flights cost $359 for EAA members and $399 (includes a free one-year EAA membership) for non-members. To schedule a flight, go to www.b17.org or call toll-free 800-359-6217. Rides booked after the aircraft arrives in Santa Barbara will cost $385 for members and $425 for non-members.
Aluminum Overcast has made multiple trips to the Central Coast, including stops in Santa Maria in 2002.
“The national tour EAA undertakes each year has become the nation’s most popular way to learn about this unique aircraft in an up-close way,” said Tom Poberezny, EAA president. “EAA is dedicated to preserving the spirit of aviation through these B-17 tours. This year, we also take great pride in saluting all our nation’s veterans as the airplane makes its way throughout our country.”
Aluminum Overcast was built in 1945, but was delivered to the Army Air Corps too late to see active service in World War II. It was purchased as war surplus for $750 by a private individual, and served in mapping and spraying operations in many countries until a preservation group purchased it in 1978.
The B-17 was donated to the EAA Aviation Foundation in 1981 with the provision of the aircraft being maintained in airworthy condition. After being displayed at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wis., for a decade, the airplane made its national tour debut in the spring of 1994.
For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800-564-6322 or go to www.eaa.org.
This won’t be the only old warbird to visit the county this spring. The Santa Maria Museum of Flight will host aircraft owned by The Collings Foundation, based in Massachusetts. The organization will bring a B-17 along with a B-24 Liberator and a P-51 Mustang to the Santa Maria Public Airport from May 17 to 19. For more information about that visit, visit www.collingsfoundation.org or call the Santa Maria Museum of Flight at 922-8758.
April 19, 2010
