How much is airport worth? $177.5 million

At the AV Board of Trade Outlook Conference on Friday, Feb. 7, L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich suggested that the county and the cities of Palmdale and Lancaster acquire the airport property.

Responding to a request from Antonovich, Harry W. Stone, director of the county's Department of Public Works, subsequently prepared an abbreviated report for the supervisor. Stone conservatively pegged the minimum price at $177.5 million.

The report, dated March 11, said that several real estate appraisers placed a rough value on the property of between $10,000 and $40,000-plus per acre. Based on the low-end price of $10,000, Stone multiplied the amount out to $177.5 million.

Stone's cover letter said:

". . . our staff believes that any additional resources allocated toward increasing commercial air service in the Antelope Valley should be used to improve and enlarge the City of Los Angeles' facilities on leased land at Air Force Plant 42."

That statement was echoed by Lt. Col. Peter Drinkwater, commander of Air Force Plant 42, Wednesday during a luncheon meeting of the Palmdale Regional Airport Advisory Council at the Essex House.

Drinkwater pointed out that contracts are currently being let to improve taxiways and lighting at Plant 42, which the Palmdale Air Terminal uses.

He urged the group to continue working with the Los Angeles City Department of Airports, which is authorized to fly 200 operations a day at the Air Force field.

Two representatives of the Department of Airports were speakers at the meeting. They are J.L. "Jack" Graham, chief of airport planning, and Michael DeGirolamo, director of airport operations. Both men pledged to continue pushing for expansion of operations at Palmdale.

DeGirolamo said that it's expected that cargo carriers might be interested sooner than passenger airlines.

Under the LAX Master Plan currently being developed, existing airline maintenance facilities at the L.A. airport will have to be moved somewhere else.

Palmdale could provide a new haven for those transplanted maintenance operations. But don't hold your breath!