Palmdale Airport cargo ramp delayed

The regional airport, north of Avenue P at 20th Street East, is owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a department of the city of Los Angeles. The airport is on the grounds of Plant 42, which is under the control of the Air Force.

Before bids on the ramp are sought, a review of the effects of the proposed project on the environment should be completed, and Congress must be notified of the airport operator's intent to spend money on property under federal control, Catlin said.

Before Congress can be notified, the Air Force must have more information on the ramp project from LAWA, Catlin said. Also, the Air Force should be allowed to comment on the proposed design.

"The bottom line is, they jumped the gun a little bit. They have more things to do before they're ready to bid," he said.

In April, the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners granted permission for LAWA to seek bids for the construction of a $1.5 million ramp. That ramp was to be large enough to accommodate the simultaneous loading and unloading of two cargo planes at Palmdale Regional Airport.

At the time of approval, airport commission president John Agoglia said he and his colleagues were "committed to growing cargo service at Palmdale."

"But before we can approach cargo companies about using our airport, we've got to get some concrete on the ground," Agoglia said.

Nancy Castles, communications director for LAWA, confirmed Friday that bids for that work had been put on hold because of environmental questions.

LAWA submitted its plans for constructing the cargo ramp to officials at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, headquarters for the Air Force's environmental group, Castles said.

Air Force environmental officials have listed their requirements in a letter back to LAWA, she said. "Since we just received this letter, the department is currently reviewing these requirements.

"Until such time as that review is completed, the construction bids have been put on hold," Castles said.

Before any concrete is poured, considerations aside from environmental impacts also must be considered, Catlin said.

"One of the major concerns the Air Force has, based on law, is that city of L.A. money is being spent on a federal installation. When that happens, we have to notify Congress so they can approve," the Catlin said.

"In order for the Air Force to notify Congress, we need more information from LAWA. We have already sent them a letter requesting that information," he said.

The information sought concerns not only the cargo-ramp project but LAWA's master plan for future service at Palmdale Regional Airport, Catlin said.

"We don't want a little bit developed here and a little bit there, because we would have to keep going back to Congress for approval. We would like to get our arms around what the long-term plans are and notify Congress all at once," he said.

While budget considerations would prevent LAWA from making all changes at once, "as long as we know what they're planning and get approval, we won't have to keep doing this every time," he said.

The ramp project will require an environmental review describing the expected effects of pouring concrete over what now is desert, Catlin said. The review will not describe the affects of plane traffic.

Fifty flights a day have been approved for Palmdale Regional, which would share airspace with Air Force operations. Any cargo flights would be included in that number, as would passenger flights, Catlin said.

As part of the environmental review, the Air Force will be asked to comment on design of the ramp, he said. The results of the review also must be made available to the public for comment.

"The bid requests could change based on comments we have on the design, what they find during the environmental assessment, and based on what Congress tells us," Catlin said. "They really need to hold that until all that comes together and we know this is ready to go.

"I don't think this is a major snag," the commander said. "The project has not been canceled. Hopefully, at worst, it is simply postponed until we can get better information from LAWA."

Airport officials indicated they will provide that information, he said.

Most LAWA officials were unavailable for comment because of "dark Friday," Castles said.

For air-quality purposes, Los Angeles municipal employees are allowed to work nine hours a day, she said. The extra hours give workers an extra day off every other week, which is referred to as "dark Friday" because most office lights are off.

Those with more knowledge about the ramp contract were unavailable, Castles said. The contract was to be awarded this summer, with work to begin in November and end six months later.

Cargo flights would reopen the terminal at Palmdale Regional Airport, which has been closed since April 1998, when the last commercial airline, United Express, terminated commuter flights to Los Angeles International Airport.

Palmdale Councilman David Myers, who represents the city in many transportation matters, said he was aware of a delay in the project because of additional questions about the ramp's potential environmental impact.

"It's a part of the process that is allowed for under the national Environmental Protection Act," Myers said.