http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=euLTJbMUKvH&b=412 359&ct=2494735
It's Miramar By ROB DAVIS Voice Staff Writer Tuesday, May 23, 2006 An airport authority committee chose Marine Corps Air Station Miramar as the best site for a new international airport to replace Lindbergh Field, putting the authority one step away from finalizing the proposal voters will see in November. The final say belongs to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority's full nine-member board, which will settle the issue at its June 5 meeting. Their decision, spurred by projections that show the city's existing airport will reach its capacity sometime after 2015, will culminate the three-year process that the authority was created to bring to fruition. The heralded solution to San Diego's project air capacity crunch is by no means assured. The Pentagon has vehemently objected to sharing land at the base, and a 1996 federal law prohibits commercial aircraft from using it. And to date, none of San Diego's congressional representatives have shown any support for a commercial airport at Miramar. The uncertainty surrounding the base is reflected in the draft language the committee recommended for the November ballot initiative. It became clear Monday that Miramar may never house a joint-use commercial airport, even if voters approve the move Nov. 7. >> <The 3-1 approval capped off a contentious meeting in a contentious process, where board members openly criticized each other's reasoning. But then there was the Navy, the Marine Corps and board member Tony Young. Officials from both branches rehashed their objections to sharing their bases with commercial aircraft. Between the two -- Capt. Mike Allen, chief of staff at Navy Region Southwest, and Lt. Col. Duane Pinney, Miramar's safety director -- the words "unacceptable" or "unacceptably" were used 17 times. That prompted Young, who also serves on San Diego's City Council, to chide a lack of cooperation, saying the military needed to be "more open and honest." "What I heard was a presentation of what can't be done," Young said. "We're looking for a solution here in San Diego. We're growing up. We're not the military-only town we used to be. I didn't hear any recommendations of what you could do as the military." Pinney, in response: "We're not paid to support the board."> --------------------- The military mentality is something else! The trick is to find who they will take orders from. That's all they know. Cheers. _____________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. Goanet mailing list (Goanet@goanet.org)