SMO To Close For Runway Shortening

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SMO To Close For Runway Shortening

By Mary Grady | November 29, 2017

The Santa Monica Airport, which the city has long tried to shut down
while the aviation community has rallied to keep it open, will close
for 10 days this month so the single 4,973-foot runway can be
shortened. The shutdown will begin on Dec.13 and conclude on Dec. 23,
according to the airport website
https://www.smgov.net/departments/airport/. The new runway will be
just 3,500 feet long. Notams will be issued, and operators can find
updated information on the airport website. Aircraft owners unable to
operate on the shorter runway will have to remove their aircraft from
the field prior to Dec. 13, the city said. NBAA said the runway change
is still under litigation, and if NBAA prevails in court, the city
will have wasted $3 million.

The runway change will mainly involve changes in markings and
lighting, taxiway configuration and the location of navaids, NBAA
said. “The 10-day closure and runway shortening will have a
significant impact on the local companies that rely on SMO, small
businesses at the airport and operators that depend on SMO as a
gateway to the Los Angeles area,” said Stacy Howard, NBAA Western
regional representative. “That role has earned SMO a ‘reliever’
designation by the FAA. NBAA is concerned about the impact to other
Southern California airports and the effect on the national airspace
system. NBAA will continue to use all means available to fight access
restrictions at SMO.”
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https://www.smgov.net/Departments/Ai..._s_Office.aspx

Airport News
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Dear Community:

I hope you have had a great day. I want to share a quick update on the
runway shortening project and let you know that the project is on
schedule and that phase 2 of the project will commence on December 13
and conclude on December 23. Phase 2 of the project involves the full
closure of the Airport.

Please see the official notification on the updated timeline for the
runway shortening project. Aircraft owners unable to operate on a
runway with the new operational length of 3,500 feet, will have to
remove the aircraft from the field prior to December 13, 2017.

Please let me know if I can answer any questions regarding this
notification. I hope you have a good night.

Warmly,

Suja Lowenthal, DPD
Senior Advisor to the City Manager
City of Santa Monica
310.434.2699



Airport News
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Dear Community:

I hope you are having a great day. I have had an opportunity these
last couple of weeks to meet with members of the community inside and
outside the Airport. Just a few out of the many, many more I would
like to have in the coming weeks and months. Thank you to those who
have spent time out of their very busy schedules to chat with me.

One of the community groups I am getting to meet and know is our
artist community who have studios at the Santa Monica Art Studios. If
you have not had an opportunity to visit the artist studios and
experience their work during one of the programmed events, I urge you
to do so. They are quite remarkable. There will be an open studios
event called More Art Here, January 25 – 28, 2018. I am looking
forward to seeing the work of all the resident artists at that event.
I hope to meet the artists in person before then; primarily to
introduce myself and to share with them the City’s commitment to their
continued presence at the studios.

When I first came on-board about three weeks ago, I came to learn of
concerns amongst the artists regarding their tenancy. I wish I had
reached out to them on day one. I wanted to first better understand
the concerns and from where they arise before reaching out.
Thankfully, my colleague Shannon Daut, the Cultural Affairs Division
Manager, has been working diligently on planning a visioning process
for the art studios. The timing could not have been better to reach
out to the artists and share what they can expect going forward,
including a continued resounding commitment from the City. Appended
below is the note I sent to the Santa Monica Art Studios artists on
October 20.

I share this with you as I know that the vibrance and texture the
artists bring to the Airport are as important to the community
surrounding the Airport as they are to the entire City. I will
continue to provide updates as the Santa Monica Art Studios visioning
process gets underway. In the meantime, please share this message with
your friends and colleagues that may be interested in the Santa Monica
Art Studios.

Thank you.

Warmly,


Suja Lowenthal, DPD
Senior Advisor to the City Manager
City of Santa Monica
310.434.2699



Airport News
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Dear Community:

It has been 24 hours since we learned that the temporary restraining
order (TRO) blocking the start of our runway shortening construction
has been lifted and that we may begin work on the project. This is
definitely cause for celebration and many of you expressed as much in
response to the quick note I sent this morning sharing the court’s
order lifting the TRO. I don’t want to close my day here without
thanking City Attorney Lane Dilg and her dedicated team, without whom
this matter would not have been dispensed with as quickly and expertly
as it was. Thank you, Lane.

And a special thank you, again, to you for your patience. I know the
bumps along the way have not been fun, to say the least. A good friend
of ours in the community shared today after hearing that we are back
on, “I often feel like the character in the Peanuts cartoon who runs
forward each year to kick the football, only to have Lucy snatch it
away at the last minute.” I smiled knowing exactly what she meant and
came away renewed, remembering that what I loved most about Charlie
Brown is that he never ever gave up.

2017.10.17 Attachment to Post

Goodnight,

Suja Lowenthal
Senior Advisor to the City Manager

Airport News
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Hi there, Community. Please see attached statement regarding lifting
of the temporary restraining order and runway shortening project
commencement.

I will send out a proper community update later today. This is just
short and sweet to share that we are back on track.
Thank you.

Warmly,
Suja Lowenthal
Senior Advisor to the City Manager

2017.10.17 Official Notice Runway Shortening TRO Lifted:
https://www.smgov.net/uploadedImages...O%20Lifted.png
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Wednesday, August 08, 2017
All,

Greetings! I hope everyone is in good health.
I have three important airport updates from last night’s City Council
meeting to share.

Airport Runway Shortening Project
Last night the City Council awarded a construction contract to shorten
the Santa Monica Airport runway. AECOM will be the construction
contractor. The runway is currently 5,000 feet long; after the
shortening, the runway will be 3,500 feet long. Shortening the runway
is permitted by the Consent Decree between the U.S. Government and the
City of Santa Monica. The Consent Decree was signed in late January.
According to our national aviation consultants, there should be a 45%
reduction in jet traffic after the runway is shorten. AECOM’s
construction schedule has the project starting in early Fall and
finishing in December. There will be a 7 to 14 day period of “hard
closure” which will occur at the end of construction, December, 2017.
During those days, the airport will be closed completely to all
traffic regardless of the hour or purpose of the landing. In addition
to hard closures, the airport will also be closed often from October
through November from 9 pm to 7 am, Monday - Friday. Currently, the
airport is open 24 hours a day for landing purposes.

City staff will be providing project and construction notices and
updates during the entire project. At this time the exact construction
details are not yet final but will be shortly. As soon as the
construction schedule details are known, City staff will promptly send
out notices and project updates. The attached media advisory includes
a map of the runway after the shortening.

Museum of Flying
The City Council also approved a new lease with the Santa Monica
Museum of Flying. The lease is for 5 years with an additional 5 year
option. The lease is for $1 per year and it is the City’s contribution
to helping the Museum stay viable for the long-term in order to
preserve Santa Monica’s aviation history. FAA regulations allows the
City to offer deeply discounted lease terms to an aviation museum.
Today, the Museum hosted an event to celebrate the partnership with
the City of Santa Monica. Please see the attached media advisory for
more details.
Airport Leasing Guidelines
Last, the City Council approved two modifications to the Airport
Leasing and Licensing Guidelines. One modification is to acknowledge
the requirement of the consent decree that the City offer three-year
terms, based on reasonable commercial standards, to aviation service
providers. Additionally, the City Manager is now authorized to sign
leases with terms of five years, or less, provided the City Manager
determines the use is consistent with the leasing policy.

The last word--once again, be on the lookout for notices and updates
from the City regarding the runway shortening construction project
schedule.

Until next time.

Nelson Hernandez
Senior Advisor to the City Manager

Runway Shortening Media Advisory:
https://www.smgov.net/uploadedFiles/...20Advisory.pdf

Museum of Flying Media Advisory:
https://www.smgov.net/uploadedFiles/...20Advisory.pdf
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On Friday, December 1, 2017 at 2:52:04 PM UTC-6, Larry Dighera wrote:
https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/new...-229985-1.html

SMO To Close For Runway Shortening

By Mary Grady | November 29, 2017

The Santa Monica Airport, which the city has long tried to shut down
while the aviation community has rallied to keep it open, will close
for 10 days this month so the single 4,973-foot runway can be
shortened. The shutdown will begin on Dec.13 and conclude on Dec. 23,
according to the airport website
https://www.smgov.net/departments/airport/. The new runway will be
just 3,500 feet long. Notams will be issued, and operators can find
updated information on the airport website. Aircraft owners unable to
operate on the shorter runway will have to remove their aircraft from
the field prior to Dec. 13, the city said. NBAA said the runway change
is still under litigation, and if NBAA prevails in court, the city
will have wasted $3 million.

The runway change will mainly involve changes in markings and
lighting, taxiway configuration and the location of navaids, NBAA

Its good that the pavement is being kept for eventual use as the Main Street of Leisure World, SMO.