Airpark master plan presentation well-received

an for Fallbrook Community Airpark was well-received during a February 7 meeting at the Fallbrook Public Utility District building.

The special meeting for the technical advisory committee and the public included a presentation by P&D Consulting, which also took comments to be incorporated into the master plan’s final draft.

Peter Drinkwater, the Director of County Airports, was pleased with the participation by the aviation participants and the local community. “We thank everyone and look to a bright future of improvements,” he said. “This process can’t happen unless people commit time and effort to it, and people did.”

The master plan will upgrade safety and other standards for airpark users. “It projects the likelihood of one-and-a-half to two million dollars in private investment over 20 years and a need for approximately $20 million in public investment to bring the airport into all FAA safety and compliance standards,” Drinkwater noted.

The Federal Aviation Administration provides grants to upgrade airport safety and other standards to current FAA compliance standards. “The county will continue to pursue eligible Federal grants for necessary safety improvements at Fallbrook Airpark,” Drinkwater said.

The largest anticipated expense is the implementation of safety areas for the runway, which is expected to cost approximately $7.5 million to $8 million.

County Supervisor Bill Horn sent a staff member to the February 7 meeting. That staff member, Phil Rath, complemented the airpark advisory committee members for their work on the process and noted that the supervisor was pleased with the plans.

The master plan will be submitted to the FAA for final review and comments along with the requested changes from the technical advisory committee. The final plan will be then be brought before the Fallbrook Airpark Advisory Committee in March for a vote to recommend approval of the plan.

The Airpark Advisory Committee’s recommendation will be followed by docketing the recommended approval of the master plan for a Board of Supervisors meeting. The supervisors will likely consider the plan in early April.