Save Hangar One Committee

For those of you who missed the Navy's "Alternatives Workshop" Thursday night:

Our community put on a good show for the Navy Thursday night (August 18, 2005). We were unified. We were constructive. We got our points across.

During the poster session, we handed out the "SHOC Statement." We gave people stickers with our logo to wear. Over the course of the evening, nearly twenty people signed up to be on our list.

From 70 to 100 people crowded into the Navy's "Alternatives Workshop." Nearly everyone in the room, including the Navy's professional facilitator, was confused by the Navy's efforts to walk us all through a spreadsheet covering 13 cleanup options and multiple criteria - without any background information. After about 15 or 20 minutes, they gave up.

Over the next hour-and-a-half, people in the audience made a range of thoughtful, sometimes argumentative comments about the Navy's approach. When the facilitator failed to poll participants on the key questions before the community, I asked for a show of hands on four key questions. There was virtually unanimous support all four points:

1. People came to the meeting because they want Hangar One preserved.

2. We want the Air and Space Center to be installed in Hangar One once it is cleaned up and renovated.

3. We support the concept of using Hangar One to generate solar power.

4. We want Hangar One remediated to prevent continuing toxic releases into the environment.

Though the Navy spokesman was unclear at first, the Navy's position is that under current law it cannot fund reconstruction of the Hangar if remediation requires the removal of siding or other structural elements. Solar energy could generate substantial revenues, but there is no guarantee that it would bring in enough money to preserve the Hangar.

Many of us took that as a cue and a challenge. We need to ask our Congressional delegation for help. Congresswoman Eshoo's representative was present, but we need to involve Senators Boxer and Feinstein, too. This will probably be a major topic at our next meeting.

Two TV news programs - channels 4 and 5 - covered the meeting briefly Thursday night. There is also a write-up in Friday's (August 19) San Jose Mercury News. See http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/12423033.htm

Finally, the Chronicle published a major article about the solar energy proposal on Thursday morning. See http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/08/18/BAGI2E9B5B1.DTL&hw=Moffett+hangar&sn=001&sc=1000

Lenny Siegel