Air cargo hub-bub

By gedward on March 19, 2006 8:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In December 2004, nearly a decade after being downsized via the Base Realignment And Closure (BRAC) process, March Air Reserve Base near Riverside landed shipping giant DHL. Excepting the usual NIMBY opponents, the process of landing DHL at the base's civilian-operated March GlobalPort went off without a much of a hitch -- or so many had thought. Fast forward to September 2005, just as operations at DHL's newly-minted West Coast Hub were beginning, and a few cracks began to appear.

First was the revelation of an inaccurate flight map used during public meetings. Later was the discovery that revenue projections used to form the agreement with DHL had been overstated. And recently it was learned that a temporary fuel storage facility was not exactly up to snuff. These concerns have since been addressed, but it's the flight map mishap that still has some asking questions.

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DHL's West Coast Hub
The Press-Enterprise

Flight map mishap
The Press-Enterprise

March Field control tower

AirFest 2004

AirFest 2004 - USAF Thunderbirds

Naturally, the revelation of the inaccurate flight map left many feeling uneasy, both proponents and opponents alike. Yet, it is the opinion of this Web site that in the overall operations of the cargo hub, the flight map -- erroneous or not -- is mostly trivial for several reasons:

March ARB has been in existence since 1918 and its flight path should be neither new nor surprising to anyone -- residents, homeowners and realtors alike

As a major logistics base for the military -- particularly during the current Iraq/Afghanistan campaigns -- flights are conducted at all hours of the day and night

DHL currently operates a mere 16 flight operations per day (8 arrivals/8 departures) with future daily flight operations for March GlobalPort capped at 56 (28/28) -- this compares to the approximately 500 daily cargo flight operations at Los Angeles International Airport

But above all, the erroneous flight map simply depicted departing flights slightly removed from the standard departing pattern of March ARB -- in effect shifting flights over someone else's neighborhood, which in typical NIMBY fashion appeared to be just enough for alleviating the fears of neighboring opponents.

However, what this Web site does agree was an egregious error (as implied in a previous blog entry) was how the flight map incident played out. From its creation and subsequent presentation at public hearings, and more importantly, the quiet addition of a corrected version into the public record following the hearings, the entire process had a hoodwinking feel to it. As such, the public board overseeing reuse at the base (March Joint Powers Commission) appointed an independent report by Leonard Gumport, which eventually led to the removal of the GlobalPort individual responsible for the flight map mishap.

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But the investigation turned up a bit more, including the revelation that GlobalPort developers downplayed a second noise study.

The Single Event Noise Exposure Level (SENEL) study, one aimed at measuring impacts of individual flights as opposed to overall flight operations, indicated some night flights could affect up to 5% of nearby residents. Yet, having already met the existing standards outlined in the base's Master Environmental Impact Report -- which included Community Noise Equivalency Level (CNEL) and 1998 Air Installation Compatible Use Zone (AICUZ) studies -- March GlobalPort was neither required to commission the SENEL study nor release its findings.

However, with that said and in light of the relatively low percentage of potentially affected residents, the lack of candor with the public regarding the SENEL study is significant if only because it became magnified once the erroneous flight map surfaced. And when yet two more issues later appeared (overstated revenue, fuel storage concerns), the credibility of the GlobalPort developers naturally became a bit shaky.

Fortunately, GlobalPort has since agreed to cover the revenue shortfall. Likewise, the concerns surrounding the temporary fuel storage are being addressed until permanent infrastructure is completed. And as already noted, the individual responsible for the inaccurate flight map has been removed. But without a doubt, the combination of mishaps dealt a tough blow to the overall progress surrounding reuse efforts at the base.

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Irrespective of all the hub-bub -- some of which was warranted and some of which was over-dramatized -- DHL is here to stay. The $65 million cargo hub at March ARB is simply too important for the local economy to be derailed by a small contingent of NIMBY opponents, particularly ones living near a long-established Air Force Base (not too mention the oldest on the West Coast). That's not to say some improprieties indeed surfaced that needed addressing.

But the bottom line is that the March JPA has done exactly what it was commissioned to do back in 1993 by bringing in a significant job-producing catalyst for base reuse (DHL). Moreover, with its recent actions, including both the flight map investigation and the subsequent hiring of an independent review of the JPA itself, the March JPC has begun rebuilding confidence within the local community by promising better communication and tighter oversight of future reuse developments -- a necessary change in order to continue job-producing operations at the nation's first joint-use cargo airport.

Finally, this site makes it no secret we were -- and continue to be -- in favor of joint military-civilian use of March ARB, including both the March GlobalPort and DHL operations, which over time can only help strengthen the local economy -- and help reduce the daily commuter crush to higher-paying jobs in neighboring Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.

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