Dear SMNA Members,  

  Thank you so much for sending your letters to tell the SCC Board of Supervisors to include the South Bay Community in discussions regarding the Reid Hillview Airport closure and diverting planes/operations to San Martin Airport.   You made a difference.  
We would like to give you some background so as a stakeholder in San Martin you will be aware what could take place in the near future.   For several years now two SCC Supervisors, Cindy Chavez and Dave Cortese, have been working to close the Reid Hillview Airport . They took the steps to give their districts meetings to find out what their residents wanted should the airport close. A vision plan was created along with a presentation of price reductions for the San Martin hangers and tie down rates. It was presented to those districts in Phase 1 of the process. In order to move forward with Phase 2, the vision plan had to be discussed and accepted by the majority of the Supervisors.   Your SMNA board was notified that that discussion was going to take place on Tuesday November 17, 2020 and we notified our members, and the communities of Morgan Hill and Gilroy via email and social media postings   At the November 17, 2020 BOS meeting which was well represented by proponents, pilots, and members of the public, there were over 220 voices heard!  In the end, the Board of Supervisors voted 4-1(Supervisor Wasserman was the lone vote) to move forward with Phase 2 of the vision plan created for Reid Hillview Airport and not wait for the actual lead study to be presented in February. The good news is the Supervisors in this vote agreed to have public outreach meetings with the South County community.  (Morgan Hill, San Martin, and Gilroy) Thanks to you all, we will be involved in Phase 2.     Even though Supervisors know that nothing can be done with the Reid Hillview Airport land until 2031, per current FAA agreement, they know they can start a process to move out the planes.  Why is this important to the South County? The County has agreed not to take FAA funding to keep the Reid Hillview Airport upgraded, however, they are taking FAA funding for San Martin, hence improving San Martin for such operations as the San Jose State Aviation program and other businesses currently at Reid Hillview Airport.  The County could start diverting planes and operations to the San Martin Airport immediately. This could create the illusion that Reid Hillview is no longer a viable resource. The land could be used for other purposes, such as developing the 180 acres into community spaces or perhaps affordable housing, as many of the speakers from the public have demanded.   Many of the proponents are also citing pollution issues (including, potentially lead), safety hazards, and obsolescence as the reasons to close Reid Hillview. What they do not seem to take into consideration is those issues would not go away, they would just be moved to the San Martin Airport and our community. We cannot accept this.     It is imperative that we stay on top of this issue as it progresses through Phase 2 and beyond  In order to make a meaningful and influential contribution toward the process, it is necessary that we do our research. Therefore, we are creating an Airport Committee to do research, outreach, and communications. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please send a message to info@sanmartinneighbor.org with Airport Committee as the subject. One of our board members will  be in touch.  

Thank you,  
Your SMNA Board