uality
medical care
%:
--where
you need it.
With full-time
physicians and a nurse
practitioner dedicated
to the island and its
patients, we invite you
to have an on-going
relationship with a
provider who knows you
and your medical needs.
Tracey Norton, DO
Laura Ulibarri, MD
Karla Parsons, FNP
CONVENIENT
PROFESSIONAL
COM PASSIONATE
Catalina Island
Medical Center
24-Hour Emergency Care
Radiology, Laboratory
& Physical Therapy
Skilled Nursing Facility
(31o) 51o-o7oo
Provider appointments
Monday to Friday
8 am to 5 pm
Evening appointments
also available
(31o) 51o-oo96
ClMedicalCenter.org
NIGHT FOOTBALL:
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126 SUMNER " 310.510.0258
310.510.0250
310.510.8957fx
Island Medical Center
I
A conceptual drawing of the short take off and landing arport that was briefly considered for
An image of the airport-that-never-was as
Catalina Islander archive image
for Catalina Island that were never
realized.
As for the "new" STOLport that
was never built, Liddell speculates
that:lhe idea was so expensive that
it.was abandoned.
In fact, Liddell said the con-
struction of a STOLport was such
an expensive proposal that he did
Pebbly Beach in the late 1950s. Catalina Islander archive image-
sule.
not understand why someone came
up with the idea in the first place.
The ramp project was expected
-tocost the Santa Catalina Island
Company $100,000 in 1959, ac-
cording to the latest Time Cap-
In the late 1950s, primarily lSy Channel Airlines," ) ;:Th actual STOLport would
Liddell said. : have been significantly more ex-
county officials The local historian has re- pensive.
considered an airport searched the airport plan that nev- According to a 1959 article in
er came to pass. : the Islander, the STOL port would
off Pebbly Beach Pacific Airways did g~tpermis- haxie required 32-V2 acres of area.
sion to use the planned STOLport, In an article that was published
BY CHARLES M. KELLY but they never did. without a byline, the Islander said,
According to a past installment "A preliminary estimate of the to-
In the summer months of 1959, of theTime Capsule, "Pacific Air- tal e6st blithe proposed airport has
Los Angeles County officials ap- lines was granted permission to been set at $2.9 million.
proved a proposal to build an air- have one plane at the new Pebbly "Of this amount, $1.1 is repre-
port off Pebbly Beach. Beach Airport to add to their DC-3 sented in the value of the 32-1/2
Obviously, the plan never really and PBY 5A. The concrete rampacres and $1.5 million is estimat-
got off the ground, would be 150 feet long, 50 feet ed for the cost of constructing a
According to Chuck Liddell, wide and 1 foot thick." 1,500-foot runway and parallel
who researches the Islander's Time According to Liddell, Pacifictaxiway,'
Capsule feature, the proposed Airw;ys planned to use DC-3 The Los Angeles County En-
short take off and landing airport planet on the ramp, a plan Liddell gineer's Office reportedly would
(commonly called a STOLport) described as "ridiculous" Lid- have absorbed the cost for person-
never went beyond a ramp and a dell said he didn't know why the nel. County officials apparently
turn-around area. STOLport never became reality, met informally with Avalon of-
"What was planned there never He said at one point the Catalina ficials to discuss the state of the
came to fruition," Liddell said. Island Museum considered having project.
"It was only used for seaplanes, an exhibit to commemorate plans As for the real estate that would
be used for the STOLport, the Is-
land Company was supposed to
donate 8- acres and the Cali-
fornia Lands Commission would
grant or lease the remaining 24
acres to the county.
it appeared
&B
in the Catalina Islander in 1970.
According to the Islander, the
Federal Aviation Administration
the project a high-priority
rating.
"Financing would come mainly
from the FAA, with the requisite
share of the costs representing the
value of the property donated by
the Santa Catalina Island Co. and
the California Lands Commis-
sion," the Islander reported.
At the time, the FAA could
contribute as much as 54 percent
of the land's value.
The Islander article did not
mention any arguments against
the STOLport project.
Instead. the article pointed out
that the airport would serve com-
muters and could be used to pro-
vide medical aid or disaster relief.
The Airport in the Sky was
operational, but described as 45
minutes from Avalon and "is down
frequently because of low clouds
blanketing t116 mountain rest
where it is located."
In August of that year, the Is-
lander reported that the Los Ange-
les County Board of Supervisors
unanimously approved the STOL-
port project. That approval was
apparently not enough for the plan
to become reality.
CHOICES meets
March 9
CHOICES will hold a strate-
gic pl'anning meeting on Saturday,
March 9, at the Catalina Canyon
Resort in the conference room.
The meeting will be held from 10
a.m. to 3 p.m.
Organizers are requesting
RSVPs to have a headcount for
donated lunches to be provided to
attendees.
The organization is reportedly
out of funds, which in the past
came from one donor foundation.
To RSVP, call (310) 848-4381.
CHOICES stands for Citizens
Helping Our Island Children End
Substance Abuse. The group's
mission is to encourage commu-
nity involvement in helping island
youth make responsible decisions
about alcohol, tobacco, and other
drugs.
Underage drug use is perceived
by many Island residents to be a
major threat to the community's
health, safety, and future.
CHOICES began when con-
cerned citizens recognized a high
prevalence of alcohol and drug use
among Island youth.
A community needs assessment
in March 2002 involved interviews
with students, parents, and com-
munity leaders.
This study helped to identify
concerns about tobacco, alcohol,
and othe drug use, including:
4 i Friday, February 8, 2013 THE CATALINA ISLANDER
