Supervisors Set Jan. 14 Hearing
for Airport Mitigation Acquisition

by Joe Naiman

The Board of Supervisors scheduled a Jan. 14 hearing to acquire 30 acres of land as mitigation for the impacts of the Ramona Airport Improvement Project.

The acquisition would purchase a 10.19-acre parcel at the Highland Valley Road bend to satisfy the wetland mitigation requirement and a 20.20-acre parcel at Ramona Airport and Wood Energy roads, which would partially satisfy the impacts to vernal pool habitat.

The parcels, owned by the Nature Conservancy, would be purchased for $439,000.

The improvement project includes construction of a new sewer line, a 1,000-foot runway extension and control tower. Various state and federal resource agencies required mitigation of wetlands and vernal pool habitat in the immediate area before approving the project, which impacted vernal pool habitat on airport property.