Does Airport Have to Be in El Toro?

* Close Camp Pendleton. Preserve the vast majority of the camp, especially the coastline and mountains, as open space.

Use the existing infrastructure of the camp--i.e. housing, dining halls, warehouses, fuel stations, maintenance yards, offices--to serve as a base for the construction of the major, modern, international airport the region needs.

Workers and project engineers could live on site during the project’s growth, which will surely take up to 10 years to complete. Such a rare and wonderful possibility!

During that same span, new freeways can be carved out of the hills and mountain passes from San Clemente, Oceanside, Vista/Escondido and Temecula/Fallbrook. By 2003, the new toll road connecting Rancho Santa Margarita to Basilone Road should be complete.

The new airport would serve most of South Orange County, North San Diego County and Western Riverside County very well. At the same time, such a well-conceived alternative will cut down dramatically on the crush at LAX and Lindbergh Field. And the associated roadway improvements would serve to take much needed pressure off the dangerously overused Ortega Highway and the Escondido Freeway.

RAYMOND E. SCHWARTZ

Newport Beach

* Outrageous claims and counterclaims have characterized the debate over the future of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

What I propose is a compromise that may meet the needs of both sides. South County residents do not want a commercial airport at El Toro, fearing noise, traffic congestion and a host of other concerns.

Newport Beach residents fear an expansion of the existing John Wayne Airport in 2006, following the expiration of the 1985 settlement between Newport Beach and the county.

One thing both sides can agree on is that the present and future growth is taking place almost exclusively in the southern areas of the county. Individuals who purchase or rent newly built properties pay an extra tax for roads, schools and other infrastructure improvements. These are commonly called Mello-Roos taxes.

I propose that this concept be extended to include a surcharge on tickets out of John Wayne by those living in South County. It could be considered an additional infrastructure tax.

The goal of the tax is to get those living in South County to consider the use of alternative airports to John Wayne. Opponents of a commercial airfield at El Toro have noted that a number of alternative airports are within easy driving distance of Orange County. They have mentioned LAX, Ontario and the March Air Force Base as alternatives. This plan would provide incentive for El Toro airport opponents to put up or shut up.

PAUL WAGNER

Costa Mesa

* The City of Newport Beach must be congratulated. It is so financially solvent it can afford to pay an assistant to the city manager mainly to promote the city’s airport proposal.

Your Dec. 10 story states, “City officials and most city residents” favor a commercial airport at El Toro, “believing it will relieve pressure to expand John Wayne Airport.”

No doubt, their main objective is to end noise pollution by large aircraft flying over their city. And no one can blame them for doing their utmost to lay the problem on someone else. Perhaps they should direct their energies elsewhere, like having John Wayne Airport install a complaint hot line similar to the one at Van Nuys.

And what of the three plans submitted by the South County planning group for alternative uses of the vacated space at El Toro?

Apparently, the proposals recently submitted for consideration did not generate excitement. As has been suggested before, a Branson, Mo.-type theater and show district, with supporting hotels, restaurants and associated businesses, would bring in big bucks, make plenty of employment and certainly should generate excitement.

Let Newport Beach keep the problems they hope to dump on South County.

H.H. MINICK

Costa Mesa

* I have some serious concerns regarding the mass closing of military bases in our nation. I will never forget the catastrophe we experienced at Pearl Harbor and our subsequent entrance into World War II. We were not adequately prepared for either, which could easily have cost the world its freedom.

Therefore, I absolutely shudder when South County residents want to dismantle El Toro air base and use it for anything other than an airport.

We value that land given as a gift to our county by the federal government, but there could be a day when we realize its full benefit. Should our nation again be attacked, or perhaps our county experience a natural disaster, those four long and thick concrete runways could be worth their weight in gold.

Our recent storm that caused massive flooding is a good example of the need to be prepared. Apparently, the storm that hit us came from the north, but there was also one coming up from the south. The two came very close to uniting; if that had happened, it would have caused double the amount of rain and incredible destruction.

Of course, we who live in Orange County realize it is not a matter of if we will have a big earthquake but only when. We are cautioned to be prepared. Those runways at El Toro could save many lives during such emergencies. Whatever else we might want to see at El Toro could not be as important as an airport that could help ensure safety and security in time of need.

R. OLSON

Anaheim