V-plan gains steam, slowly

Paul Clinton

NEWPORT BEACH -- A scattered handful of elected North County officials

has begun endorsing an alternative runway plan for the El Toro Marine

Corps Air Station, giving backers hope it could appeal to the entire

county.

Los Alamitos Mayor Alice Jempsa, in a July 11 story in the Daily

Pilot, said the runway alignment known as the “V-plan” has “a very strong

chance of gaining acceptance.”

Jempsa’s words came a week after Cypress Mayor Mike McGill said he

also supports the plan to reconfigure the runways from the current

crossbar pattern to a “V” pattern.

Under the configuration, proposed by Newport Beach resident and

retired aviation engineer Charles Griffin, planes would depart to the

southwest. The county’s airport plan for the base would send planes north

and east.

Griffin, and other members of The New Millennium Group, say they will

float a ballot measure for the March 5 county election that would change

the zoning at the base to permit the plan, known formally as the Wildland

Ranch Alternative.

The county analyzed Griffin’s plan as a part of its environmental

review of a 28.8-million annual passenger airport at the base. But

planners rejected it, saying it would severely limit the type of planes

that could use an airport at the base.

While some officials have endorsed the V-plan, those most deeply

involved in the El Toro debate have dismissed it.

“There aren’t enough people who support the V-plan to fill a phone

booth,” said Dave Ellis, spokesman for the Airport Working Group.

V-plan leaders have begun a series of public presentations to city

councils around the county. After hitting Los Alamitos on July 9, the

group scheduled time in front of the Cypress council at tonight’s

meeting.

Russell Niewiarowski, who mounted the ballot campaign with Griffin and

Villa Park Councilman Bob McGowan, said he believes the V-plan can

succeed.

Niewiarowski said he presented the plan to a group in Laguna Niguel in

September 1999 at the Sea Country Senior Center.

“The surprising thing is we were applauded,” Niewiarowski said.

“People were responding that if we have to have an airport, we want your

plan.”

Meg Waters, a spokeswoman for a 10-city South County anti-airport

coalition that includes Laguna Niguel, was flabbergasted when told about

Niewiarowski’s views. She remembered that meeting somewhat differently.

“That’s preposterous,” Waters said about the view that South County

would ever embrace the V-plan. “Russell has a very loose grasp on the

truth. It was a routing.”