August/September Business View Magazine

158 159 SBA’s historic airline terminal was small - just 7,200 square feet, originally. There were two expansion projects over the years, but they failed to adequately keep pace with growing demand. In the early 1990s, tents were set up outside the terminal for handling luggage because there wasn’t sufficient space inside. The space crunch was compounded when the TSA set up shop there after 9-11. “At that time,” says Johns, “even though we had talked about a new terminal, we really hadn’t proceeded with it. So, after about a three-year effort, we were successful in staying on-budget and creating a LEED Gold terminal that opened on August 17, 2011.We’ve been working with the community over the years, to provide the type of terminal and air service that is needed by our region, and at the same time, accommodating our general aviation community.” The Airport is currently in the midst of an $8 million reconstruction of its main commercial runway, made possible by a grant from the FAA. SBA’s recently completed five-year master plan calls for the extension of one of the parallel taxiways to the main runway and that project is currently in the design phase. Johns says FAA Air- port Improvement Grant funds are expected this summer for improvements to the general aviation apron. SBA is self-sustaining, receiving no tax dollars from the city. Approximately 25 percent of reve- nue is generated from the more than 120 tenants whose aeronautical and non-aeronautical-related businesses are located in the Airport’s roughly 95- acre industrial-commercial section. That income stream helps to subsidize aviation operations. All of the Airport’s almost 100 hangars, in- cluding its 24 T-hangars, are full, says Johns. But whether there’s a lengthy waiting list, as many similarly sized airports have, she points out that GA traffic at Santa Barbara Municipal has actually been on the downturn. “I think having a commer- cial operation and TSA, and the security require- ments imposed by TSA, limits the freedom of general aviation,” she explains. Where size is concerned, SBA is a rather large operation in the small-airport category, currently ranking 134th out of all U.S. airports. There is a staff of 54, all city employees, with most working in maintenance, security, and operations. The Airport plays a demonstrably significant part in keeping the economies of Santa Barbara and the surrounding area humming, according to Johns. “In 2017, UCSB, the University of California at Santa Barbara, did an economic impact study for the Airport and at that time, the Airport gen- erated $205 million annually for the community,” she reports. Johns says that Santa Barbara Municipal fac- es stiff competition from other airports in its neck of the woods. “We certainly do for air service for our region, for the catchment area that we serve, which is pretty much the Tri-coun- ties - from San Luis Obispo County down to Ventura County, along the Central Coast,” she admits. “We’re the busiest airport between LAX and San Francisco or San Jose. But our competition for air SANTA BARBARA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT HAZEL JOHNS AIRPORT DIRECTOR