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Uploaded: Wednesday, July 1, 2009, 4:40 PM

Mountain View may sue Navy over Hangar One  

by Daniel DeBolt
Mountain View Voice Staff

Posted by John, a resident of Mountain View, on Jul 1, 2009 at 5:47 pm

Why don't they give the money directly to the US Navy instead of to lawsuit happy lawyers? The Navy's money and the city's money both come out of my tax dollars and I would rather have my money directly to interesting projects than to silly lawsuits.

Posted by Resident, a resident of another community, on Jul 1, 2009 at 6:28 pm

Hangar One is the biggest, ugliest, building I've ever seen. Also,it blocks views of the Bay from Mountain View. No more money for this heep of toxic trash - let it go.

How about putting a spire on top and declaring it a Gothic Cathedral!!

Posted by liberty, a resident of the Downtown North neighborhood, on Jul 1, 2009 at 8:44 pm

It's a hangar.

I'm used to the people around here trying to save the cute fuzzy polar bears and spotted owls, but this is just a hangar. It's not even anyone's home. It's a big empty building. Let it go.

Or maybe we should keep it and we could put all the polar bears in it to keep them safe..?

Posted by Walter_E_Wallis, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jul 2, 2009 at 2:57 am
Walter_E_Wallis is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online

The threat to health of the process of removing Hangar One is several orders of magnitude greater than that from allowing the building to remain, in use; and even that threat is largely illusory, a product of last century's anti-war, anti establishment fervor. The only real hazard within that building is from dead birds falling from the rafters.

Spending one dime of money, public or private, to abate a hazard that is totally note there is a surrender of rule by reason.

Posted by Mike, a resident of the Meadow Park neighborhood, on Jul 2, 2009 at 10:34 am

"Iconic structure", "History being reflected in a structure" Please! Just because something was erected 70 years ago does not make it historic. The structure was built to house blimps which where thought at one time to be an effective Anti-Submarine Warfare strategy. Blimps ceased to be effective more than 50 years ago. Spend the Navy money on something which will make our national defense more effective!

Posted by P.A. Native, a resident of Mountain View, on Jul 2, 2009 at 1:18 pm

I'm sorry Mike, but is our national defense not efective? You don't think enough money is spent every year on national defense?

A lot of people like that hangar because it is a symbol of local history and American history as well. Many of us remember walking through it during air shows and climbing into old WWII planes as kids.

If they do tear it down, how do you think that benefits you? Are they going to build a Google sports complex for their VIP employees?

Posted by Walter_E_Wallis, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jul 2, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Walter_E_Wallis is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online

The cost of tearing Hangar One down or skeletonizing it far exceeds the cost of any rational maintenance to keep it. Eliminate even that by allowing The Guard and reserves to use it for drills or selling it to patriotic organizations or to Mountain View. I suspect that the pcb runoff from the hangar amounts to less than 0.1 percent of the total pcb burden from the South Bay cities.

Posted by James Hoosac, a resident of the Green Acres neighborhood, on Jul 2, 2009 at 8:05 pm

These City officials rival with the Berkeley tree sitters.

Posted by stretch, a resident of another community, on Jul 3, 2009 at 12:27 pm

I grew up with the hanger - my father was stationed at Moffett Field, and it was a familiar sight since we moved to Palo Alto in 1951. I guess people who came later have no background, no ties to this symbol of our armed services in the Bay Area. If it goes, on the other hand, we will have the largest blimp hanger right here in Tillamook, Oregon. And it is revered as a piece of history. So there!

Posted by liberty, a resident of the Downtown North neighborhood, on Jul 3, 2009 at 9:22 pm

I understand that it has a lot of history/memories. Everybody enjoys looking at it as they drive by on the freeway.

But it amazes me that people are willing to force other people to pay 40 million dollars to keep it there.

I could understand a non-profit organization trying to raise the money to keep it, maybe turn it into a museum. But taking taxpayers money to keep it because it brings back memories is ridiculous.

You could have some nice pictures taken of it for less than $1000.

You could make a 4 hour documentary about it for less than $2 million.

You could build a brand new museum about the bay area’s military history for less than $10 million.

Or you could keep a hangar for us to glance at when we drive by for 40 million.

Posted by second look, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jul 4, 2009 at 4:21 am

HI liberty,

I think the other option that hasn't been mentioned here is what many people have been suggesting, which is (as I understand it, please correct me if wrong) to coat/encase the skin, which would cost a fraction of reskinning the structure and allow it to remain put.

Seems the most reasonable, but that assumes no agendas, such as using the problem as an excuse to claim the prime land for other purposes.

Posted by John the Man, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jul 4, 2009 at 6:51 am

Seems pretty simple argument to me: if supporters can come up with the money for the more expensive option of keeping the hanger, then they should knock themselves out and write that check. Otherwise, it just needs to come down.

I grew up in Mtn View, I think the hanger is as cool as the next person.

But it's just a hanger. Let it go.

Someday, it's going to have to go. It was never intended to stand this long in the first place. Just let it go, nothing lasts forever.

And even if it does, unless you love it enough to pay for its upkeep, you can't expect others to pick up the tab on it.

Posted by onlooker, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jul 4, 2009 at 6:47 pm

Actually John, I think the less expensive option IS keeping the hanger (that is, keeping it and coating it, as opposed to removing and replacing the skin). Taking it down is probably another more expensive option.

Posted by k, a member of the Escondido School community, on Jul 5, 2009 at 10:23 am

You hang your coat on a HANGER and you park your aircraft in a HANGAR.