Hopes for federal money to save Moffett Field's historic Hangar One were dashed on Tuesday when it was announced that the House Appropriations Committee removed $32.8 million for new Hangar One siding from NASA's 2012 budget.
The move followed a NASA Inspector General report which criticized the NASA Ames Research Center request for the $32.8 million when more "mission critical" NASA projects would be delayed.
"The President's budget included $32.8 million for the re-skinning of the historic Hangar One," said congresswoman Anna Eshoo in an email. "It's deeply disappointing to see the Republicans cut out the entire funding, but I will not give up fighting for the complete restoration of Hangar One. It's a national treasure and when re-skinned, it will once again be an essential asset to Silicon Valley and our country."
"There have been many bumps in the road" for Hangar One, Eshoo said. "I consider this yet another bump."
The report that accompanied the committee's decision said committee members understood that NASA is "considering additional options for the renovation and use of the hangar," that may not involve NASA's re-siding of it. NASA officials said last month that the agency will consider giving Hangar One to another government agency and will even consider demolishing it entirely.E
shoo's staff stressed that it's not over yet for the $32.8 million request, the budget must still go through "the ringer" and obtain approval from the house, senate and the president. Leadership in both houses know that Hangar One is a priority for Eshoo.
Bill Berry, former NASA Ames official and co-chair of the Moffett Field Restoration Advisory Board, said in an email that the request would likely be denied in 2012 and 2013, given the political climate in Washington D.C. The board will meet Thursday evening to discuss Hangar One, and may vote to send a letter in support of Hangar One to the Inspector General and local Congress members.
Hangar One is being stripped of its toxic siding this year and this week the metal skeleton underneath became exposed for the first time. Preservationists hope it won't remain that way for long, but at this point, it could remain a bare skeleton for years.
The idea of the city taking on ownership of hangar has gained support from some preservationists, but city officials have yet to make any visible action in that direction since Mayor Jac Siegel's comments last month that the city would certainly study the idea if asked to by federal legislators.
The RAB meets 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 14, at the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Avenue.
Comments
Mountain View
on Jul 14, 2011 at 3:12 pm
on Jul 14, 2011 at 3:12 pm
Tea Party says no to non-essential spending.
Crescent Park
on Jul 14, 2011 at 3:30 pm
on Jul 14, 2011 at 3:30 pm
Think Jobs or Zuckerberg or Brinn or Page will save it with all that tax money the Republicans are letting them keep?
another community
on Jul 14, 2011 at 3:39 pm
on Jul 14, 2011 at 3:39 pm
"Tea Party says no to non-essential spending." Are you trying to be humorous?
Unless it's in their districts. Same ol' same ol'.
Registered user
Midtown
on Jul 14, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Registered user
on Jul 14, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Letting them keep?
Typical lib attitude. As if someone needs government permission to "keep" money they have earned. It might be nice however, to see some competition between Google and Apple for sponsorship of the renovation. Imagine a big apple drawn on the outside and the mother of all Apple showrooms inside! Better yet, imagine a perpetual computer fair inside with all of Silicon Valley represented.
Crescent Park
on Jul 15, 2011 at 10:29 am
on Jul 15, 2011 at 10:29 am
This seems like "non-essential" spending, but it would be foolish to throw this thing away or take it down. It is unique and part of history. There is no doubt that if the money was there it would be preserved and could even be used for something cool.
Too bad it's big but not big enough to move the Palo Alto airport into. ;-)
But ... "tax money the Republicans are letting them keep?" is accurate. Whatever the problems of the government to drive the country into receivership was a crime. It costs some amount to run the country and Republicans deliberately put that it the credit card for 8 years when we already had a large debt and while adding two wars and considered the bailout to follow. What the heck did they expect? Expect is the word, they did just that, expect. They voted themselves a big pile of cash that it would have cost to pay the country and saved it for when everything went on sale. A clever means to expanding the representative power of an aristocratic minority. Our "Republic" is hardly democratic, it represents money. Where is the rights of money enumerated in the Constitution?
However, speaking of money, if we do not have the money to fix or restore Hangar One, then we should spend the minimum to maintain it and get to it when we can. If the maintenance costs are too high, does it really cost too much to just fix it?
Where are the numbers involved?
I am not so sure about a perpetual computer fair. By the time we get to that it may just be a monument to the past staffed with contractors with no skills, and cheap trinkets from the 3rd world that no one can afford anymore.
Mountain View
on Jul 15, 2011 at 11:34 am
on Jul 15, 2011 at 11:34 am
Good riddance to an ugly, ugly reminder of a failed technology. Spending the money to renovate this eyesore is just ridiculous. That Anna Eshoo thinks this is important is no surprise, given that she also wastes her time worrying about the volume of television commercials. How about focusing on the important issues facing America, huh?
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jul 15, 2011 at 11:36 am
on Jul 15, 2011 at 11:36 am
Twinkie should sponsor the renovation.
Midtown
on Jul 15, 2011 at 11:42 am
on Jul 15, 2011 at 11:42 am
What happened to the zeppellin and the other blimp company that was suppose to come? Oh well..
If I'd win the lottery, heck I'd re-skin the place and open up an Exploratorium type museum with tons of hands-on science exhibits. A museum to inspire inventors.. (sigh..)
Palo Verde
on Jul 15, 2011 at 12:34 pm
on Jul 15, 2011 at 12:34 pm
The Zeppelin is selling rides in Minneapolis today. Heading to Oshkosh next week. If you've never been to EAA AirVenture, imagine an airport bashers' worst nightmare and multiply by infinity in all dimensions.
Zeppelin then continues its cross-country tour and returns to Moffett in October. Calendar is on their website.
another community
on Jul 15, 2011 at 2:17 pm
on Jul 15, 2011 at 2:17 pm
Tea Partiers: much better to spend our tax dollars on something essential, like, oh - a war in Afghanistan and Iraq. What a joke! Or, more to the point, what a hypocrite.
Mountain View
on Jul 15, 2011 at 2:20 pm
on Jul 15, 2011 at 2:20 pm
I side with the Republicans on this one. Saving Hangar 1 is a big waste of money.
It should be demolished like the Briones House and it's parts sold on E-Bay!! The Government could then make some money instead of spending it on something so useless as Hangar 1.
It is a big ugly eye sore. A barnacle on the side of Silicon Valley!! Just think what a great view of the Bay you'd get from H.101 if it wasn't there.
Crescent Park
on Jul 15, 2011 at 3:17 pm
on Jul 15, 2011 at 3:17 pm
That would make a hell of a rock-climbing place, maybe even an indoor amusement park or a public place to hold those summer art and wine festivals or a place to have farmer's markets.
It's not any uglier than anything else on the periphery of the bay ... like all the sewage treatment plants and buildings and airports, it is impressive and interesting looking.
another community
on Jul 15, 2011 at 4:45 pm
on Jul 15, 2011 at 4:45 pm
Tillamook, OR has a great museum inside their blimp hangar.
Good view from 101 - what, while you're sitting there in stopped traffic? Can you see past all the other cars? Better to look at a beautiful piece of history. You know that something else would be built there that would really be an eyesore, if they tear down that hangar.
Registered user
Midtown
on Jul 15, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Registered user
on Jul 15, 2011 at 5:00 pm
They want 33 million to tear it down!! Surely less expensive alternates are available. As for the view of the Bay, if they tear it down they will likely build another building in its place. They might even move the County Fair to Moffett. As for failed technology, the blimps were a vital component of our anti sub warfare teams during WWII, and the subsequent hangaring of P3Vs was useful. The stripping of the "toxic" siding was a joke. We may never know the real reason for the drive to dismantle, but it was never the toxicity. All the "toxicity" was washed into the bay, in a concentration far too low to harm any member of the biosphere. The poison is in the dose, and the dose was far too low to matter.
Mountain View
on Jul 15, 2011 at 8:41 pm
on Jul 15, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Walt, it will cost so much because it's a British company that has been hired to remove the toxic sidings on Hangar 1. I hope they'll do as much damage as Rupert Murdoch!!!
Midtown
on Jul 15, 2011 at 8:42 pm
on Jul 15, 2011 at 8:42 pm
It is HISTORY. I believe we should save it, so we can know why they were built and can use the large space when renovated for very useful items/plans/etc.
Please keep one for renovation, doesn't need fancy stuff, just a stout building and show what this item meant.
Please.
Registered user
Midtown
on Jul 16, 2011 at 2:02 pm
Registered user
on Jul 16, 2011 at 2:02 pm
Hey Tear it, IT AIN'T TOXIC!!!
One more time, Tear it, THE DOSE MAKES THE POISON, and there was no way any human or friendly plant or animal could have received a harmful dose from that building. 33 million bucks to no end. Tell you what - you get them to sell it to me for a dollar and we'll call it quits. After that, my risk.
Registered user
Midtown
on Jul 19, 2011 at 6:33 am
Registered user
on Jul 19, 2011 at 6:33 am
And perhaps this will give someone time to come up with a viable preservation plan.