The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Work's just begun for Moffett Field groups

By Katherine Petersen

The Sunnyvale City Council has taken a stand against air cargo at Moffett Federal Airfield, but two community groups that strongly opposed the issue still believe they have work to do.

The Alliance for a New Moffett Field and Citizens for a Greater Sunnyvale oppose changes at Moffett that would increase air traffic over Sunnyvale, and made it their missions to make sure the council felt the same way.

While the two organizations haven't finalized their next steps, they want to support the council in positive ways to ensure Moffett's future use is acceptable to the community.

"We're still putting our heads together," said Dave King, a member of the Alliance for a New Moffett Field. "We have to see what staff recommends and which direction the council will take."

The alliance will still push for an advisory vote on the ballot for preferred options for Moffett and may take positions on some of the choices for the airfield's future use. The group would like to see ongoing citizen involvement rather than a one-time effort such as the Community Advisory Committee, King added.

The city's staff will research several options and report back to the council in February. Options acceptable to the council include air shows, an information technology institute, a film studio, an air and space center and expansion of the San Francisco Bay Trail.

The city has no authority over what happens at Moffett but feels its input along with that of Mountain View will have a fair amount of influence, although not necessarily determining weight, said Sunnyvale community relations officer David Vossbrink.

The alliance, formed nearly two years ago, has 460 people on its contact list, 200 of whom live in Sunnyvale.

Citizens for a Greater Sunnyvale, created in August, has 50 members. The group collected more than 2,000 signatures on a petition against air cargo and for alternative uses at Moffett.

The group plans to use grassroots efforts to bring neighborhoods together on what option they want instead.

"The council will need positive support from the community, and we've established strong neighborhood connections," said spokesman Alan Templeton. "Our group can get out 4,000 fliers in 24 hours.

"We all want to stay involved, but the exact form of that involvement has not yet been decided," Templeton said.

For more information on the Alliance for a New Moffett Field, call 650-725-1090. Citizens for a Greater Sunnyvale can be reached at 551-2838, and its Web site is http://members.aol.com/greatersun/.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, December 10, 1997.
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