Save Willow Grove Airfield

[Airplanejunkie]

Now that historic NAS JRB Willow Grove is closed the fight is on to see it remain an airport.

For more information, check out:

http://www.savewillowgrove.org/

Steve

[The Inspector]

Just like the efforts to keep El Toro MCAS open as an airport resulted in it being turned into a huge multi purpose park for Orange County with one bronze plaque that sort of mentions in passing that 'oh, yeah, this was once a Marine air station'

[whistlingdeath77]

it's sad that we lose so many places and the history, but in the end, it's usually the man with the big pockets and construction machines that wins

[Kyleb]

Probably not a popular view, but IMO, virtually everywhere in the world has a history. My family owns land that was fought on in the Civil War. In fact, much of Atlanta is built on land like that. If we preserved every historic spot, we'd run out of useable land pretty fast, or be relegated to new construction in places nobody would ever want to build.

So... Willow Grove... I recognize it is/was significant if you live or lived nearby, or if you were based there, but is it truly a thousand acres or more that needs to be set aside and barred from future development because it was the site of a Naval Air Station?

[TAdan]

KyleB you make a great point.

The reason I'd like to see Willow Grove saved... There have been rumblings that Fred Hagan would like to build a Warbird museum there to house Swamp Ghost. The site already hosts one air museum.

[51fixer]

I have been told the Navy is removing all the infrastructure from the base. It will be a 3 year process before anyone gets possession of the base. If you have seen Mythbusters where they film at Alameda you get the picture of the ghost town this place will be.
The sewage plant, water plant, fire suppression in the buildings, ect will be gone.
All that will be left is runway, ramp, shells of buildings. To make any hangar meet code you would have to go to the city and get permits to work on them. The city which presently is hostile to having an airport will then be in charge of what work you will have to perform and pay for to meet code requirements. The City will also be responsible for running water and sewage back into a facility they don't want.
It is a horrible waste of a great resource but local politics have been unable to agree on a use for the base in the last 5 years so when the time came to close the gates the Navy was left with decision point of pulling the plug on it. In essence the Navy is Terminating their ability to be held responsible for any future liability.

[whistlingdeath77]

[Airplanejunkie]

Good point but I think the real question is (or should be) are the surrounding communities better off with with an airport at that location or are they better off simply allowing it to be developed.

Probably not a popular view, but IMO, virtually everywhere in the world has a history. My family owns land that was fought on in the Civil War. In fact, much of Atlanta is built on land like that. If we preserved every historic spot, we'd run out of useable land pretty fast, or be relegated to new construction in places nobody would ever want to build.

So... Willow Grove... I recognize it is/was significant if you live or lived nearby, or if you were based there, but is it truly a thousand acres or more that needs to be set aside and barred from future development because it was the site of a Naval Air Station?

[RickyRicky]

South Weymouth NAS closed in 1996. Everyone was sorry to see it close.Weymouth, Abington and Rockland join at the center of the runway and the three towns have been fighting over what to do with the property ever since. They have just started constrution and I am waiting to see what they are going to do about the trafic on rt18. It is clogged half the morning and most of the afternoon. I can't wait untill we get hundreds of people leaving the base property and heading north for Boston. It takes years to get anything going and when they do what a cluster.

Dick Bryant
Weymouth MA