PHPA has been working all ‘levers’ available to us on your behalf to keep open the LAX Heliport. LAWA staff is threatening to close it. We need your help!

As you know, LAWA Staff attempted to de-certify the heliport in March and April – quietly and without public notice. It appears that we stopped the process with a great turnout of 25 of us and formal comments by eight (8) of us to the Board of Airport Commissioners (BOAC http://lawa.org/welcome_LAWA.aspx?id=682 ) for which the staff works (http://lawa.org/welcome_LAWA.aspx?id=138). Thanks to all who turned out on April 16^th and to each of those who spoke! (Note 1 below)

Since that time, we’ve been meeting with Commissioners, meeting with staff, doing research with California Department of Transportation, meeting with the FAA, and meeting with various lobbying organizations to construct a strategy to keep the LAX Heliport open and operating.

As you may recall, the original notice in 2010 that stated the heliport was being closed due to cranes in the area indicated that it would be re-opened in a year! The cranes remained until late last year (2012) but then, apparently, the staff determined (for reasons that are still murky at best) to close it permanently and attempted to do that with filings to the FAA in March and a one-line notice to the BOAC at the formal meeting April 16^th which we fortunately learned about ahead of time, even though there was no public notice.

The heliport should be open and operating now!! !! It was closed only temporarily for construction on the international terminal.

WE NEED TO MAKE AS STRONG AN IMPRESSION RE THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS HELIPORT TO LAWA/LAX AS A WORLD CLASS AIRPORT AND TO BUSINESSES IN THE GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA ~ IN THE MEETING WITH THE BOARD OF AIRPORT COMMISSIONERS ON TUESDAY.

To do that we need you to be present at the LAWA Headquarters on Tuesday, July 9^th, by at least 1:00 p.m. Those of you who would like to speak, please let me know. We will likely arrange for a number of us to talk to make the point that the heliport should never have been slated for closure.

Samuel Greenberg Board Room No. 107

Clifton A. Moore Administration Building

Los Angeles International Airport

1 World Way, Los Angeles, California 90045 (see note on location, immediately following parking instructions)

Please park at P-1 or P-7 http://www.lawa.org/uploadedfiles/lax/pdf/Map-CTA_park.pdf Once you have parked, please proceed to the buildings which look like two small overlapping squares on this map and which are immediately east of P-1 and P-7 and are totally encircled by roads! That is the Clifton Moore Administration Building.

If you have any questions, you can reach me directly at 310-827-1600 or on my cell at 310-318-2100.

Look forward to seeing each and all of you on Tuesday!

For the PHPA Board of Directors,

Ed

Edward Story, Board Member