Group Lobbies For Moffet Field Hangar Preservation

Tag : Coated Fabric
Group Lobbies For Moffet Field Hangar Preservation MOUNTAIN VIEW (AP) ― Members of the public concerned with the fate of historic HangarOne at Moffett Field have until Monday to comment on the structureproposals before the public comment period is closed and the finaldecision regarding the hangar will be made.

Comments from a meeting held Wednesday night by the nationalAdvisory Council on Historic Presentation will be presented to theU.S. Secretary of the Navy on Oct. 6, along with all other publiccomments, according to the council.

The advisory council is an independent agency that promotes thepreservation, enhancement and productive use of our nation'shistoric resources. It is the only entity with the legalresponsibility to encourage federal agencies to factor historicpreservation into federal project requirements, according to itsWeb site.

Hangar One is a 351,000-square-foot hangar built in 1932 to housethe immense USS Macon helium-filled airship, which was lost at seathree years later, according to the U.S. Navy Base Realignment andClosure Program.

The hangar, owned by the Navy, was originally slated fordestruction in 2006 after it was discovered that the building wasconstructed with toxic materials that were leeching into the tidalwaters and marsh along the San Francisco Bay.

The NASA-Ames Research Center took ownership of the land in 1994,but the Navy is still in charge of the reconstruction or demolitionof the structure.

However, after outrage by members of the Save Hangar One Committeeand other groups dedicated to the preservation of historical sitesand buildings, the Navy changed directions and on July 30 proposedto remove the toxic siding and roofing from the hangar and leavethe exposed frame in place.

Hangar One was designated an "Endangered Historic Place" this yearby the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Members of Save Hangar One are proposing that a Teflon-coatedfiberglass fabric, similar to the fabric that covers ShorelineAmphitheatre, should be used to cover the great steel skeleton sothat the community can use it.

The Navy is accepting public comments on the proposed stripping ofHangar One and will continue to accept them through Monday.Comments can be e-mailed to darren.newton@navy.mil.

(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Thismaterial may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, orredistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)