That site was rejected by Gargas while the Harkins Slough Rd. Among documents provided to the local Coastal Commission staff, are letters from then Airport Manager Vernon Ackerman and then City Manager John Radin supporting the 1987 evaluation of the site. Aircraft would be at full take off power close to the school. Regarding the 1992 and 1997 evaluations, however, there is no documentation available that supports Gargas' finding that the site is suitable for a school. Evaluations, according to Gargas, take into account the number of flights, the size of the planes using the airport, and the altitudes and traffic pattern maneuvers occurring near the site.
Inspectors also fly the airport patterns in a state plane to view the targets of their evaluations.
Betsy Eskridge, Senior Aviation Consultant for the Aeronautics Program and supervisor of the program's inspectors said, taking district representatives along on evaluations is not now permitted, and it wasn't encouraged then. The whereabouts of Kim Wirht, the airport manager in 1992 who reportedly commented on the sites, are unknown and she has refused requests to be interviewed. Gargas concedes there has since been an increase in operations at the airport, and sophisticated all-weather landing equipment the airport is hoping to acquire could increase the number of flights and lower minimum altitudes in the flight patterns. The state evaluations, however, are based on existing conditions, not projections into the future, he said. Eskridge contradicted that assertion saying, evaluations are supposed to take into consideration projected changes to facilities and flight activity.