City Will Charge Just One Dollar Per Year To Lease Space At The Airport

While the City of Santa Monica is adamant that Santa Monica Airport (KSMO) needs to be closed as soon as possible, it has given a new five year lease to the Museum of Flying for just a dollar per year ... with an option for another five year extension.

The Santa Monica Lookout reports that Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem Gleam Davis said the museum will be a "centerpiece" for the 227-acre airport as it is transitioned to "parks, open space, recreation, education and cultural uses."

“The City of Santa Monica is fully committed to doing its part to preserve and celebrate our rich aviation history,” Davis said.

The museum, which was founded in 1974 as the Douglas Museum and Library,  had been paying about $30,000 per year in rent, according to the report. The lease gives the city the right to use the museum up to four times per year for community events at no cost.

The Museum has about 23,000 square feet of exhibit area and nearly two dozen aircraft in its collection. It also features a large collection of aviation art and photographs. City manager Rick Cole said in a report to the City Council that helping the museum, which sees about 30,000 paid visitors per year, would honor "the role aviation has played in the economic and community development of Santa Monica.

“Despite the wide variety of views in the community regarding the current operation of Santa Monica Airport, there is broad consensus regarding the importance of maintaining the Museum as an operational, stable, and financially viable educational and historical entity for future generations,” he said.

(Image courtesy of the City of Santa Monica)

FMI: www.museumofflying.org, Original Report