ACE Clearwater Enterprises, a Torrance, California-based aerospace and power generation manufacturing company, is donating $1.5 million to the Catalina Island Conservancy‘s Airport in the Sky (KAVX) runway repair project.
With the donation comes a name change for the airport.
The donation will help pay for the concrete, transportation, and other costs incurred by the non-profit conservancy to replace the runway’s aging asphalt surface. Because of the condition of the runway, the airport was at risk of being closed to the public, threatening deliveries by air of freight as well as flights by first responders and recreational pilots, according to officials.
Runway repairs are underway at the Airport in the Sky, thanks to an innovative partnership with the US Marine Corps and Navy. More than 100 Marines and Sailors (Seabees) arrived earlier this month and plan to live in tents at the airport until late March.
They are working six days a week, weather permitting, to replace the 3,000′ runway’s asphalt surface with concrete as a valuable training opportunity to prepare the troops to work in a remote location with difficult logistics, officials explain.
The partnership is part of the Department of Defense’s Innovative Readiness Training Program (IRT), which matches community needs with military training opportunities.
The $1.5 million donation from ACE Clearwater Enterprises is part of a $5 million fundraising project launched in October 2018 for the project.
“At ACE, we like to say that if it flies, we have parts on it,” said Kellie Johnson, co-owner of ACE Clearwater Enterprises and chair of the conservancy’s board of directors. “Our employees are the best men and women in the business, and we are excited to have the opportunity to add the name ACE Clearwater Airfield to the Conservancy’s Airport in the Sky. This is a great legacy for our family and the ACE team whose hard work and ‘Attitude Committed to Excellence’ have made this donation possible.”
Johnson and her father, Tim Dodson, are the owners of ACE Clearwater Enterprises, which has been in business in Southern California for more than 60 years.
“This airfield is a vital asset to Catalina Island in so many ways,” said Johnson. “The amazing partnership between the Catalina Island Conservancy, Marine Corps and Navy is a perfect example of working together to improve our island. We are very proud to be a part of the effort.”
The airport opened in 1946, and the Catalina Island Conservancy took over its operation in 1972. The Conservancy operates the Airport in the Sky as a public airport. It is a favorite destination for pilots, who land and take off from the airport about 14,000 times annually. An estimated 3.5 million pounds of freight, which includes medical and emergency supplies, is also shipped through the airport annually.