The eviction date for tenants at Hawaii’s Dillingham Airfield (PHDH) has been pushed back another six months as lease negotiations continue between the U.S. Army and the Hawaii Department of Transportation Airports Division (DOTA).
According to a report from local television station KHON, the June 30 eviction date for tenants was pushed back to Dec. 31, 2021. However, the lease issue hasn’t been resolved.
There are currently nine businesses with around 75 employees left at the airfield, which is the number one drop zone for skydivers in the world, according to the report.
Much of the contention has to do with who will be in charge of water on the airport. According to the report: “The U.S. Army, who owns the property, and DOTA, who has leased it since 1962, are both currently in charge of the water, but neither wants to be moving forward, so they are looking at other options.”
That issue is not expected to be resolved by the Dec. 31 eviction date, State Senator Gil Riviere told the television station.
“There’s no way the water system is going to be resolved by Dec. 31, and there’s no way the DOT will be able to vacate the premises by Dec. 31,” Riviere said in the report.
He explained they can’t leave because their contract states they have to return the airfield to its original state.
“One could argue that they have to restore the water system before they leave, maybe knock down all the hangars that were built in the 1980s. So there could be millions of dollars of money that the Department of Transportation has to spend to vacate the airfield,” Riviere explained.
If that’s the case, he said it makes more sense to spend a couple million dollars to keep the airfield going since it also generates income.
You can read the full KHON report here.
The only thing worse than watching a government entity screw something up is watching TWO government entities screw something up.
Just write the White House and ask them to order the Army to get this resolved. Oh wait, never mind…..
Did many a touch and go there when I started my flying career out of Scofield Barracks and maintenance out of Hickam in 1969. 52 years later I no longer fly but am with the FAA. I would be a shame to loose such a gem of a field.
You can ridge soar all day long with the constant trade winds, watch whales..get a little lift..watch whales..get a little lift. It’s the last of the best little places to fly on Oahu.