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Brentwood Press - OakleyPress_05.02.08 - Index

MAY 2, 2008 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 13A
Byron Airport expansion takes off
by Ruth Roberts
Staff Writer
The fi rst phase of a $7 million jet center
expansion project took fl ight last week
with a groundbreaking ceremony at the
Byron Airport.
Supervisor Mary Piepho, a longtime
proponent of the airport extension, welcomed
county and local offi cials to the
event, praising the cooperative efforts of
many in making the expansion a reality.
“We’re at the end of the cul-de-sac
of East County and we have a lot to offer,”
said Piepho. “The Byron Airport is a
diamond in the rough, and it’s been a real
partnership to make this all happen. Congratulations
to everyone.”
Phase One, at an estimated $5 million
price tag, will include four 100x100-foot
aircraft hangers with offi ce space attached,
and two 80x80-foot hangers, also with
compatible offi ce availability. This fi rst
phase has been paid for by private developers,
who will lease the land and retain re-
The fi rst time Antioch Police Offi cer
Cliff Rezentes saw Tom Herrington, he was
standing near the Highway 4 off ramp at
Auto Center Drive holding up a sign that
read “HOMELESS HUNGRY PLEASE
HELP GOD BLESS.”
“I hadn’t seen Tommy before, so I pretty
much told him you can’t do that, asked
him where he was from and how long,
probably wrote him a ticket and told him
never to do that again,” said Rezentes.
When Herrington saw Offi cer Rezentes
headed his way, he thought, “‘Oh no,
not good.’ At the time I had eaten some
stuff out of a dumpster, I was kind of sick
from the day before and was trying to get
some money for some food.”
That was in November. Over the next
fi ve months, Rezentes would write Herrington
seven or eight more citations for
sponsibility for upkeep and maintenance.
Construction is planned to begin in the
next few months and be completed later
this year.
Phase Two includes the construction
of four 100x100-foot hangers and is expected
to cost approximately $2 million.
Construction will begin shortly after the
completion of Phase One.
panhandling.
Herrington arrived in Pittsburg in November
from Houston, Texas, staying with
a friend and working a construction job in
Antioch. But when his car broke down on
the side of the road and was towed away,
Herrington grabbed what stuff he could
carry from the car. No longer welcome at
his friend’s place and unable to get to and
from his job, he found himself, for the fi rst
time in his life, homeless.
“I was walking down the railroad
tracks and met some people who were
homeless and they let me stay in their tent,
and I have been homeless ever since,” he
said. He hasn’t been able to fi nd work because
“you have to have a cell phone and be
able to take a shower and have clean clothes
and everything for interviews. I can do clean
clothes but the (cell) contact is diffi cult.”
He also hasn’t been able to stay in a shel-
Despite a downturn in the economy
and skyrocketing fuel prices, the new construction
is the fi rst upgrade for countyowned
Byron Airport in nearly 10 years,
said Keith Freitas, director of airports for
the Byron Airport. And this time around,
added Freitas, the emphasis is on the corporate
customer.
“It’s been amazing. Since 9/11, avia-
tion has continued to be strong, and actually
sparked an aviation boom,” said
Freitas. “The growth of Oakland and San
Jose (airports) has also pushed a lot of corporate
business to us, and we are uniquely
situated to deal with that growth.”
In spite of the price of aviation fuel
hovering around $4.50 per gallon ($5 per
gallon for large jets), Freitas says pilots deal
with the increasing gas prices in much the
same way as car drivers. “Gas prices affect
recreational pilots from the same standpoint
as everyone else,” he said. “And the
same is true for the majority of aircraft that
are fl ying for business purposes. No one
likes it, but you do what you have to do.
“But in terms of the airport project,
it’s encouraging, especially in these tough
economic times, to see aviation growing.
What this means for Byron is that we are
fulfi lling the master plan that was completed
in 2005 and which forecast this kind of
corporate growth. It’s very exciting.”
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Homeless man gets help to return home
by Dave Roberts
Staff Writer
Photo by Ruth Roberts
Supervisor Mary Piepho and Byron Airport offi cials break ceremonial
ground on the fi rst phase of the airport’s planned expansion.
see Homeless page 29A
Photo by Dave Roberts
Antioch Community Action Team Offi cer Cliff Rezentes has helped Tom
Herrington, a homeless man who has been living in the Antioch area since
November, get a bus ticket to return to his family in Houston, Texas.