The California Space Authority may be history, but the city of Lompoc is still interested in pursuing a $220 million space enterprise complex within city limits.
On June 21, the Lompoc City Council voted 3-1 to continue discussing the California Space Center project as a city-led endeavor. Council members Bob Lingl, Dirk Starbuck, and Mayor John Linn voted in favor, while councilwoman Ashley Costa voted against. Councilwoman Cecilia Martner was absent.
Linn said he thought the space center proposal deserved more investigation because the city would be hard pressed to find any other project with a similar economic impact.
“The project is absolutely worthwhile. The question is: Can it be made financially viable?” Linn said. “We don’t know the answer to that yet.”
The California Space Authority (CSA) dissolved on June 6 after pursuing construction of the Space Center for more than seven years. The center was designed as a tourist destination with a launch-viewing facility, a rocket park, a large-screen movie theater, education facilities, and an outdoor amphitheater.
A study produced for the CSA by park-operating firm Delaware North estimated the Lompoc area would receive about 500,000 visitors per year as a result, while an economic impact study predicted the project would create about 1,700 direct jobs and 1,200 indirect jobs.
For the project to move forward at this point, Linn said, some city money could be used, with a majority of funding coming from local businesses and fundraising efforts. The City Council would still have to decide how much the city would be willing to spend to get the center off the ground.
“We don’t have tons of money to put into this,” Linn stated. “If another group came along and wanted to carry the project on, we would work with them just as we worked with the CSA.”
Linn said the next step would be to take offers for help from individuals. He said at least six former CSA board members who live in the area have already called him, expressing interest in being a part of the project.
“I think we’re going to take more of a broader approach in terms of the organization,” he said, “not only the folks from the space industry locally that were involved before, but also we have a lot of local talent.”
This article appears in Jun 30 – Jul 7, 2011.