Lompoc’s excitement over a space-theme park is not quite electrifying. Since 2004, groups have tried to get their plans together on at least three separate occasions. And now, a fourth attempt has come before Lompoc’s giddy, pie-eyed City Council—like the forlorn, faraway answer to their budget prayers.
City Manager Jim Throop extolled the virtues of the potential project on 82 acres of city land by looking to the future. All of that money a space park could bring in with tourists who stay at area hotels and spend money in town—it could help the city deal with its lame revenue situation. You know, the one that caused a litany of staffing cuts in the most recent budget. Money, employment, and tourists will descend upon the little city like mana drifting down from the stars in the sky.
Only, all of that’s been promised before.
The California Space Authority dissolved in 2011 after pursuing construction of a $220 million California Space Center (with a launch-viewing facility, a rocket park, outdoor amphitheater, and other really great things) for more than seven years and spending more than $2.5 million in the process. It forecast an estimated 500,000 visitors a year, 1,700 direct jobs, and 1,200 indirect jobs. Lompoc’s City Council voted to keep it alive. At the time, then Mayor John Linn claimed that, “We are, as a City Council, 100 percent unified in moving this project forward.” What? The Lompoc City Council has never been 100 percent unified on anything! And—here’s a gigantic surprise—they weren’t at that time either.
Nevertheless, the space park persisted.
The Environmental Education Group, a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit took up the $220 million space center torch. Planning a “bigger and better” version of Cape Canaveral’s Kennedy Space Center, the nonprofit’s board members must not have realized that Apollo 11 didn’t actually launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base when it took its trip to the moon.
Guess what? The city terminated its contract with the nonprofit in 2013. Turns out, City Council members wanted proof of space center funding before they agreed to transfer ownership of city land. Environmental Education Group Chairman Alan Tratner was simply shocked! Shocked, he said!
Up next, was big talker Eva Blaisdell and her promises of money from Apple and Yahoo! Yaaahhooooo! The $460 million project added a hotel, restaurants, health club, retail space, research park, space museum, and much more to the California Space Center dream. Blaisdell promised to generate up to 3,000 full-time jobs in Lompoc and $3 billion in economic activity over a 10-year period.
Keyser Marston Associates accused Blaisdell of forming an organzation without any “demonstrated development experience” in a letter sent to the city. That contract was terminated in 2015. Then City Administrator Patrick Wiemiller told the Sun that Blasidell had no investors, contracts, or plans.
“It’s held only in her mind,” he opined.
This time will be different, Pale Blue Dot Ventures’ (super random name, amirite?) head honcho in charge Steve Franck told the Sun. Apparently, his people have some experience to throw at this pipe dream held only in Lompoc’s mind.
The Canary has lots of experience watching development dreams turn into tambourines. Send comments to canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 25 – Aug 1, 2019.