It has now been nine months since at least 15 tenants at San Martin Airport requested replacement hangar door baffle seals. These requests were submitted through formal county maintenance tickets, follow-up communications, and a documented inventory identifying the hangars in need of repair.
For nine months, tenants have continued to operate — and pay full lease rates — while these basic maintenance issues remain unresolved. During this time, failed and missing baffle seals have allowed birds, small animals, dirt, and dust to freely enter the hangars. Ongoing nearby construction has significantly worsened the problem, with fine dust constantly blowing inside. It is now winter time, and you can’t keep the hangar warm because there are 2-3 inch gaps between the door and the wall.
The interior of many hangars is perpetually coated in dust. No matter how frequently tenants clean, the next day the hangars are once again dirty. When street sweepers clean the taxi lanes, rocks, pebbles, and debris are blown directly into the hangars through the gaps at the doors. I constantly have to blow out loose gravel from inside my hangar after sweeping operations (the fact that the pavement is crumbling is a separate issue).
In many cases, the original baffle seals have completely deteriorated. By the County’s own admission, the vast majority of them are original seals. Some are barely attached, hanging by a thread. Others, like mine have fallen off entirely. This is not an isolated issue — it is widespread and well documented.
Airport lease agreements place an obligation on the County to maintain leased facilities in a condition suitable for their intended use. Hangars that cannot keep out debris, wildlife, and construction dust do not meet that standard. This is a basic maintenance item, not a capital improvement, and the material cost for replacement baffle seals is relatively minimal compared to other airport expenditures.
The issue has been identified, documented, and communicated repeatedly. After nine months, we’re all still waiting for action.