Regional Airport Authority Awards 37-Year Lease to Landmark Aviation

37-Year Airport Lease

Landmark Aviation, which operates general aviation facilities at Lindbergh Field, was awarded a 37-year lease and will build a new terminal, hangars and parking ramp, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority announced Friday.

Under the new agreement, Landmark will design, build and operate a 20,000-square-foot terminal, a 250,000-square-foot aircraft parking ramp and five hangars on 12.4 acres of airport property, according to the SDCRAA.

The agency said the lease could provide the Airport Authority $315 million over the life of the contract, an additional $4.5 million in rent annually over the current amount.

Landmark Aviation is known as a "fixed-base operator" in aviation lexicon, running 52 FBOs in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

"This award marks an exciting moment for the general aviation community," said Thella Bowens, president and chief executive of the airport authority. "The new FBO will provide the latest amenities to corporate and general aviation customers."

The new FBO will be slightly northwest of the current facility, which will be demolished when the new project opens for business.

Zoo Celebrates Orangutan Birthday

The San Diego Zoo celebrated the 50th birthday of a Bornean orangutan Friday, giving the primate a variety of treats to enjoy.

Janey "The Artiste" was born in the wild in 1962 but was hand-raised in a private facility for the first 15 years of her life, according to the San Diego Zoo's website.

She arrived in San Diego in 1984 and is the zoo's only Bornean orangutan. Bornean orangutans, which have a life span of up to 59 years in zoos, are considered an endangered species.

Janey's nickname stems from her love of painting. Her creations are sold by the zoo, with proceeds going toward conservation efforts.

Drunken Driver Sentenced

A motorist whose blood-alcohol level was 4 1/2 times the legal limit when his vehicle slammed into the back of a car in Rancho Bernardo, seriously injuring a young woman, was sentenced Friday to a year in local custody.

Brian LaRose, 39, pleaded guilty in November to DUI causing injury and admitted an allegation that he drove with a blood-alcohol level above .15 percent.

Deputy District Attorney Chandelle Konstanzer argued that LaRose should go to prison for five years, calling the defendant an "extreme danger" to society. LaRose was supposed to be at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting the night he caused the accident that left 19-year-old Heidi Wise with a brain injury and other serious injuries.

But the prosecutor acknowledged that the victim's family was OK with a custodial sentence in a work furlough program, which allows LaRose to work during the day and go behind bars at night. He was ordered to report for custody Feb. 27.

Read the full story on RanchoBernardo.Patch.com.