Lockheed

Paul Clinton BURBANK -- Lockheed Martin Corp. has agreed to postpone turning over its ground water treatment plant to Burbank so the aerospace giant can evaluate whether it can increase water production. Lockheed was scheduled to turn over the treatment plant Dec. 12. The situation changed when a drop in pumping capacity raised the ire of city officials, who hurried to plead their case to the Environmental Protection Agency. That agency regulates the plant, which draws water from the San Fernando Aquifer via eight wells.

Paul Clinton CIVIC CENTER -- Although the original group of plaintiffs has been whittled down from 2,400 to about 200, an attorney representing current and former Burbank residents who blame Lockheed Martin Corp. for their health problems said Tuesday that the fight is not over. "We feel very confident on the remaining cases," Santa Barbara attorney Thomas Foley said. On Friday, in the latest action to pare down the litigant pool, Los Angeles County Superior Judge Court Carl West threw out 200 claims against Lockheed.

Paul Clinton CIVIC CENTER -- Lockheed Martin Corp. will protect Burbank from potential environmental law suits stemming from the development of one portion of the aerospace firm's former Plant "B-1" property. Los Angeles-based Zelman Development Companies purchased the land from Lockheed last year and intends to use the 103-acre former aircraft assembly property for a $200-million development with two hotels, retail stores, office space and an auto dealership.

Robert Blechl AIRPORT DISTRICT -- Half a century of aviation history is sliding into the recycle bin. Used between 1941 and 1992 as an aircraft design, assembly and production plant, Lockheed-Martin Corp.'s "A-1 North" property is being demolished to make way for a high-tech industrial manufacturing complex. The purchase the 32-acre lot by Zelman Development Companies in December and the subsequent demolition of its structures by the IT Corporation mark the end of an era. Lockheed officials expect to finalize the $20-million-plus sale with Zelman in the first quarter of 2001.

Ryan Carter BURBANK -- A 60-foot-long trailer used in the last days of the Lockheed era at Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport is more than just an old, discarded building for Gil Cefaratt. For the 73-year-old North Hollywood resident, the trailer he said he bought for a dollar from the airport is the last link to days of old for Lockheed-Martin Corp. "It's the last unit around," said Cefaratt. "It had been at Plant B-6 for Skunk Works," he said.

An unmanned military aircraft launched out of a submarine during an animated video of a Lockheed concept, eliciting wows and a few chuckles Saturday from an audience at the Burbank Historical Society?s Gordon R. Howard Museum. The video was part of a presentation that offered more than 100 visitors a glimpse at the inner workings of Lockheed?s Advanced Development Program, also known as ?Skunk Works.? ?It?s kind of a neat concept, but I don?t know if it?s going to go anywhere,?

Lolita Harper AIRPORT DISTRICT -- Forced recently to vacate its spot at the Portal of the Folded Wings at Valhalla Memorial Park, the Burbank Aviation Museum is searching for support to keep the city's rich aviation history alive. The nonprofit group hoped to get support from the city, the Lockheed Co. or the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority in the form of land or an abandoned structure where it could display its memorabilia. Unfortunately, those hopes have been replaced with reality.

Paul Clinton CIVIC CENTER -- Further environmental review of the $200-million Burbank Empire Center will delay the council's consideration of the project for another two months. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessments will undertake a 30-day examination of the 130-acre former Lockheed Martin Corp. property where developers hope to build the massive commercial center, City Manager Bud Ovrom said. The City Council postponed considering the project Tuesday.

Paul Clinton MEDIA DISTRICT NORTH -- The land is clean. That was the word from state health regulators who, echoing the findings of a parade of environmental consultants, have given their stamp of approval to development plans for the $200-million Burbank Empire Center. In an Aug. 4 memo, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment said the 107-acre former Lockheed Martin Corp. property -- known as B-1 and used for 63 years to manufacture aircraft -- poses no significant health danger to those working on or living near the property.

Recently, we commemorated the 60th anniversary of D-Day and the dedication of the World War II memorial in our nation's capital. The sacrifices made and the lessons learned in World War II cannot be forgotten. World War II profoundly altered the course of history in the 20th century and shaped the world, as well as our own nation. World War II also profoundly affected the people of Burbank and transformed our city. In 1940, prior to the United States' direct involvement in World War II, Burbank's population was 34,337, with 11,132 houses.

Burbank on Parade pays homage to aviation when it marches down Olive Avenue beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday. It's with luck that the parade committee has a link to former Lockheed test pilot Robert Gilliland, who will be sharing the title of grand marshal with United Airlines No. 1 pilot Clay Lacy. Gilliland, 85, was the original test pilot of the SR-71 Blackbird when it made its first flight in Palmdale on Dec. 22, 1964. The Blackbird was designed by Kelly Johnson and was developed as a long-range strategic reconnaissance aircraft that could fly at speeds more than Mach 3.2 and as high as 85,000 feet.

Two local businesses with deep ties to the military and aviation sectors recently got huge lifts from a federally funded training program. Burbank’s Centerpoint Manufacturing and Glendale’s Accurate Dial & Nameplate are poised to pick up work from some of the largest companies in the nation thanks to months-long improvement efforts, a financial stake from the Verdugo Jobs Center and the expertise of the nonprofit California Manufacturing Technology...

Bob Hope Airport officials believe that if pictures are worth a thousand words, then they have plenty to say in their dispute with Lockheed Martin Corp. over groundwater contamination. The two parties are clashing in court over who must pay federally mandated cleanup costs related to toxins under the airport. Part of the dispute centers on a fire pit on the southwest portion of the airfield, where the Environmental Protection Agency believes residue contributed to soil contamination.

In the article "Airport to raise parking fees" on Dec. 18, we strongly disagree with Lockheed Martin Corporation statements that it had nothing to do with live-fire training of its firefighters at Bob Hope Airport after 1963 (when the airport was still called Lockheed Air Terminal). Thousands of San Fernando Valley residents remember the thick black clouds of smoke near the west end of the airport when these training drills were conducted. Lockheed Martin is shirking its obligation to the residents of the San Fernando Valley to clean up its pollution legacy.

Old chemical disposal pits on land owned by Bob Hope Airport are the source of new tensions in a three-way tango over who will pay to clean up contaminated groundwater. Airport officials argue that Lockheed Martin, once a manufacturer on the land parcel, is responsible for the pits, which could be a major source of the underground contamination. Lockheed, on the other hand, asserts that the U.S. government used the pits. Representatives for the Environmental Protection Agency, which has ordered Bob Hope Airport to assist in the cleanup, say they aren't sure who did what at the pits, which are part of a larger contamination site that could cost $108 million to clear.

Old chemical disposal pits on land owned by Bob Hope Airport are the source of new tensions in a three-way tango over who will pay to clean up contaminated groundwater. Airport officials argue that Lockheed Martin, once a manufacturer on the land parcel, is responsible for the pits, which could be a major source of the underground contamination. Lockheed, on the other hand, asserts the U.S. government used the pits. Representatives for the Environmental Protection Agency, which has ordered Bob Hope Airport to assist in the clean up, say aren’t sure who did what at the pits, which are part of larger contamination site that could cost $108 million to clear.

In his 43 years as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, Harold Maxham has traversed more than 500,000 miles across Burbank, delivering mail to such institutions as the Walt Disney Co., Warner Bros., Lockheed and City Hall. He?s seen both the city and industry change through the dawn and dominance of the Internet, proliferation of junk mail and increased traffic on city streets. Maxham, who retired this month, was recognized July 21 by the City Council for his more than four decades of service ?

An unmanned military aircraft launched out of a submarine during an animated video of a Lockheed concept, eliciting wows and a few chuckles Saturday from an audience at the Burbank Historical Society?s Gordon R. Howard Museum. The video was part of a presentation that offered more than 100 visitors a glimpse at the inner workings of Lockheed?s Advanced Development Program, also known as ?Skunk Works.? ?It?s kind of a neat concept, but I don?t know if it?s going to go anywhere,?

School was out for spring break at Bret Harte Elementary on Thursday, but a group of civic-minded volunteers were hard at work on school grounds. More than 40 Lockheed Federal Credit Union employees put down their pens, pushed away from their keyboards and picked up paint brushes, setting their sights on four fading portable classroom units that were left out of the school’s modernization efforts in 1999. “We’ve always had these eyesore bungalows that no one has really done anything about,” Principal Diane Berger said.