County to consider naming airport after Dave McCoy
Decades of contributions to Eastern Sierra cited for honor
At its regular meeting Tuesday, the Inyo County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider and discuss a request to rename the Bishop Airport the “Bishop - Dave McCoy Airport” and provide any necessary direction to county staff.
On June 21, the assistant clerk of the board of supervisors received a written request from Bishop resident Randy Short to rename the
Bishop Airport the “Bishop - Dave McCoy Airport.”
The request, according to the county, was submitted per county policy, which also requires three letters of support from community members.
The county has received five letters of support that were collected in February 2020 following McCoy’s passing.
These letters were part of a formal request dated Feb. 26, 2020.
Per county policy, the request should have been agendized within six weeks of receipt. The request was postponed to accommodate additional discussion with the proponent and then, unfortunately, set on the backburner during the subsequent arrival of COVID-19 in Inyo County.
Short, one of the supporters of the original proposal, has now taken over for the previous proponent and resurrected the effort to have the airport named after McCoy.
County staff notes that, as part of the board’s consideration, according to the policy, supervisors must find that the naming recognition is being given to individuals/organizations which have:
1. Demonstrated social and moral responsibility and exemplary actions that inspire others.
2. Made significant contributions of time, talent and/or financial support to an important part of the county’s, state’s and/ or country’s history.
3. Had major historical significance.
The policy also states that no county facility/ building shall be named after a private individual unless he or she “contributed a majority of the funding that was used to construct the facility or acquire the land upon which the building is situated.”
The proponent acknowledges that McCoy might not meet this criterion, but states McCoy did build and then donate to the county the largest building at the Bishop Airport, a massive hangar that today houses Sierra Life Flight and others.
The policy requires a staff recommendation, however, according to the staff report on the issue, at this time, staff can recommend neither approval nor denial - only that the board hears from the proponents and considers the request according to the previously approved guidelines.
Staff noted that this same request previously went to the Northern Inyo Airport Advisory Committee, which declined to support it and in fact voted unanimously at a recent meeting to recommend retention of the name “Bishop Airport.”
Letters of support came from Short, Marshall Ryan McCoy, former county Supervisor Linda Arcularius, Randy
Gillespie, former Bishop Mayor Laura Smith and retired Inyo County Sheriff Jeff Hollowell, all who espoused McCoy’s multiple contributions to the Eastern Sierra as deserving of the honor.
A letter of opposition from one of the members of the NIAAC members, who said she writing as an Inyo County citizen and a member of the pilot community, stated that the name change could be confusing, among other reasons discussed at recent NIAAC meetings.
The Inyo County Board of Supervisors meets in regular session at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16. The renaming discussion is a timed item for set 11 a.m.
The meeting will be held in the Board Chambers at the County Administrative Center in Independence, 224 N. Edwards St. You can stream meetings live and participate via Zoom through the county’s website at www.inyocounty. us/