Making way for the unknown
Growth may be inevitable for transportation hub Mojave
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Friday, September 17, 2004.
By HEATHER LAKE
Valley Press Staff Writer

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Whether rocketing into space or dancing their way to the top, folks in Mojave are shooting for the stars.
Mojave is the small - very small - desert community north of Rosamond that recently earned international recognition with the successful launch of the first private manned aircraft to reach beyond the Earth's atmosphere.

With less than 4,000 residents living in the unincorporated desert community, until recently Mojave had gone pretty much unnoticed, even referred to in one media publication covering the SpaceShipOne event as a "gas stop."

For the most part, those who live there like it that way, but Mojave may not be able or wise, to much longer resist the changes that are transforming their neighbors to the south, meeting population growth head on.

As still-rural Lancaster increases its upscale living opportunities and works to revamp the downtown area, Palmdale's claim to fame is being home to the Antelope Valley's commerce center. Even Rosamond is being targeted by developers for upgraded housing projects, so it seems inevitable that Mojave will soon be facing some kind of change as well.

Inevitable? Maybe. Desirable? That depends who you ask.

The notion that the changing times won't pass Mojave by elicits mixed emotions from its long-time residents; some who like it the way it is and others who are ready to embrace growth and the opportunities that come along with it.

The Mojave Public Utilities District services about 1,300 businesses and residences, a number that is up only a tad from 963 in the 1960s, said Bruce Gaines, district manager.

"That tells you what's happened since the 1960s - not a lot," Gaines said. Growth in the area since 1990 has been less than 2%.

But that could soon be changing and those embracing the concept say it begins with the airport.

Airport Manager Stu Witt has only been on the job for 22 months but he's got big ideas for the second largest airport property in California and he's already putting those ideas into action.

The Mojave Airport is the only civilian flight test center in the country. It is located under restricted air space, making it the ideal location for space activity, Witt said.

Witt believes the airport could be much more, and that the anchor businesses at the airport that were ready to pack up and move elsewhere until he came along are now settling in for the long haul.

British Airspace, AVTEL, Scaled Composites and the National Test Pilot School all operate on airport grounds; one of those businesses looking recently to moving elsewhere just signed a 50-year lease, Witt said. He is also negotiating with other possible "anchor" businesses, the names of which he did not reveal.

Witt's vision for the airport, which he intends to advance during the remaining eight-plus years of his 10-year commitment, includes creating what he called an "intermodal" business environment, maximizing the use of rail, trucking and the airport to commercial ends. Because of its location at the junction of state routes 14 and 58, Witt sees Mojave's untapped potential as endless.

Residents of the area have mixed reactions to Witt's dream for Mojave.

Gaines said he's been hearing big plans for the community for 20 years.

Marie Walker, a long-time community resident who is on the Kern County Board of Trade, said the airport is to be thanked for whatever Mojave becomes. "The airport has so much. It's the jewel of Kern County," Walker said.

A steady stream of 18-wheelers through the area once kept the cash registers ringing at motels, fast-food restaurants and convenience stores, but since the Mojave bypass went in allowing trucks to avoid the tiny town, three businesses have closed.

Commercial development is planned for similar businesses in the area of eastern Mojave where the bypass routes trucks, Gaines said, but the whats and whens are uncertain.

"There's a lot of talk going on, but there's not much dirt moving," Gaines said.

Trying to keep ahead of the game, the district has upgraded its water and sewer plan in the last year and developed an urban water management plan.

Gaines predicts that the push north from Los Angeles will inevitably find its way to Mojave, and he hopes some newer homes will do the same.

Walker agrees that a higher quality of housing is needed in the area.

"The town is crying for new home construction," Walker said.

Much of what is in Mojave now was built in the 1950s and 1960s, many of the units are run down and used as rentals. It's not uncommon to see boarded windows on scattered stucco dwellings, and others that are inhabited look as though they shouldn't be.

There is a huge need for "move-up housing," Walker said of the community that expects an increase in jobs for skilled laborers, such as engineers, as the airport grows.

The high school even has an acclaimed engineering academy geared toward motivating eligible students into engineering careers.

"We're growing our own engineers," Walker said.

There are also some opportunities for unskilled laborers and, as the planned Flying J truck stop comes to fruition, another 75 to 100 jobs will come with it.

Still, not everyone is open to change.

"The old-timers want Mojave to stay how it is," Gaines said.

Walker said the objective should be a compromise of both sentiments.

"My goal is to keep the small town atmosphere … we need to grow without losing the personal touch," Walker said.

Debbie Crocoll, who has lived in the community for 32 years, has stayed because she loves the small town rustic feel. But over the years, that image has not been kept up and she longs for the town it once was. Still, she remains excited about the possibilities coming down the pike.

"My town is not the town it used to be," Crocoll said, adding that, like many rural towns, it used to be a place people could leave their doors unlocked.

She and her husband just built a new home in the community where they plan to raise their two daughters, Bailey and Briana.

A drive through Mojave on the weekday doesn't tell much. An occasional child wanders in the street, but many businesses have "closed" signs in the windows. Mike's Roadhouse Café does a booming business and travelers keep the fast-food restaurants open.

While some small businesses went bust when the bypass went up, the Mojave Desert Bank, Radio Shack and Ace Hardware have been in the community for years.

The area has an elementary school, junior high and high school for its 1,500 students, including high school students from nearby California City.

Known affectionately by some townfolk as "Mr. Mojave," Bill Deaver operates the community newspaper called the Mojave Desert News and belongs to nearly every community-based organization the area has to offer.

Owner and operator of the Mojave Movement Arts Center, Heather Benes has been turning tiny dancers into experts of their craft for about 10 years.

Some head off to study dance at the university level or are accepted by larger companies such as the Boston Ballet and the Ballet Met in Ohio to participate in special summer programs.

"They seem to like the quality of work my students do," Benes said.

Although the main emphasis at the studio is ballet, Benes also brings in instructors to teach jazz and tap.

"We have some talent here," she said.

Talent that just needs to be discovered, much like Mojave itself.

"We have a nice community here," Benes said. "It's quiet. You do kind of have to dig around to find it."
 

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