Story ID: 
Desert Jet To Resume Construction at TRM
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: The company, previously stymied in its attempts to complete its multi-million dollar FBO, has now received the green light from the county.
Word Count: 255
Desert Jet Center, the newest service provider at California’s Palm Springs-area Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport, has prevailed in the 13-month-long struggle against its landlord to resume construction of its permanent facility. The FBO, one of four at the airport, has been operating from a temporary facility since it opened in August 2016.

It had finished three of the four initial construction phases before several hurdles brought the project to a halt and the company was unable to complete its terminal in the originally allotted time frame. Despite the investment of nearly $2 million, the Riverside County Economic Development Agency, which oversees the airport, initially refused to negotiate with the company and even served it with an eviction notice.

The company, which recently achieved IS-BAH registration, was eventually able to attract the attention of the county’s board of supervisors, which then conducted an investigation into the matter and subsequently overruled lower-level decisions, paving the way for the project to continue.

“We are thrilled to finally resume the construction of Desert Jet Center,” said president and CEO Denise Wilson, noting in particular the assistance of 4th District supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “Supervisor Perez’s commitment to removing roadblocks and improving business opportunities at the county’s airports gives us a renewed sense of pride in building our future home at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport.”

With a new 18-month construction window approved, work on the 32,500-sq-ft terminal/hangar will resume later this month, with expected completion in early 2019.