The City of Hollister unearthed a World War II-era practice bomb at the airport dog park while trenching in September.
The discovery of the unexploded bomb occurred Sept. 7 while staff had been trenching for a fiber-optic line at the dog park. Crews unearthed the AN-Mark 4 practice bomb, a training device dating to World War II, according to a report prepared for Monday’s city council meeting.
The report noted that the airport had been used as a training base for Navy bombers, and how the practice bomb was armed.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad responded and rendered the munition safe, according to the city report.
The city had been preparing for improvements to the dog park scheduled to start next summer. Now, staff is seeking $7,000 to fund a survey of the dog park, located where the base had stationed its incinerator.
Prior excavations also revealed a large amount of trash there, and the city believes it had been used as a disposal site.
The $7,000 request going before the Hollister City Council at its 6:30 p.m. meeting Monday is to use ground-penetrating radar to survey the site “out of an abundance of caution.” The city identified a San Jose vendor equipped to complete the task.
Mike Chambless, who oversees the Hollister Municipal Airport for the city, was not immediately available to comment on the matter.
World War II-era practice bomb unearthed at Hollister airport
