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Home My WebLink About2010-05-13 MinutesMinutes of the Fayetteville Executive Airport Board Meeting • Thursday, May 13, 2010 BOARD MEMBERS ATTENDING: Bob Nickle, David Hollman, Vaughn DeCoster, Richard Greene, Tim McCarley BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Otto Loewer, Janice Stanesic STAFF ATTENDING: Ray Boudreaux, James Nicholson OTHERS ATTENDING: Wayne Jones -McClelland Consulting Engineers, Blaise Sharkey -Million Air Fayetteville, Ty Rogers -Fayetteville Government Channel, Candy Harrell -Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, Skip Descant -Northwest Arkansas Times, Carl Brooks -Air Traffic Control Tower, Terry Lawson -Fayetteville Fire Department ITEM #1: Welcome -Chairman. ITEM #2: Approval on the Airport Board Minutes of the April 8, 2010 meeting. A motion to approve the minutes was made by Richard Greene and seconded by Vaughn DeCoster. The motion carried. ITEM #3: Receiving of Reports. A. Director Boudreaux, report on Airport Activity. The aircraft operations are going up slowly. The fuel sales are not. The Runway 16 Project is moving along, The base material is down and they are ready to start laying asphalt. They will close Highway 71 down to two lanes to make the tie ends to the new highway. The • City Council approved the purchase agreement of 4.18 acres of the Kearney -Cooper property. On that property we can not use any of the ground water, nor build any buildings; none of those will affect the project, we will need to test dirt, and if we damage any well, we have to replace the well. They hope to turn dirt on May 24'". Still working on the Obstruction Removal with the City's Transportation Department to record the amount topped from the trees. Waiting on the FAA funding offer for the Wildlife Hazard Assessment; Congress hasn't approved the FAA funding. The Airport's FAA Annual Inspection is scheduled for May 25th through 27". B. Financial Coordinator James Nicholson report on FBO and Budget. Displayed and reviewed the charts in the agenda. The air taxi count is trending up the last few months. The regional fuel prices have increased dramatically the last two months because of the wholesale prices. Million Air is the only one that has decreased their fuel price. The airport revenues for April were less than budgeted, because there are 7 or 8 T -Hangars not leased, there has been a decrease in the terminal rents, and the Post Office rent payment did not post in the City's accounting system in April. Under Personal Expenses, there were benefit payments for Leon's retiring; May will show some expenses and the next month will be back to normal. The new sales tax on aviation fuel sales there is a lag time, we are receiving in May the amount due us for March. C. T -Hangar report. Report covered earlier in the agenda. Anyone needing a hangar please stop by. One month's rent free, and offering hangar rental space to tenants needing storage, but aircraft have priority. D. Wayne Jones, McClelland Engineers, report on construction projects. At the end of April the Runway Safety Project was 30% complete. In June they will be reducing Highway 71 down to two lanes to make the connections. The curb, gutters and sidewalks are almost all installed. The maintenance audit of apron repairs needed showed more places than he had thought. There are several ways to repair the places, and the cost varies. Newport Airport is working on a project and Rogers Airport will be doing some work and Ray can take a look at their work and that will help decide which method to use at Drake. If the State Aeronautics money is made available, the design for the airport security system could be ready in about three weeks. E. Museum reports. The Arkansas Air Museum has forty Model T's on display; most are in the hangar to the • north of them. Their USO type dance is May 291h,food, big band, and is a fund raiser for the Air Museum. If you can not attend the dance and would like to make donation to the Museum, please give them a call. ITEM # 4: Old Business. A. Woolsey Aviation, FBO Lease (Million Air Fayetteville). The lease has not been signed. Blaise has said they will sign; the person that would sign the lease is in California helping to open a new Million Air facility. • B. Update on Commercial Service recruiting activity. Telephone calls were made to Branson Air, which is a scheduled charter business, rather than an airline, regarding the possibility of using Drake Field. We were asking about three days a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to Dallas Love, which is a Southwest hub. They are interested covering the longest legs possible, with the shortest tum around as possible. They said they couldn't discuss it this week, as they would be making some announcements, but would be able to talk next week. It might be that we would have to move the Airport Administration Offices and Conference Room and rent the area to accommodate their business, and there would be some cost involved, ticket counter, baggage claim. Or, because it is a charter, possibly the flights could be handled by the FBO. They operate Embraer aircraft that have 54 or 55 seats. That would benefit the FBO, up our operations and passenger count towards operating the tower. If the FAA did a cost benefit on the airport now, we might have to pay 20% of the tower costs, which we can't afford. Said he had talked to Jet Blue and Southwest and we do not meet their criteria. Ray related that the Branson Airport is a private airport. Carl Brooks suggested finding out from hotels in Las Vegas, or Orlando, which days they are offering special rates, arriving on certain date and staying through certain dates. Then arrange our flights to match those dates, we would get more traffic that way. Ray said the airport is not looking to make a lot of money, but to cover expenses, and to help the citizens of Northwest Arkansas. ITEM #5: New Business. A. SkyVenture Aviation, Inc., request for renegotiation of lease. Said he had talked to Kathy/SkyVenture about negotiating a new lease, and a copy of their response is in the agenda package. Asked the Board for permission to negotiate a lease with SkyVenture, and suggested any of the Board would be welcome to sit in on the negotiation. We can't cut back too much. The Option had a CPI rent increase. They are a high quality tenant, pay on time, and they help the operations count for the airport. AIRPORT BOARD CONSENSUS: Agreed that Ray may negotiate a lease with SkyVenture for the • terminal office space. B. Million Air request to support Military RON (Remain Over Night). Million Air now has a military contract for fuel, and agreements with Pensacola and Whitting Navy Bases for Drake Field to be their Hurricane Evacuation Site. They would be bringing in 40 planes, would also use the airport as a training site, they would spend the night(s) in Fayetteville and buy meals. Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma wants to train T -6's and T -34's at Drake, and the Air Force Base in Little Rock wants to train C130's here, which might involve getting a waiver for the length of the runway. Some of the training aircraft would want to spend the night and would like the Airport Board to consider renting the old Fire Station across the field for RON. There would be some cost to renovate and Blaise said Million Air would help with the cost of renovations; they could be rented for $30 - $40 a night. Military operations count more towards the tower cost benefit formula. A contractor would need to be hired for the housekeeping, cleaning, washing towels, etc., and it would probably easier for Million Air to hire someone than the City hiring someone. Chairman Nickle suggested that person might share duties, working at the fire station and clean in the terminal, also. Details could be worked out, sounds like a good way to get more traffic. ITEM #6: Other Business. A. Items from the Public. Wayne Jones invited the Airport tenants to a cookout that McClelland Consulting Engineers will be sponsoring on Thursday, June 10b before the Airport Board Meeting, from 11:30 to 1:30. B. Items from the Airport Board. None. MEETING ADJOURNED. CIL• David Hollman, Secretary Date 2