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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-11-17 Minutes• FAYETTEVILLE EXECUTIVE AIRPORT BOARD MEETING November 17, 2011 MEMBERS PRESENT: Bob Nickle, Janice Stanesic, Rick Bailey, Mike Gibbs MEMBERS ABSENT: Josh Mahony, Tim McCarley MEMBERS ATTENDING BY SKYPE: Otto Loewer STAFF ATTENDING: Ray Boudreaux, James Nicholson, Louise Powers OTHERS ATTENDING: Charles Caldwell -tenant; Frank Sperandeo-tenant; Scott House -pilot UofA; Mike Bowman -Airport Tower; Mauro Campos -City Fire Department; Joel Walsh -NW Arkansas Times; David Floyd -Million Air; Wayne Jones -McClelland Engineers; Terry Gulley -Transportation Department City of Fayetteville; Rick McKinney -tenant ITEM #1: Welcome. Chairman ITEM #2: Approval of the Airport Board Minutes of the October 13, 2011 meeting. A motion to approve the minutes was made by Rick Bailey and seconded by • Janice Stanesic. The motion carried. ITEM #3: Receiving of Reports. A. Director Boudreaux, Aviation Director. Reported the corporate hangar was still available to rent. The Airport was closed five days for the rejuvaseal and the painting on the runway and taxiways and he was happy with the results. He thanked everyone for their cooperation during the project. Work for the Security Project has begun, they are marking the utilities lines in preparation for digging the electric lines. Work continues for the Runway 16 Safety Area Project, the Arkansas Highway Department approved the transfer of the Right of Way to the State. The Wildlife Study Report is in and we are going over the report for our comments. It will be sent to the FAA for their approval, then a copy will be kept in our office. There were no surprises; it mentioned flocks of geese at the Tyson plant and at the Country Club. The Airport will continue to work to kept them off of the Airport's property. Reported he had attended the Arkansas Airport Operators Association (AAOA) Conference in held in Springdale and had been elected President for two years. Terry Gully, Tim McCarley, Josh Mahony, and Wayne Jones also attended. Jim Tucker, FedEx pilot, was a speaker and donated $2,000 of his $5,000 speaker fee back to AAOA to their scholarship fund. Three scholarships are awarded annually. Reported he, Terry Gulley, and Wayne Jones had attended the FAA Conference in Fort Worth, and that Terry was amazed at all the programs and changes the FAA was making for airports and the FAA was not providing a way to finance them. Reported Million Air's General Manager, MaryKathryn, had resigned to take another job. • B. Financial Coordinator James Nicholson, Budget Report. He gave a power point presetation of the charts in the agenda. Reported the flight operations were down 1 %2 %, but the local general aviation had picked up and the military operations continue to • increase. Director Boudreaux said a lot depends on when their pilot school starts, it's about every three months and then we have a surge of operations for a while. The fuel sales are down 15%2 % from this time last year. Said Million Air's fuel prices are the highest of the local airports. Director Boudreaux said Million Air does offer a discounted price to our local tenants. Also, he had spoken with Jeff, Million Air's Operations Director from Houston, and they are trying to figure out the right thing to do with the operational margins; and said he was expecting a letter from Million Air asking for rent concession. C. Senior Secretary Louise Powers, T-Hangar Report. There are three vacant single engine size T-hangars available. One hangar was rented this last month. More tenants are leaving than we are getting new tenants coming in. Director Boudreaux said the Airport is not renting T-Hangars for storage anymore. D. Wayne Jones, McClelland Engineers, Construction Report. Said they would be contacting the Highway Department tomorrow about putting the highway signs in place. We hope to receive the State Aeronautics grant money in November for the pavement rehab project. The Security Project is ongoing and we hope to have some of the equipment available to show at the next Board Meeting. Notices will be sent out to the tenants when we are ready for them to start coming in to get their badges, all tenants will have to have a badge. The keypads will be in place until all badges are issued. If a tenant brings a guest to the airport, the tenant will have to stay with the guest. The badges will have R.F.I.D. and can be left in wallets, just have to bring them within 3 inches of the reader. Temporary badges can be issued for a certain time frame, in-and- • out on a particular day. This will provide additional security for the Airport. The NPDS General Permit from the State regarding the fuel farm discharge has to be updated every five to six years and McQelland Engineers will provide information for Ray and James to review. While at the FAA Conference we asked our Project Manager and his bosses for additional funds to use for the ramp rehabilitation project and got a negative response. During the AAOA Conference we were able to get our Project Manager Paul Burns, his boss Ed Agnew, AR -0K ADO Manager, and his boss Kelvin Solco, Southwest Region Division Manager to come to Drake Field Airport to see the completed Runway Safety Area Project, the rejuvaseal project, and the proposed ramp project for the 31 year old terminal ramp. Our Runway Safety Project was the FAA's first safety project for the year in Arkansas so they were interested in seeing the results. E. Museum Executive Director Warren Jones, Museum Report. Warren Jones was unable to attend and Director Boudreaux gave their report. The Norton Family wants to give the museum a plane that has an important place in the museum's history. It is the type of World War II trainer that was used for training at Drake Field, there were 40 planes based on the field. To take up as little room as possible, they stored them by standing them on their nose. Director Boudreaux said there will be a presentation at the Museum's Annual Board Meeting, December 11, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. and urged everyone to become a museum member. Chairman Nickle suggested the media attend that meeting. ITEM #4: Old Business. • 2 • A. Discussion: State Application for Terminal Apron Grant. Discussion followed on how to proceed with the project. Deterioration is a factor if we wait to do the project, and if we go ahead, there is the problem of depleting the airport's funds. Costs will go up if wait to do the project. A State Aeronautics grant was suggested, and was told they do not usually award grants for that large an amount. If was suggested doing the ramp in three phases. The terminal is setting level with the ramp and that presents a problem with drainage; the height of the ramp can't be raised. It was suggested that Director Boudreaux visit the Rogers Airport and look at their ramp rehabilitation. It was decided a vote was not required, but to investigate further and get more information. ITEM #5: New Business. A. Request from Mark Frankum, SkyVenture to consider rent abatement for the period of time the airport was closed. Director Boudreaux explained this request was made at the last Airport Board Meeting and he had visited with Mark yesterday, and he didn't think it was a serious request from Mark. That Mark realized that closing the airport for repairs is a fact of life. Rent reduction was discussed, that it would have to be equal; you couldn't give it to one business and not do the same for other tenants. It was explained that SkyVenture had recently had a rent reduction for their hangar because of the re -financing of the loan on their hangar. Mr. Loewer suggested in the future to have it built into the leases there might be situations the airport might have to close. Chairman Nickle reminded the Board the FAA had required the new painted signage be in place by June 2012. Airport Board Consensus was to not give any rent abatement. • B. Discussion: T -Hangar rent. It was explained that in 2002 the Airport Board set a policy that they would review the T -Hangar rent every.two years in November. In 2008 the Board decided there would be no increase in the rent. The last time it was reviewed was two years ago and the Board decided to increase rent by half of what the formula would have raised the rent. Chairman Boudreaux recommended not raising the T -Hangar rent this November, saying everyone is having trouble meeting their obligations. He explained he had proposed to the City that he work 32 hours per week, therefore helping the Airport Budget, but no decision has been made. Answering Chairman Nickle, James said the 2012 submitted Budget did not have an increase built in for the T -Hangar rent, and the 2012 Budget has a $70,000 deficient. Renting the old school hangar and the corporate hangar would help the Airport's Budget. Director Boudreaux said he has a client looking at the old school hangar. A motion was made by Mike Gibbs to leave the rent where it is for one year and review the rent again next November. The motion was seconded by Janice Stanesic. Discussion followed. It was asked to make the no increase for two years. It was also suggested that next November to make no increase for another year. The Airport reviews its Budget every year. It was noted the Airport has three empty T -Hangars this month, last month there were no vacancies. The motion carried. r 1 U 3 C. AOPA Airport Support Network. Frank Sperandeo explained he is the AOPA • volunteer representative for Drake Field, and what he does is to monitor what goes on at the Airport to make it habitable. He spoke of how important airports are to cities. That . AOPA is pushing support of security systems on airports. Then he listed concerns he had, emphasizing some lights are out on Lancaster Drive, saying his thoughts were the Airport should have the lights all turned on to meet Airport Assurances 19.A., and 29.A. and 29.D. He said the operating layout plan showed the lights as part of the layout plan. Expressing his opinion, he thought the three accidents had happened that happened on Lancaster Drive was because some of the lights were out. He said he had called SWEPCO and the lights cost about $10 a month to operate; he hated for money to come between the airport and safety. Director Boudreaux explained the Airport is saving about $1,200 per month (in some places every other light is off), He also said he wasn't aware the lights as being a part of the Airport's Assurances, as they are outside the secured part of the Airport. Chairman Nickle said he would come down at night for a look at the lights and suggested the other Board Members do the same. Discussion followed touching on the real reasons there had been accidents on Lancaster Drive. The fence along Lancaster Drive was repaired by the insurance company of one driver that had an accident. It was mentioned the new security system will have lights at all security points. ITEM #6: Other Business. A. Items from the Public. Frank Sperandeo brought up several airport items he said needed attention. Director Boudreaux responded saying most of the items mentioned had already been fixed, adding the maintenance guys run the sweeper after every rain. It was • asked if movement lines could be painted on the T -Hangar ramp. Cost was discussed; having it painted versus the Airport buying small machine and paint and do the painting. Chairman Nickle said the public may have seen in the paper that the Airport is short- handed and did not get to replace staff, and is doing the best it can with the existing staff, and they do have priorities. Terry Gulley stated that if anyone had maintenance issues to copy them to him, saying these are not issues that need to come to the Board. B. Items from the Airport Board. None. MEETING ADJOURNED at 3:30 p.m. Otto Loewer, Secretary El Date •