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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAirMinutes_2006_10_19Brookings Airport Board October 19, 2006 Brookings, SD 57006 A meeting of the Brookings Airport Board was called to order by Chairperson Robb Sexauer at 3:30 PM on Thursday, October 19, 2006, in the Meeting Room at City Hall. Members present were Jeff Boulware, Jim Bailey, Harry Forsyth, Harrison Thompson, and Robb Sexauer. Also present were Larry Franklin – ADVANCE, Duane Bymers, Robert Fite, Jim Christophersen, Rob McLaughlin, Lynn Riedesel, Jim Jones Sr. – Big Sioux Aviation, Brian Cossette – Mesa Airlines, Human Resources Director Donna Langland, City Engineer Jackie Lanning, and Airport Manager Patrick Dame. Item #2 – (Forsyth/Bailey) Motion to approve the minutes from the September 11, 2006 meeting. All present voted aye. MOTION CARRIED. Item #3 – (Boulware/Bailey) Motion to approve the agenda. All present voted aye. MOTION CARRIED. Item #4 – The next meeting is scheduled for November 16, 2006. Item #5 – Old Business There was no old business to discuss. Item #6 – New Business SDSU’s request for self-fueling – Jeff Boulware explained that SDSU is requesting to fuel their own planes. They will install a fixed tank 10 feet behind their hangar. Airport Manager Patrick Dame explained that it will be bunkered, and SDSU will also provide spill protection. Boulware said the tank will be out of the snowplow’s path and back from the taxiway lanes. SDSU will be operating their own Part 141 Certificate. Bailey asked if SDSU would be exempt from the flowage fee. Boulware answered that SDSU will pay the flowage fee as do all other self-fuelers. Sexauer added that he did not like all the fuel tanks on the airport. (Thompson/Forsyth) Motion to approve the self-fueling request for South Dakota State University. All present voted aye. MOTION CARRIED. Applications for Airport maintenance position – Dame said they have been interviewing for the airport maintenance position and an offer will be made by tomorrow. He said there were six applications and four interviews. He said the position includes snow removal, mowing, general maintenance of the buildings, clean-up on the airport side of the terminal, and ARFF fire fighting training. City Engineer Jackie Lanning added that there was a combination on many duties into the one position. A person having snow removal and fire fighting training would have a definite advantage as hiring a fire fighter would cost approximately $20-$25 an hour. Bailey asked if board members were included in the interview process. Dame said yes, Boulware had been asked to participate, but he had scheduling conflicts. C:\Documents and Settings\bfoster\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLKBC\air-2006-10.doc 1 ADVANCE lease – Dame explained that the document for the land leased to ADVANCE is being updated. They rent a 90’ x 90’ area and also an 80’ x 90’ area. However, because of a bookkeeping error on the City’s part, they have not paid for the 80’ x 90’ area for the last ten years. Also their rate was not increased to .08 per square foot for 2006, as were all other tenants on the airport. Dame recommended the .08 be added to the lease. He also recommended a term for the lease to be shorter than five (5) years as the land could be needed for a taxiway or for hangar space. Bailey asked if Dame thought an annual lease should be approved. Dame said annual or bi-annual. Larry Franklin, representing ADVANCE, thanked the City for their support and generosity. He also said that he understands that growth will most likely occur on the airport. (Bailey/Thompson) Motion to raise the rate of the land leased by ADVANCE to .08 per square foot, as is all other leased land at the airport and to have the lease reviewed biannually. All present voted aye. MOTION CARRIED. Dame and Lanning suggested the rates for all leased land on the airport be reviewed in May so any new rates would be available at budget time. Boulware commented on the appearance of the leased lots and said he would like to see the lots cleaned up. He also questioned why a nonaeronautical activity was allowed on the airport. He felt it was unfair to a person wanting to build a hangar. Dame said the City could request to break the agreement with ADVANCE at any time. Bailey asked about the sewage lagoon on airport property. Dame said he thinks that Brookings Municipal Utilities is removing the ponds. They have requested to bring their machinery on the airport. Dame said he believes they are either going to remove the ponds by plowing them under and removing the liners, or he said they may also be mucking them. Marketing Efforts – Dame explained a program that Great Lakes Aviation has used to promote aviation in the towns where their airline operates. He said the program uses a Power Point presentation and is very good. It explains what their airline can do for the City. Dame asked the board members if any of them would like to use the program by presenting it to service groups and organizations in the City. He said he would teach the Power Point process to anyone interested. It would be an excellent way to introduce the airlines to the City and encourage its use. He said the program has been very successful in other cities. Sexauer asked what support the airlines was giving the City. Dame said they will spend $7,000 for radio advertisements, they will pay half for a sign announcing their arrival in Brookings, and they will provide a new door sign for the terminal. Their first day in Brookings is October 29th. Dame expressed a need to raise more money for the airport by possibly some fund raising. Boulware asked if Great Lakes Airlines or Mesa Airlines have a lighted sign at the terminal. Dame said no. Boulware as if there could be one for the airport. He also suggested a sign on Highway 14 By-Pass and I-29. He felt the signs were a definite need and showed the public that an airport and an airline were available in Brookings. Dame said money was needed to do that and possibly the airline would be willing to match the cost. He added that a billboard would be great. Lanning said it would be possible to work with the SD Department of Transportation for signage on 6th Street. She added that the Shopper is also a good alternative for advertising. Sexauer said the burden for advertising should fall to the airline. Dame said the airline will take it up in the coming weeks (maybe December) and are considering an open house, giving away free airline tickets, and/or having Hy-Vee do a cook out. Sexauer said it was too late to do it in December. It should be done now. Forsyth asked about the concern that travel agencies don’t have C:\Documents and Settings\bfoster\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLKBC\air-2006-10.doc 2 access to the cheaper tickets and can’t offer them as does the Internet and the airline itself. Dame said he would look into that as the airline had said they would help with that. Boulware suggested advertising the airlines in the newspapers of the outlying communities as far as 40 miles and even including Watertown. Dame said that the Sixell Group would also be involved and coordinating with Aberdeen, Huron and Brookings. Item #8 – FBO Report – Jim Jones Sr. was present and asked to speak. He distributed a letter to the board members and left the meeting. Bailey said the letter should be part of the minutes. The letter is attached. (Bailey/Forsyth) Motion to make the letter from Jim Jones Sr. a part of the minutes. All present voted aye. MOTION CARRIED. Boulware explained that the issue is between the flight contractor and SDSU. He added that SDSU is in no way attempting to compete with Big Sioux Aviation. In an attempt to keep the lines of communications open with the Airport Board, Lanning said she would like a meeting with the City Council, the FAA, and Airport Board members mainly to educate the City Council on the feasibility study. The meeting is tentatively set for November 8th from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM. There are also weekly conference calls with HNTB (the airport consultants) that Lanning invited the board members to feel free to sit in on or participate in if they wished. Interested board members may come to eiither Dame’s office at the ARFF building or Lanning’s office at City Hall every Friday morning at 9:00 AM as the meeting is conducted on speaker phone. Lanning said she could also email the minutes she takes from those weekly phone call meetings to any board member that wanted them. Forsyth added that those were excellent ideas. Bailey complimented Lanning on working to get the City Council, the FAA, and the Airport Board members together. Item #7 – Airport Manager’s Report Taxiway lighting update – Dame said that in the next two weeks, the taxiway lighting would be worked on. He added that the leased farmland bids have come in. Last year the highest bid was $11,096. This year the bids were $12,600, $13,000 and $14,386. He said he was pleased with the bids. The highest bidder was South Dakota Foundation Seed. The Annual Airport Conference is scheduled for March 29 and 30, 2007 in Yankton. Dame mentioned a lengthy study that is going to be done on the airlines’ effect on smaller airports. He suggested SDSU get involved and possibly conduct the study. It is an economics report, but needs a aviation influence also. Item #9 – TSA Report – There was no representative available from the TSA. Item #10 – Air Carrier Report Brian Cossette, Mesa Airlines Manager, reported 9 cancellations so far in October. Seven were for maintenance, one was for weather, and one was due to a problem with the AWOS. Thompson asked Cossette if he would be working with Great Lakes Airlines. Cossette said yes, he had been C:\Documents and Settings\bfoster\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLKBC\air-2006-10.doc 3 hired as their manager. He added that with a new employer, he will have some new office equipment and furniture. He said GLA was not purchasing anything from Mesa Airlines. Everything will be new! Item #6 - Rules and Regulations Lanning stated that the Rules and Regulations distributed to the board members were only a draft. Many opinions will be needed to draft the final Rules and Regulations, but they did need to be updated. The FAA also encourages the updates. Sexauer asked what the purpose was of the Airport Board and how much is optional and how much is mandatory in the Rules and Regulations. Dame said he looked at the Rules and Regulations from many airports, and put many together into the draft. The Rules and Regulations protect the city against any problems that may arise. Safety is the first concern for everyone on the airport including the firefighters. Dame asked for any changes to be submitted to him in writing. He added that nothing in the draft is geared to the SDSU program He said that SDSU needs to write similar Rules and Regulations. Lanning said the document is to be looked at as a risk management document and not as an FAA document. Donna Langland, Human Resources Director for the City of Brookings, stated that the City carries liability insurance for the airport separate from the rest of the city through Nation Air, which is a carrier that specializes in airport coverages. Suggested insurance related requirements in the draft copy of the Rules and Regulations include dollar amounts that were recommended by representatives from our insurance company to protect the city in the event of occurrences at the airport. Langland added that she felt that it was important to update the insurance amounts as to her knowledge they had not been changed since 1982. She indicated further that it was very important to have a document that provides states guidelines for all users to follow to ensure fairness and consistency. Bouware asked what the insurance policy covers. Langland stated that the the city's insurance covers liability insurance for the city in the event of an incident or occurrence at the airport such as if injuries occur and the city's property insurance coverage covers damages to physical buildings at the airport that are owned by the city, as well as the lighting, fencing, etc. She explained that if damage is done to city property by someone else, the city's insurance would need to cover anything above what the other person's insurance does not pay which is why it is so important to review the recommended limits of users of the air on a consistent basis to ensure that the levels required are appropriate. Bob Fite, a hangar owner, was concerned with the Rules and Regulations. He said the FAA doesn’t regulate safety, but it regulates security. He added that it is the EPA and the fire regulations that affect the hangar owners. He said that some of the draft Rules and Regulations are more strict than necessary even more strict than the FAA. He wants to know what the minimums are so more fair Rules and Regulations can be written. Fite suggested a committee be formed including hangar owners and representatives from the Airport Board to go through the draft and make some changes, but he also wanted the minimums before deciding and making a final draft. Dame added that he wants comments also. Fite again suggested a committee be formed. Lanning suggested including an insurance person and Deputy Fire Chief Pete Bolzer. Riedesel asked if hangar owners are treated differently by the City than regular city employees. Lanning said no. The rules are all the same. For example, she said developers in the city need a stormwater drainage plan also just like everyone else developing property. Dame added that the airport will need a separate drainage plan also. Boulware felt the idea of forming a committee was a good one, but he said fire department and hangar owners need to be included. He added that the Rules and Regulations must to work for everyone. The committee must work at getting the language on paper so that all can use it. Fite was asked to represent the hangar owners on the committee. He agreed. C:\Documents and Settings\bfoster\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLKBC\air-2006-10.doc 4 (Bailey/Forsyth) Motion to table any further action on the proposed Rules and Regulations until such time the Brookings City Council, the Mayor, and the Acting City Manager produce official documents that define the scope of authority of the Board and the Airport Manager, in all matters relating to the operation and governance of the airport and its facilities, and that the Chairman of the Board inform the Brookings City Council, the Mayor and Acting City Manager, in writing, of the adoption of this motion. All present voted aye. MOTION CARRIED. Lanning said that when the form of government changed, re-codification took place and some boards were done away with. The Airport Board was tailored down. Bailey said that the City Council and the Acting City Manager need to write a job description for the Airport Board. Dame asked for a reconsideration of the landing fee that was previously established for planes over 12,500 pounds landing at the airport. The Board also felt that it did more harm than good. (Forsyth/Thompson) Motion to rescind the landing fee for planes over 12,500 pounds landing at the Brookings Regional Airport. All present voted aye. MOTION CARRIED. The meeting was adjourned. ____________________________ ___________________________ Diane M. Spencer, Secretary Robb Sexauer, Chairperson C:\Documents and Settings\bfoster\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLKBC\air-2006-10.doc 5