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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-20-2015 Airport Commission Meeting Minutes August 20,2015 Page 1 MINUTES FINAL IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION AUGUST 20, 2015—6:00 P.M. AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING Members Present: Jose Assouline, Minnetta Gardinier, A. Jacob Odgaard, Chris Ogren Staff Present: Michael Tharp, Eric Goers Others Present: Matt Wolford, Melissa Underwood, Dan Augspurger, Jon Ockenfels, John Yeomans RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council action): None. DETERMINE QUORUM: Chairperson Gardinier called the meeting to order at 6:01 P.M. Tharp asked if the Commission would object to moving item 4(d), Farm Operations, up in the agenda. No objections were heard. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Minutes from the July 16, 2015, meeting were reviewed. Ogren moved to accept the minutes of the July 16, 2015, meeting as presented per the discussion. Assouline seconded the motion. The motion carried 4-0. PUBLIC DISCUSSION: None. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION: *d. Farm Operations—Tharp gave Members a brief rundown on the farm operations agreement, noting the timeframes they have for making changes to this. John Yeomans also spoke to these issues, noting that commodity prices have been dropping, making things somewhat difficult at this time. He responded to Member questions, stating that he sees no reason to terminate the farm lease at this time. Members agreed with this assessment. a. Unmanned Aerial Systems - i. Discussion—Tharp stated that last month the Commission was approached by Mr. Augspurger regarding unmanned aerial systems and that the Commission asked that this be added to their agenda. He then reviewed the information provided in the meeting packet regarding the three types of users, noting how the FAA views this as well. Tharp noted how Augspurger is affected ' V August 20,2015 Page 2 by the rules and regulations that the FAA has in place, adding that he is authorized at three miles and 200 feet. Augspurger added that he just recently was approved for zero to 400 feet by the FAA. He further explained what this means and then responded to Member questions. Tharp stated that Ames is the only other city in Iowa dealing with this issue currently. He briefly reviewed the meeting packet handouts and how he crafted the Iowa City Airport policy on this issue. Members then discussed the issue of drone usage in the space around the Airport and asked questions of Augspurger. Gardinier asked where the no-fly zone would be in this situation. Tharp stated that the Commission can decide this and he referred to a map to show the areas he is suggesting. Members discussed the issue, agreeing that a half-mile radius would work. Augspurger asked at what distance he would be able to go to the 400-feet, with both notification of such and a radio at hand. Tharp noted that this issue is covered under the second bullet point, and he then reviewed the recommended policies. Tharp stated that they can approve a Letter of Agreement for Augspurger so that he can move ahead, and then Tharp will have a resolution for the Commission's approval at the next meeting. ii. Consider a resolution adopting UAS policy—Gardinier moved to approve the Letter of Agreement for the UAS policy as discussed and defer acceptance of the policy. Assouline seconded the motion. The motion carried 4-0. PUBLIC DISCUSSION (cont.): A member of the public asked if the Commission would return to the 'Public Discussion' section for at least five minutes, to which they agreed. Jon Ockenfels then addressed the Commission. He stated that he has asked several times in the past for a windsock to be installed on the south side of the Airport and is always told that it cannot be done for one reason or another. He asked that the Commission seriously consider doing this, even if it is not lit up, but that he believes this to be a serious issue and one that should be addressed. Tharp stated that they did put in a temporary one but that the issue was never fully discussed again. Members agreed to add this to next month's agenda. b. Airport Master Plan—Melissa Underwood briefed Members on where the Master Plan process is at this time. The second public hearing is scheduled for the end of September. c. FAAIIDOT Projects: AECOM (David Hughes)— i. FYI5 Obstruction Mitigation—Working through the list of projects, Tharp updated Members. The FAA is working with them on these issues currently. ii. Fuel Tank Rehabilitation —Tharp stated that the exteriors are done on both tanks and the project is moving forward. iii. North T-hangar Electrical Service & LED lighting—Tharp stated that they are waiting for the contractor to complete the punchlist. He added that he needs the Commission to then defer accepting this project until the next meeting. August 20,2015 Page 3 1. Consider a resolution accepting project—Ogren moved to defer this resolution until the September meeting. Assouline seconded the motion. The motion carried 4-0. iv. FY16 IDOT Grant—Tharp stated that they have received approval for the apron expansion grant, but that the hangar door and LED upgrade projects were not approved. He then responded to Member questions regarding these projects and why the one was approved when the others were not. 1. Consider a resolution accepting grant from Iowa Department of Transportation for apron expansion — Ogren moved to accept Resolution#A15-12, IDOT grant for apron expansion. Assouline seconded the motion. The motion carried 4-0. e. T-hangar Rates and Fees - i. 2015-2016 T-hangar Rates—Tharp stated that he is not recommending an increase at this time. He reminded Members that last year they did increase the south hangars, and that the north hangars are near the market cap. Tharp stated that he is introducing a daily hangar rate and he briefly explained how this would be handled in conjunction with Jet Air. At this point Gardinier stepped aside as Chair and spoke as a member of the public. She asked how this would be accounted for, whether a hangar is used or not. Tharp noted that there is some degree of an 'honor system' and he noted how this might play out. Gardinier stated that there needs to be some mechanism of accounting for these uses, a sign-in sheet or something so that Tharp can keep track of this. Gardinier then asked how the cost of these hangars will be divided with Jet Air and Tharp further explained the process. The discussion continued, with both Tharp and Wolford responding to Member questions and concerns. Gardinier suggested one rate- $15—instead of having separate rates depending on hangar location. Members agreed to this daily rate. Tharp stated that another aspect of this issue is a need for himself, the Airport Operations Specialist, to be able to enter into T-hangar contracts on a yearly basis, in lieu of having the Chair sign off on these. ii. Consider a resolution authorizing Airport Operations Specialist to enter into T-hangar contracts—Odgaard moved to authorize Resolution#A15-13, allowing the Airport Operations Specialist to enter into T-hangar contracts. Assouline seconded the motion. The motion carried 3-0, Gardinier recused herself from the discussion and vote. f. Airport Commission attendance—Ogren stated that she would like to see attendance shown correctly in the future, which is something that is already available on the attendance sheet. The other Members agreed with this statement and discussed what constitutes "frequent, unexcused absences." After some discussion, Members agreed that missing more than three meetings, unexcused within a 12-month period, should be the threshold for letting someone August 20,2015 Page 4 go from the Commission. Legal counsel Goers noted what the procedure will be to make this change a part of the Commission's bylaws. It was also stated that Members need to let Tharp know of any absences in light of this new bylaw. Gardinier asked if anyone had any other amendments they would like to consider. A brief discussion took place, with no other changes suggested. g. Airport Operations - i. Strategic Plan-Implementation—Tharp stated that he is working on an opportunity for a private hangar. He may create a subcommittee to discuss this further and he asked for any volunteers. Gardinier stated that she would be interested, as did Odgaard. ii. Budget—Tharp stated that there are a few things coming up— replacing HVAC controls and also a need to replace the furnace in the University hangar. The City does have a contract with a local HVAC company, so Tharp will plan to use them for this repair. iii. Management- 1. Application for Event—Tharp stated that the Iowa City Area Development Group wants to hold their annual meeting at the Airport. They will be using hangar M and are requesting to have alcohol at the event. Members briefly discussed what details the Airport is handling for this and Tharp responded to Member questions. The issue of extending internet access to the hangar was discussed at some length, with Members agreeing that any cost to the Airport needs to be passed along. Ogren moved to accept the event application,with the caveat that if Internet is available, they will have to incur that cost. Assouline seconded the motion. The motion carried 4-0. h. FBO/Flight Training Reports i. Jet Air—Wolford reviewed the monthly maintenance reports with Members first. Grass and trimming have been the main issues needing attention. He noted that the old airplane parked in front of the Airport is currently being worked on and spruced up. Tharp added that they are splitting the cost of the repairs with the Legion. Members continued to discuss this aircraft and the various groups over the years who have played a role in its upkeep. They also discussed what repairs they should tackle and what areas should be skipped for now. Continuing, Wolford noted that he has hired a new person for the office, as business continues to pick up. He also touched on Jet Air's flight training business and the need to hire a couple of instructors. The jet A fuel and the progress of this project was also talked about briefly. i. Commission Members' Reports—Assouline stated that he was in Copenhagen last week. Gardinier stated that she will be flying to the Minneapolis area this weekend. Ogren stated that she will be out of town the next two weeks and unfortunately will miss Sertoma. Odgaard talked briefly about some of his flight training trips. j. Staff Report—Sertoma is the 30m and Tharp stated he will be busy with getting things ready for that. He also reminded Members of the upcoming August 20, 2015 Page 5 Kansas City FAA four-state conference on September 20 - 22. Ogren asked about the potential 'out of debt' party that they had discussed. Tharp stated that he would still like to plan this, but schedules have been so busy lately. He will look into having something and getting some media coverage for this. SET NEXT REGULAR MEETING FOR: The next regular meeting of the Airport Commission will be held on Thursday, September 17, 2015, at 6:00 P.M. in the Airport Terminal Building. ADJOURN: Assouline moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:19 P.M. Odgaard seconded the motion. The motion carried 4-0. /3/V0V Z0/.\— CHAIRPERSON DATE Airport Commission August 20,2015 Page 6 Airport Commission ATTENDANCE RECORD 2015 TERM o o 0 oA oA N GI - m m ab it + O W !‘-3. N F N NAME EXP. N m m oo m o 4 Or 01 cn N fn N w cn N to Minnetta 03/01/19 X X X X X X 0/ X X Gardinier E Jose 03/01/16 0/ X X 0/ X X XX X Assouline E E Chris 03/01/18 X X X X X X XX X Ogren A.Jacob 03/01/18 X X X X X X X 0/ X Odgaard E David 03/01/17 X0 X X 0 X 00 N Davis M Key: X = Present X/E = Present for Part of Meeting 0 = Absent 0/E =Absent/Excused NM = Not a Member at this time