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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-15-2012 Airport Commission Meeting Minutes s. Airport Commission March 15, 2012 Page 1 MINUTES FINAL IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION MARCH 15, 2012 — 6:00 P.M. AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING Members Present: Jose Assouline. Minnetta Gardinier, Howard Horan, Rick Mascari Staff Present: Sue Dulek, Michael Tharp, Jeff Davidson Others Present: Matt Wolford, Philip Wolford, David Hughes. RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council action): None CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Gardinier called the meeting to order at 6:00 P.M. ELECTION OF OFFICERS: Horan began by nominating Rick as Chair and Joe as Secretary. Gardinier asked if Mascari was interested in this position. He stated that he has mixed feelings about it. Mascari added that he also has no intention of renewing his position on the Commission when his term expires. Gardinier noted that over the past several years the Members have chosen pilot and non-pilot chairs alternating years. She stated that with this natural progression, she would suggest Joe serving as Chair and Rick as Secretary. The discussion continued, with Assouline giving his thoughts on this nomination. Horan moved to nominate Mascari as Airport Commission Chair and Assouline as Airport Commission Secretary. No second made to this motion; motion died. Mascari moved to nominate Assouline as Chair of the Airport Commission. Gardinier seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0. Horan moved to nominate Mascari as Secretary of the Airport Commission. Gardinier seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES: Chairperson Assouline took over the meeting at this point. Mascari moved to approve the minutes as submitted; seconded by Horan. Motion carried 4-0. PUBLIC DISCUSSION: None. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION: Airport Commission March 15,2012 Page 2 a. South Aviation Development—Jeff Davidson, Director of the Planning Department, was present to help the Commission in planning for possible future development in the area south of the Airport. Mascari began by explaining what the Commission had discussed so far. Davidson shared some diagrams from the Comprehensive Plan for the area and gave Members some history of land use issues in the area. He laid out what the Commission needs to consider, adding that there are three basic things that need to be done in order to develop property—and that is to put in a sewer line, a water line, and a road. This area already has these 'basics' and is therefore well suited for development, according to Davidson. Members asked questions of Davidson, specifically what other development plans are in the works for areas surrounding the Airport. He spoke about the Riverfront Crossings area and what is expected to develop there. The discussion turned to traffic counts for the south area and whether counts are high enough to attract high-traffic type uses. Mascari stated that he would like to see this development handled differently than the north area was, more specifically the financial aspect of it. Members began discussing what they would like to see done in this area, with Horan sharing his ideas of what they might see develop here. Davidson noted that if Members are interested in making this development a priority they should identify it as such, in order to get it on the Council's radar. Projects that have an economic development side to them are typically seen as positive, according to Davidson. Mascari stated that he would like to do some research first and look into what other airports around the country are doing to be self-sufficient. Assouline brought up the close proximity of the Riverfront Crossings development area and the South Aviation area. Davidson agreed, adding that the Council has identified the corner of Riverside Drive and Highway 6 as a potential redevelopment site, as well. The discussion continued with Members debating what the next step should be. Davidson suggested the Commission find a developer that could do some layout alternatives for them to consider. This could help Members move forward on this issue. Davidson then responded to Members' questions regarding development in the adjacent areas. b. Airport Commerce Park—Tharp stated that Jeff Edberg is not present this evening, nor has he heard from him recently. The only update that Tharp is aware of is on the Deery Brothers' sale. This sale should be closing by the end of the month, according to Tharp. c. Terminal Building Brick Repair—Tharp noted that the brick repair started earlier in the week, with the initial phase being a grinding out of the old joint mortar work. He added that it has created quite a bit of dust. By using the salvageable bricks from the planter, damaged bricks can be replaced, according to Tharp. Mascari publicly thanked Jet Air staff for their work during this 'dusty' phase, as they have had to do continual cleaning. Tharp then responded to Members' questions regarding this project. d. Hangar L—Tharp stated that he is recommending they defer this item until a special meeting can be held. This is in part because the lot sale has not been completed yet. Discussion went back and forth on a date, with Gardinier wanting to get this item done in a 30-day timeframe. Others did not find this to be an issue. Dulek responded to questions from Members regarding this. Mascari moved to defer the two resolutions to the meeting on April 5, 2012, at 7:30 A.M. Gardinier seconded the motion. . Airport Commission March 15, 2012 Page 3 Motion carried 4-0. e. Iowa DOT— FY2013 Aviation Grant Program —Tharp stated that applications are due May 7 this year. The Commission will then be approving this at the April meeting. Tharp reviewed projects for this program, noting that the Hangar L Phase 2 portion will definitely not be done for a while. He noted that without the local funding portion, they would be unable to complete such a project. Some projects that could be considered for the grant program include various pavement projects around the Airport, for example. Tharp noted that this year the DOT is putting caps on the grant awards. For new awards, for example, they are putting the cap at $150,000; for rehab the cap is at $75,000. Tharp stated that at next month's meeting he plans to have a list of recommended projects for the Members to review. The conversation continued, with Members suggesting various smaller projects and upgrades that might be good candidates for the Iowa DOT grant program. f. FAA/IDOT Projects — AECOM/David Hughes i. Obstruction Mitigation — Hughes stated that he really doesn't have any updates on the obstruction mitigation project at this time. ii. 7/25 Parallel Taxiway — Hughes noted that on the 7/25 parallel taxiway project that things are moving forward. By the end of May, Hughes stated they hope to go to bid on this. In regards to questions raised at a recent meeting, Hughes stated that he has further information. One question was about LED fixtures and the cost impact of those. They have been testing a unit on the field. Hughes also shared information from vendors and pointed out the LED fixtures with heaters on them. Hughes further explained how these fixtures work and how the weather conditions will play into this. He shared a spreadsheet with the Commission that showed the overall capital costs for the LED heated fixtures versus the regular fixtures. The discussion continued, with Members asking questions of Hughes regarding the use of LED lights and the estimated cost of switching over to such a fixture. Hughes then further clarified where the access road will be, showing Members the specifics on a map of the airfield. Members shared their concerns, with Hughes responding. Gardinier stated that she would like to see something more detailed, to get a better idea of what the proposed access will look like. Hughes then turned the discussion to the remainder of this project. Jet Air staff gave some input on the runway closure, as well. Members noted that they would like to keep closures at a minimum and suggested two work shifts in order to minimize downtime. g. Airport "Operations" — i. Strategic Plan — Implementation — None. ii. Budget— None. iii. Management— 1. Airport Operations Specialist Position —Tharp noted that Gardinier, as previous Chair, was to complete the evaluation for his position. Gardinier stated that she is almost done with this and plans to finish it yet today. She will forward it to Tharp then, who in turn will forward it to the rest of the Commission. h. FBO/Flight Training Reports — Jet Air/ Care Ambulance — Jet Air addressed the Members next. Matt Wolford stated they have been looking for more mechanics for their shop due to the workload. Wolford continued, noting that the meeting room has been painted, as has the office downstairs. Tharp shared the list of projects completed in the past month. He stated that he will be meeting with a painter soon on the stairway Airport Commission March 15, 2012 Page 4 project. Philip Wolford stated that they will be extending their hours soon. probably within the next 30 days or so. They are working on having one phone system for their three locations, as well. Wolford continued, stating that Jet Air recently purchased a hangar and will be deciding which of their locations will get it. They need this hangar mainly for storage. Members discussed with Jet Air where this hangar could possibly be placed. Wolford further explained what Jet Air would like to do in this situation, with Tharp noting that a subcommittee has looked into this and come up with some preliminary numbers. 1. Consider a resolution on amending FBO Agreement—Tharp noted that the resolution is to amend the agreement concerning the swapping of offices as previously discussed with the Commission. Gardinier stated that she will not vote for this as she believes it limits the Airport's flexibility, and that the Operations Specialist should have a more prominent office. Tharp then made a request for new office furniture, stating that he has been looking into this and should be able to find funds to cover this. Mascari moved to consider Resolution #12-09 amending the FBO Agreement as discussed. Horan seconded the motion. Motion carried 3-1; Gardinier voting in the negative. ii. Iowa Flight Training — None. i. Subcommittee Report— i. For February — Budget (Chair, Secretary, Tharp) — None. ii. For March — Community Liaison (Assouline, open, Tharp) — Tharp stated that the subcommittee did not meet in March. Gardinier suggested they relook at the sub-committee assignments and review this at next month's meeting. Assouline stated that he would be willing to sit in on any planning sessions the City has for development in the Riverfront Crossings area, to see how this might fit into the South Aviation development area. Assouline and Gardinier both volunteered to meet with Jeff Davidson to further explore their options for development. j. Commission Members' Reports — Horan shared where he is with his flight training. Gardinier thanked Tharp for working with her during her time as Chair. Assouline thanked Gardinier for her time and efforts as Chair. Gardinier then added that she believes they should continue to make an appearance at City Council meetings. Mascari noted that he will have a report for next month's meeting. k. Staff Reports —Tharp reminded Members that the Iowa Aviation Conference is next month in Des Moines. I. Consider a motion to adjourn to executive session to discuss the purchase of particular real estate only where premature disclosure could be reasonably expected to increase the price the governmental body would have to pay for that property. Horan moved to adjourn to closed session at 8:20 P.M. Mascari seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0. Airport Commission March 15, 2012 Page 5 The Commission returned to open session at 8:45 pm. SET NEXT REGULAR MEETING FOR: The next regular meeting will be Thursday, April 19, 2012, at 6:00 P.M. at the Airport Terminal building. ADJOURN: The meeting adjourned at 8:46 P.M. Horan made the motion to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Mascari. Motion carried 4-0. CHAIRPER 0 DATE Airport Commission March 15,2012 Page 6 Airport Commission ATTENDANCE RECORD 2012 TERM o N w oa 0 NAME EXP. 2 cri CT N) M M Ti N N N 03/01/13 X X X Rick Mascari 03/01/14 X X X Howard Horan Minnetta 03/01/15 X X X Gardinier Jose 03/02/12 O/E X X Assouline Key: X = Present )UE = Present for Part of Meeting O = Absent O/E =Absent/Excused NM = Not a Member at this time