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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-08-2008 Airport Commission Meeting Minutes MINUTES FINAL Iowa City Airport Commission May 8,2008 Iowa City Airport Terminal—5:45 PM Members Present: Greg Farris,Randy Hartwig,Howard Horan,Janelle Rettig,John Staley Staff Present: Sue Dulek,Michael Tharp Others Present: Jennifer Nolan,John Yeomans,Peggy Slaughter,Turk Reggenitter DETERMINE QUORUM: Chairperson Farris called the meeting to order at 5:47 P.M. RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: NONE APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE APRIL 10 AND APRIL 28,2008 MEETINGS: Farris asked if anyone had any corrections or changes to the minutes. Staley noted that on the April 10`s minutes,page 7, second line from the bottom says,".6 FT,"and should be".6 FTE." Hartwig moved to accept the minutes of both the April 10 and April 28,2008 meetings; seconded by Staley. Carried 5-0. PUBLIC DISCUSSION: The Commission received a quick update on the farming from Turk Reggenitter. He stated that they have been cleaning up along the fence line, and he shared some photos with the Members. He further explained the layout of the test plots, and noted that there will be a press release as they get into the summer months. Horan stated that he agrees they need to clean up along the fence line,but questioned where the funds would come from to cover this. The discussion continued,with Members questioning who would be responsible for maintaining the areas in question. Tharp will check into this. A brief discussion ensued regarding the fencing of the Airport in the area along Willow Creek, and having the Airport be secure. Rettig then spoke to the Members about her desire to spruce up the Airport's landscaping, and stated that they have some money in the budget for this,and she believes they need to "bite the bullet"on this and go ahead and do it. She continued,discussing the upkeep of this and using the temporary employees to help with this. Rettig then addressed the Willow Creek situation, stating that she was at the Dane's recently discussing this. She also noted that the brush in this area needs to be removed,in addition to the other areas 1 that are noted as becoming overgrown. In regards to the gate issues,Rettig noted that she found a gate open recently, and she believes they need to make sure that all of the gates are secured and not left unattended, as this one was. Reggenitter stated that he and others were working in the area removing brush, and as soon as he saw her vehicle,he drove to her. He stated that he believes the gate was attended as they were close by, and he added that this would not happen again. He pointed out land close to the Airport that has no gate, stating that if someone wanted to come in bad enough they would be able to. Rettig noted that they have a multi-year plan to work on the Airport's fencing,and she reiterated that the gate must be kept locked if not being attended to. Reggenitter shared that the seeding will be done tomorrow with long grass. Merschman Seeds has spent over$40,000 so far,he added,putting in the driveway and gate. Also in the$40,000 is the$500 that was donated for the Barn Storer event. He added that as soon as plots are put in,they would have their press release. Currently,the first event is planned for July 15,with a second event set for August 5, according to Reggenitter. He added that they would be utilizing Jet Air for a lot of the flights expected with these events, noting that they could have as many as 100 flights. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION: a. Aviation Commerce Park—Peggy Slaughter spoke to the Members,stating that they closed on the lots recently. She shared with Members the strategy they have in mind to follow up with interested parties. Slaughter noted that one interested party has found a builder and that something might happen here soon. Slaughter gave the Members a quick rundown of some other possibilities for the Aviation Commerce Park. b. FAA/IDOT Projects—Earth Tech—Farris noted that David Hughes is out ill this evening. Tharp noted that he gave Members an update on the projects: i. Runway 7/25 1. Update—Currently,the electricians are working on this phase, getting the lighting bases for the runway lights installed. Tharp noted that the turnaround point at the other end should be ready for concrete this week. Hartwig suggested that they put up a memo on the bulletin board downstairs that gives an explanation of the runway project, where they are in the process,etc. Horan asked about the number of contract days they lost in the winter, and the discussion continued, with Members stating their concerns on where they are exactly. Several Members have heard from the public on this. Tharp will prepare something in this regard. Rettig asked about the State grant that was recently applied for, and Tharp responded that this grant is for an 80 X 80 2 building. He added that they usually hear in June or July on this. 2. Public Hearing—Plans and Specs for 7/25 Reconstruct— Farris opened the public hearing. No one appeared,and the public hearing was closed. 3. Consider a Resolution Approving Plans, Specifications, Form of Contract, and Estimate on Cost for the Construction of Runway 7-25 Runway Reconstruction—Horan moved to consider Resolution A08-15,Approving Plans, Specifications,Form of Contract, and Estimate on Cost for the Construction of Runway 7-25 Reconstruction; seconded by Staley. The discussion turned to what this project is exactly. Farris explained that this was to be an overlay project He added that when Earth Tech looked closer at this,they found that the pavement was under a lot more stress than originally believed,and that due to worries about the amount of concrete that was breaking up, it was then felt that the overlay would not be adequate for this project. Farris further explained where they are with this issue, stating that he looked at this personally,and that the concrete has really cracked. Structurally,he believes that doing an overlay of the runway would not be appropriate at this time—that a reconstruction is needed. Rettig asked for further clarification on this project. It was stated that Phase One would be the east end of 7-25 to the safety line 12-30 for$1.6 million. Phase Two would be the intersection and the rest of 7-25, from 12-30 up to the intersection. Year three,or Phase Three,would complete this project. The Members continued to express their concerns about this, stating that they are disappointed that they will have to close this runway so soon after working so hard to get the extension completed. Members continued to discuss this issue,with Rettig asking if they can't do this next year,with a 90-day shut down that would enable them to do the entire project It was noted that it would depend on what type of funding is available next year. In order to speed up this process,it was asked if they could offer a"bonus"to the contractor for an expedited project. This led to further discussion about how long the runway would have to be shut down, and how the Airport will handle this. Time frames were discussed next,with Tharp noting that they need to have bids in by a certain time in order to use the 3 FAA funds. Dulek responded to questions on how they could speed up the runway reconstruction project. Rettig suggested they change the award date,and Dulek responded to these questions, as well. Tharp further explained how the FAA grants work and why the time frames are set up as they are. Discussion continued among the Members over when the runway will need to be closed and for how long. Horan stated that he believes this has not been well presented by the engineer. Dulek then explained which dates the Members can change in the contract process. Members discussed how they could shave a couple days off of the timing, in order to attempt to get this reconstruction moving faster. Horan again stated that he is not sure about voting on this as he feels the engineer has left them with some big decisions to make and very little information to go on. Horan added that he would like to hear from one of the engineers on this. Rettig moved to amend Resolution A08-15 by setting the award date as June 9,2008 and to amend the specifications by changing Section 30-06,Execution of Contract,to provide for"10 days" instead of"15 days;" seconded by Hartwig. Carried 5-0. Farris added that he will attempt to get some information from David Hughes prior to the next meeting, and he will email this to Members. ii. South Aviation Development Study—Tharp noted that Earth Tech is looking at June 20th as the final date on this. They will plan to present to the Commission shortly after this. iii. South Taxilane Rehab—Tharp stated that Hughes said they are working with the contractor for improved drainage options. iv. North Taxilane Rehab—Earth Tech was out recently for field surveys, and the plan is to have bidding open in June. v. Jet A Fuel System/AvGas Upgrade—Tharp noted that the flow rate is up,but that they are working with the distributor on some options on improving this. Rettig asked for some clarification from Tharp on this project,to which he responded. Farris added that it is his understanding that there is some discussion back and forth on this project. Rettig added that she believes this to be problematic and she believes they need to get it done. She asked that they escalate this. vi. Terminal Apron Rehab—Tharp noted that outside of the contractor needing to do some re-striping, and some seeding,this is completed. Previously the painting was done on cold concrete and did not work well. vii. Obstruction Mitigation—Tharp stated that he believes Mid Am and Mediacom are gearing up for moving their lines and poles in June. 4 viii. Building H—University of Iowa Hangar Expansion—Tharp stated that they have preliminary plans and that Hughes planned to meet with Tom on this,but this did not happen. Hughes has asked the Commission to defer this until the next meeting. Rettig stated that she has some questions on this. She noted that she was over at this building recently and they are in dire need of space. Conversation continued on the delays in this project, and the need to move forward more quickly. Members discussed having a special meeting on May 22,2008 at 7:30 A.M.to set a public hearing. 1. Consider a Resolution Setting a Public Hearing on the Plans, Specifications, Form of Contract, and Estimate on Cost for the Construction of Building H Expansion, and Directing City Clerk to Publish Notices of Said Hearing,and Directing the Chairperson to Place Said Plans on File for Public Inspection—Horan moved to defer this until the May 22, 2008 meeting; seconded by Rettig. Carried 5-0. c. Airport Operations; Strategic Plan-Implementation; Budget; and Airport Management—Rettig began the discussion,questioning the unemployment taxes paid on temporary employees. She asked that they look into this amount of$1,200 a month. Rettig also questioned"Repairs,"stating they are about $32,000 over budget right now. She continued, stating that she questions how they are going to get contracted improvements done by July 1. Rettig stated that she also has been reviewing the overtime hours needed for the winter, and now that they have started mowing,there could be a problem in these hours. Tharp added that he has a meeting on Monday with the fencing contractor,to see what all they can do this year,and that the City may be able to help them get some asphalt for their patching work. Rettig brought up her landscaping idea again, asking when the maintenance worker is retiring. Tharp stated within the next six months to a year was his belief. Rettig continued, speaking to the upkeep of the frontage area, flowerbeds,and shrubbery at the Airport. d. Hertz—Tharp stated that he and Rettig met with the Hertz representatives, and he is still awaiting word from them. They said it would be about three weeks before they got back with him. Members discussed the operation at the Airport and what the terms of the new agreement are. e. City Manager—Tharp stated that the City has hired a new City Manager, and he will begin on May 19th. He added that the Manager will receive a packet from the Airport,as well as the other City departments and divisions,and he asked for suggestions from Members on what their packet should have. Rettig suggested a tour of the community by air. Horan stated that at a later date, he would like to invite the City Manager to a meeting. Staley suggested having the newsletters and the strategic plan in the packet. Others suggested the annual plan and budget. Dulek added that there is a public reception on June 5 5th for the new City Manager, Michael Lombardo,but she was unsure of the time. f. FBO Staff Report—Jennifer Nolan spoke for Jet Air. She stated that hours have changed and they are now open 7:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. for the summer. She added that they are going to be cleaning carpets soon, and also, she noted that there is no fire extinguisher on the Jet A pump,but that there is one on the low ledge. She asked that Tharp look into this. Nolan added that they have about ten full-time students right now, and another five to ten that are off and on. They are hoping for an increase in business with the summer weather. g. Subcommittees' Reports—Farris stated that they have met further on the viewing area. They are working on having some brochures available to show the proposed layout, etc., of this area. In June, they hope to have a kickoff to the fundraising for this project. He added that the shelter will get put together soon,but they need to ask for some volunteers for this. Rettig suggested they add a landscaping cleanup, as well. h. Commission Members' Reports—Hartwig noted that he attended the talk at the Public Library on the Airport history. Rettig added a follow up to this, stating that Jan did not want to be filmed, and therefore the program did not go out on TV. She stated that it is more of a slide program and that this is going to be proposed instead. Rettig also noted that next week is"Bike to Work"week. She especially noted the Mayor's Ride on Wednesday at 5:15 P.M. at the Chauncey Swan Park. Farris stated that he spoke at the last City Council meeting, and that he will try to do this at least once per month. i. Staff Reports—Tharp stated that two weeks ago they spoke with Wendy Ford and gave her a tour of Jet Air and their operations. Tharp noted that he attended the State Aviation Conference and that it went well. He came back with some security camera ideas. He also met the new State engineer for Iowa. SET NEXT REGULAR MEETING FOR: May 22,2008 for a Special meeting; and June 9, 2008,at 5:45 P.M. for a Regular meeting. ADJOURN: Meeting adjourned at 8:28 P.M. :...4 CN DA E 6 S Airport Commission ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2008 (Meeting Date) TERM 1/10 2/14 3/6 3/13 4/10 4/28 5/8 5/22 6/9 NAME EXP. Randy Hartwig 3/1/09 X X X X X X X Greg Farris 3/1/13 X X X X X X X John Staley 3/1/10 X X X X X X X Howard Horan 3/1/14 X X — X X X X Janelle Rettig 3/1/12 X X X X X X X KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E= Absent/Excused NM= No meeting — = Not a Member 7