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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-13-2008 Airport Commission Meeting Minutes MINUTES FINAL Iowa City Airport Commission November 13,2008 Iowa City Airport Terminal—5:45 PM Members Present: Greg Farris, Howard Horan,Randy Hartwig, Janelle Rettig,John Staley(arrived late) Staff Present: Sue Dulek,Michael Tharp Others Present: David Hughes,Dave Larson, Jay Honeck,Peggy Slaughter,John Dane,Toby Myers,Randy Miller, Carl Richey, Phillip Woolford RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: Consider an increase Airport Operations Specialist position from .6FTE to .75FTE DETERMINE QUORUM: The meeting was called to order at 5:48 P.M. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE OCTOBER 9 AND OCTOBER 30,2008 MEETINGS: Farris asked if there were any comments regarding the minutes. Hartwig moved to accept the October 9 and October 30,2008 minutes as presented; seconded by Farris. Carried 3-0. (Rettig abstaining; Staley absent) PUBLIC DISCUSSION: John Dane spoke to the Commission. He talked about the improvements, such as the runway extension and the Willow Creek changes. He added that this area has grown into brush, and he suggested that something be done with this area before it gets out of hand. (Staley arrives) ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION: a. Aviation Commerce Park—Peggy Slaughter addressed the Commission. She stated that the person interested in the ground purchase does have an appraisal done now, and has started negotiations with this. She added that it looks like 7 acres,instead of 5,is being negotiated. Slaughter stated that this party hopes to complete a deal within a year's time. She added that in December the Commission would need to talk about the renewal of the broker's agreement as it expires the 31St Iowa City Airport Commission November 13,2008 Page 2 of 7 b. Dane/Larson Land Sale Request—Tharp stated that everyone should have a copy of the email on this issue—stating that the FAA will not release this land for sale as the land is within the building restriction line,which currently runs about halfway through this property. Tharp added that the new FAA rules cover this. He stated that a lease deal could probably be worked out,pending restrictions of building heights, etc. The ultimate control and authority would thus remain with the Airport. The Members began a discussion regarding this issue. Horan stated that he is open to a lease with Mr. Dane on this. Dane gave some background on this piece of property to those present. He stated that he would be willing to work out a lease,as well. Members discussed the possible term length,with Tharp laying out several options. Tharp will come up with a possible lease, get the FAA's comments,and will then bring it back to the Members for review. c. University of Iowa Aircare Facility—(Staley recused himself due to a conflict) Slaughter stated that they are attempting to get a meeting set up with the University for this. Horan stated that they had a good meeting. Staley, speaking on behalf of the University, added that the U of I pilots have checked out this area. He stated that the area they are interested in was not flooded, but to the west of it there was flooding. He added that they would probably want to elevate the land there. Rettig asked what the Airport would have to do on its side if this project goes through, such as access gates. Tharp stated that they would potentially want to rebuild the taxiway in this area,but other than that,there is not much the Airport would need to do. d. Airport Safety—Traffic Pattern Operations—Tharp stated that they have received about 16 comments. He added that there are 7 in support,3 in the negative,and 6 are neutral. Tharp responded to Members' questions regarding this issue. He talked about putting a segmented circle around the current wooden airplane system,which would make the segmented circle semi-centralized so that anyone flying overhead could see it. There would also be a supplemental windsock at the end of 30. Rettig noted that they should then expand the apron in this area. Hartwig noted that everyone is stressing a concerted education of this should they make changes. e. FAA/IDOT Projects—AECOM—David Hughes i. Runway 7/25—Hughes noted that they still have some minor punchlist items to complete, such as possibly adding reflectors. They are working with the contractor in completing closeout documentation for the project. He talked about some of the FAA changes that are coming, adding that he will share these as they come about. ii. South Aviation Development Study—Hughes noted that they are moving forward on finalizing the document on this. They hope to L ' Iowa City Airport Commission October 30,2008 Page 3 of 7 have this sent off to the FAA in December as their final document. Dulek asked when they might expect this back,and Hughes stated with the holidays it might be the end of January. iii. South Taxilane Rehab—Drains are in place, and Hughes added that everyone is happy with this. He added that they need to have the acceptance form done now. 1. Consider a Resolution Accepting South Taxilane Rehab as Complete—Rettig moved to consider Resolution A08- 32,accepting the South Taxilane Rehab as complete; seconded by Horan. Carried 5-0. iv. 2008 Pavement Rehab(North Taxilanes)—Hughes stated that this was finished up at the end of last week. He added that they ran into a few problems right at the end,but were only delayed a day or so. They should have this project ready for acceptance at the December meeting. v. Jet A Fuel System/AvGas Upgrade—Hughes stated that they took the initiative to complete this, and that it is also ready for the Commission's acceptance. 1. Consider a Resolution Accepting Jet A Fuel System/ AvGas Upgrade as Complete—Horan moved to consider Resolution A08-33,accepting the Jet A Fuel System/ AvGas upgrade as complete; seconded by Staley. Carried 5-0. vi. Obstruction Mitigation—Hughes stated that the United hangar is done. He stated that it looks nice out there now with the trees removed. MidAmerican has removed their poles now, so everything is moving along. Horan asked some general questions about the runway lights, and Hughes responded. vii. Building H—University of Iowa Hangar Expansion—Carl Richey stated that they are running into some storage problems since they've had to remove things they had stored at the University. He added that anything that can be done to expedite this expansion would be greatly appreciated. Farris added that they had said they would re-bid this the first of the year and go from there. He said that once they do this,they could then move forward with a spring start date. Members briefly discussed what the original bid was and how they decided to handle this. Richey stated that they received a temporary building,to replace the PODS,and that he has talked with Tharp regarding what they would need to do to get FAA approval for this temporary building. Dulek noted several items that the Commission might want to consider in granting a lease for this temporary building. Tharp stated that he would have something prepared for next month's meeting. C , Iowa City Airport Commission October 30,2008 Page 4 of 7 viii. Corporate Hangar L—Farris noted that the issue here is the grant money is for FY2010, and the local match of$500,000 is for FY2011. He stated that he met with the Finance and City Manager's offices last week to see if there is a possibility of moving the money from 2011 to 2010,so the Airport could proceed with the project. He added that this was seen as not being a possibility. Farris stated that he also met with Tharp and Hughes to discuss possibilities of using the grant money on other projects. He stated that they are considering returning the grant for the FY10 building cycle, and then reapplying for the FY11 grant. Members discussed what their choices are and how they might approach this. Rettig noted that perhaps they should look at building a smaller building or doing something different. Farris noted that the reason they received the grant was the local match,which won't be available until 2011. Rettig then asked about the possibility of Landfill funds being used for a"bridge"loan. Members continued to discuss what they might be able to do with the grant money,versus returning it and reapplying later. Rettig again suggested that they look at building something smaller, such as Horan's equipment building idea. Staley agreed that he would also like to find a way to use the grant money. The discussion continued,with Members stating their desire to find a way to use this grant money. Tharp suggested that if they don't have a concept by mid-year,they should probably return the grant. The discussion turned to needing to know exactly what they can get for a match, dollar-wise,so that they can decide what they want to plan for. ix. FY2010 Federal Airport Improvement Program Application— Hughes stated that the AIP has to be submitted by December 12th to the State,and then it goes to the FAA. Farris asked if there were any big changes, and Hughes stated there were not. Horan asked about timeframes,and Hughes stated that they have to be ready for bids the end of March,which would mean construction could end approximately the first of August. During the time that the intersection work is done,Hughes stated that the airfield would most likely be closed. Rettig asked how long this might last. Hughes stated that they would have several alternatives,but that two weeks could be a very real possibility for the intersection to be closed. Members briefly discussed how they would handle a closure such as this. Horan talked about having an expedited construction schedule on this project. f. Airport"Operations"; Strategic Plan-Implementation; Budget; Management— Farris noted that he added the one item to the agenda on increasing the Iowa City Airport Commission October 30,2008 Page 5 of 7 Operations Specialist's hours from .6 to .75 FTE. He stated that he brought this up to see if the Members would be open to changing this now, as Jerry will be retiring at the end of the month,and more tasks will fall on Tharp. Horan asked if Jerry's position is going to be filled. Farris noted that that is something they need to discuss. It was noted that the position would start at Step 1, and that Jerry is at Step 6 as he retires. The discussion continued with Members reviewing the current set up and what they might want to go to in the future. The discussion then turned to how they plan to handle this season's snowplowing,and the use of temporary employees. It was suggested that they check into the Streets department helping with this. Rettig noted that she agrees that the Operations Specialist should go to .75. She asked how long they have known of Jerry's leaving, and questioned why they hadn't planned for his departure better. Farris stated that they can do that, and it was suggested they get a job description written up on what Jerry does. Hartwig suggested they check with the FBO and get their input, as well. Farris noted that they need to look at all of the maintenance tasks that Jerry performs. i. Change the Operations Specialist position from .6 FTE to .75 FTE —Rettig moved to recommend changing the Operations Specialist position from .6 FTE to .75 FTE, making the position exempt, effective first pay period after Council approval; seconded by Horan. Carried 5-0. The discussion then turned back to what the Members want to do about Jerry's position. Rettig added that she believes they need to look at immediate needs, such as snow removal, and then decide what they want to do. Farris agreed, stating that they need to check several possible avenues, such as what kind of help JetAir can offer. There will be an agenda item on this issue for the next meeting. The discussion then turned to the budget. Rettig asked about the carry-over from last fiscal year for contracted improvements. Tharp stated that he would check with Accounting on this. g. Engineering Consultant Selection—Tharp stated that they had six submittals. The subcommittee met and selected their top three picks—AECOM, McClure Engineering, and Foth. Tharp continued, stating that now they need to have the three consultants do final presentations before the Commission and have the Commission select the finalist. Rettig noted that she was contacted by one of the applicants, and that she forwarded the email to Dulek. She added that she turned down the opportunity to meet with them. Staley noted that he was also contacted. He stated that he believes that if he met with one he would have to meet with all of the applicants, so he declined. Presentations will take place at the November 20 meeting. Iowa City Airport Commission October 30,2008 Page 6 of 7 h. FBO Staff Report—Phillip Woolford stated that they have seen an increase in heavier airplanes now that the runway is open. This has led to an increase in fuel sales. It was noted that a 19-passenger jet is expected tomorrow. Toby Myers was introduced to the Commission. He is in charge of the air medical operations. i. Subcommittees' Reports—Farris noted that the concrete has been laid in the viewing area. Hartwig stated that he has people working on estimates for the viewing structure. Farris also noted that the Friends of Iowa City Airport has some funds to donate. j. Commission Members' Reports—Horan stated that he took a plane ride earlier this week, and he noted that a fire truck with an extension ladder was out doing practices and that maybe they should have had a flag on the ladder. He also noted that he attended the ITC open house today. Rettig noted that she is glad the elections are over. Hartwig stated that at the ribbon cutting he felt they slighted a couple of people—Hughes' company and also Jet Air, for their patience in all the changes. Staley complimented Horan for the displays that he put up the day of the ribbon cutting. k. Staff Report—Tharp noted the addition of bright blue reflectors on the new runway, stating that he would like to replace the old ones around the Airport. He stated that they might be able to tie this in with the other grant. This will be about a$2,000 project, according to Tharp. Rettig brought up the signs that need to be replaced on the runway, adding that they could tie this in with the reflector project. SET NEXT REGULAR MEETING FOR: December 11,2008 at 5:45 P.M. Reminder that there is a special meeting on November 20, 2008. ADJOURN: Rettig moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:06 P.M.,seconded by Koran. Carried 5-0. C ERSON AT Iowa City Airport Commission November 13,2008 Page 7 of 7 Airport Commission ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2008 (Meeting Dates) TERM 1/10 2/14 3/6 3/13 4/10 4/28 5/8 5/22 6/9 6/13 7/10 7/24 NAME EXP. Randy Hartwig 3/1/09 X X X X X X X X O/E X X Meeting cancelled Greg Farris 3/1/13 X X X X X X X X X X X Meeting cancelled John Staley 3/1/10 X X X X X X X O/E O/E X X Meeting cancelled Howard Horan 3/1/14 X X — X X X X X X X X Meeting cancelled Janelle Rettig 3/1/12 X X X X X X X O/E X X X Meeting cancelled (CONT.) TER1YL. 8/14 9/11 10/1 10/9 10/30 11/13 11/20 12/11 EXP. Randy Hartwig 3/1/09 X X X X X X Greg Farris 3/1/13 O/E X X X X X John Staley 3/1/10 X X X X X X Howard Horan 3/1/14 X X X X O/E X Janelle Rettig 3/1/12 X X X O/E X X KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E= Absent/Excused NM= No meeting = Not a Member