HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-13-2004 Airport Commission Meeting Minutes 07-06-04
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MINUTES FINAL
IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION
THURSDAY,May 13,2004—5:45 P.M.
IOWA CITY AIRPORT TERMINAL
CALL TO ORDER:
Chairperson Hartwig called the meeting to order at 5:45 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT:Randy Hartwig,John Krstenansky,John Staley,Daniel Clay,
Carl Williams
MEMBERS ABSENT:None
STAFF PRESENT: Sue Dulek,Ron O'Neil
OTHERS PRESENT: Joe Tmka,Dick Blum-H.R.Green,Harry Wolf-Iowa Realty,Dave
Larson-land developer,Ron Duffe-Jet Air,Kim Brogan-Coleman
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL:None
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
The minutes of the April 8 and April 22,2004,Commission meetings were approved as
submitted.
REVIEW OF EXPENDITURES:
O'Neil reviewed the check requests for May with the Commission. O'Neil said the updated
• appraisal was paid for through contingency funding,with approval from the City Manager.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION—ITEMS NOT ON AGENDA:
No items were presented.
UNFINISHED ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION:
Kim Brogan addressed the Commission concerning a proposal to rent the United hangar. Brogan
passed out a copy of a proposal. She said she is still negotiating with Jet Air on subleasing part of
the hangar from them. Clay suggested tabling the issue until later in the meeting.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION:
a. Environmental Assessment project—Joe Tmka addressed the Commission concerning the
EA. He gave the Commission copies of the document that is out for public review. He said
he has had no request for additional information. He said there are two main elements. One
is the runway extension project and the other is the disposition of the Untied hangar.
Tmka said the hangar is probably the biggest issue. There is no money to restore it and
moving it would still have an adverse affect. He said the proposal is to demolish the hangar.
In the runway project, it is proposed to put Willow Creek in a culvert through the runway
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safety area. This will require approval from the Corps of Engineers.He said that takes some
time. He said there are not wetlands on the Airport that he is aware of.
Other than those two issues,Tmka said there are no major items that will need to be
addressed. Williams asked about moving the United hangar. Tmka said there is no money
to rehab it and a letter was sent to the Council,explaining the Commission would demolish
the hangar unless someone was interested in saving it and had the money to rehab it.
Hartwig said there would be some cost in a historical recordation of the building. Tmka said
there was a lot of history at the Airport from before the building was built in the late1920s.
Williams asked what the structure of the building was? Tmka said it was primarily a steel
structure, with steel siding. The office area exterior is brick. The office area has been
altered significantly.
O'Neil said a public meeting has been scheduled for May 20, 2004 at 6:00 p.m.The meeting
will be held at the Airport,in the second floor meeting room and the public has been invited
to comment on the draft Environmental Assessment. It was advertised in the newspaper and
posted as a media release on the City's' web site. Copies are at the City Clerk's office,the
Iowa City Library and the Airport Manager's office. O'Neil said he has not received any
comments.
O'Neil said that after the public meeting is conducted,he would discuss the runway project
with the FAA.
Staley asked if the building documentation booklet would be for sale? Tmka said they did a
similar project in Clinton and the Historical Society sold the books. Not enough money was
received to cover the printing.
b. Airport Zoning—O'Neil said that because everyone on the Commission was relatively new,
he thought it would be beneficial for the Commission to have an overview of airport zoning.
He said Dick Blum, from H.R. Green,has developed a power point presentation that
simplifies the concept of airport zoning. Blum has made this presentation to State and FAA
aviation groups.
Blum said there is a requirement in FAA grant assurances that says the local jurisdiction will
protect the area around the airport. He said this is especially important in Iowa City because
of the proximity of the Airport to the City and all the development that is occurring around
the Airport.
Blum said that Part 77 of the Code of Federal Regulations is the guideline for establishing a
series of imaginary surfaces for the Airport Zoning. Blum explained the different safety
zones and their relationship to the runway. He said the elevations of the zones are based on
the future elevation of the Airport. In Iowa City,the zoning is based on an elevation of 684'.
That will be the highest point on Runway 07 after it is extended.
The Airport Layout Plan has reserved a large enough area around Runway 07/25 to have the
option of a precision approach. There are several obstructions that need to be removed
before Iowa City could receive a precision approach.
Blum said there is a process required by Federal law that requires construction near the
Airport to file for an airspace study to assure there will not be any adverse affects to the
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Airport from the construction. This is a federal requirement for any construction that will
penetrate a 100 to 1 slope within approximately 4 miles from the Airport. It also requires
notification outside that area if the structure is higher than 200'. The construction impacted
the most in this area is for cell phone towers.
In Iowa City, a copy of the airspace notice is required to be given to the Building
Department before a building permit is issued. This helps the Building Department know
that Airport Zoning issues have been addressed. Blum said the City Council has adopted the
Airport Zoning ordinance and he was hopeful the Johnson County Supervisors would adopt
it soon.
c. Aviation Commerce Park(ACP)— Harry Wolf introduced himself as the listing agent
from Iowa Realty that would be working on the Aviation Commerce Park commercial
property. He said he is trying to develop a new approach to selling the property and a
marketing plan. He said he has over twenty years experience in the commercial real estate
business. He has met with Tracy Overton and will use him as a resource if necessary.
He said he knows the listing time is relatively short. He does have three packets of
information out to interested parties. He said one is a builder and the other two are other
realtors. He said by the next meeting,if not before,he hoped to have a more detailed
marketing plan for the Commission.
O'Neil asked if there was much movement in commercial property? Wolf said there are
several signs that show there is action in this area of town. He said one of the issues he
would like to address is how important is it to market the property for aviation uses? O'Neil
said there could be airport access to the south lots. Hartwig said that Wolf should not limit
uses to aviation related businesses.
Clay said this is only a 90-day listing. Wolf said with the local ties he has,he hopes to show
the Commission that they are the best company to market the property.
Unfinished items—United hangar—Kim Brogan said she had reached an agreement with
Jet Air to sublease a part of the United hangar. Jet Air has proposed to rent the hangar, "as
is"for$ 500 per month,for approximately two years. Duffe said he would divide the hangar
in half,with Brogan subleasing the east half. Hartwig said that at the end of one year,the
lease would be reviewed to see where Brogan is as far as the success of her flight school.
Brogan said she thought the hangar space is critical to making her school work. O'Neil said
there is a lot of junk that will have to be hauled to the landfill. Clay asked if there was any
foreseeable downside to renting the hangar? O'Neil said that because any improvements are
the responsibility of the tenants,the Commission will not spend any money and will receive
some income, even if it may only be for two years or less.
O'Neil said he would work with Duffe and get an agreement together as soon as possible.
Brogan said she needs the agreement before next month's Commission meeting. O'Neil
suggested meeting next Thursday before the public meeting for the Environmental
Assessment. If he has an agreement with Jet Air before that,he will schedule a noon
meeting as soon as possible.
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d. Obstruction mitigation project- O'Neil said the bidding manuals are almost completed.
This will be for the obstruction lighting for two t-hangars and St.Mary's church. Another
contract will be let for tree removal this fall.
e. Runway 07 project—O'Neil said the Earth Tech contract is still pending,waiting the
outcome of the public comment meeting for the Environmental Assessment on May 20. This
will be an agenda item until the contract is completed.
Dave Larson presented information on a project he is developing west of the Airport. He is
interested in getting an easement across Airport property for a pipe from a water detention
pond. Dulek reminded the Commission that they could only recommend to the Council to
approve an easement. The Council would have to approve a permanent easement.
Staley asked if there was any possibility the detention would overflow and flood onto the
runway? Larson said that would be possible. Staley asked if the detention pond would
increase the flow in Willow Creek? Larson said a heavy rain may flood the area,but that
would not be increased by having the detention area.
Williams asked Larson why he would like to change the location of the detention area from
where it is now? Larson said the Dane property is in the flood plain and is not developable
commercial property.
Staley asked if there would be any excavation to build the detention pond? Larson said they
would not need to go any deeper than the current elevation. A dike would be built between
the creek and the Dane property. Larson said that he has excess fill material and that is
another subject he would like to discuss with the Commission
Larson showed the Commission a drawing of the area he is developing. A proposed street
would go through Airport property. He asked if the Commission would be interested in
selling or leasing the property adjacent to the Dane property for street right of way and
possible development? He said there are people interested in the area. He said he has too
much dirt and he thought the Commission needed fill for the runway project. He would like
to work with Earth Tech when they design the runway extension to see if both parties could
benefit.
Clay asked if there was any reason to think the change in the water flow would negatively
impact the runway extension project? The Commission asked Blum, from H.R. Green,if he
knew of any potential problems? Blum said he could help the Commission identify some
questions for Larson to answer. Blum said building a dike could change the size of the flood
plain. He said that is one question to be answered.
Another issue is what impact would the detention area have on the flowage? The third
question is what effect,if any,would this have on the environment? Would it alter or effect
the environmental impact study?
Larson said he thinks this holding area would improve the water flow in the area. He said he
spoke with the DNR and the Corps of Engineers and they did not think there would be any
adverse impact. He said the DNR would like to reroute the creek through the detention area
to add to the natural habitat in the area.
Williams asked how big the detention area would be? Larson said it was one to two acres
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and could be expanded to four acres. O'Neil said there is no construction planned for that
area in the Airport Master Plan. Hartwig said that in principal, it sounds like a good idea,but
there are questions that need to be answered. Blum said that if the Commission agrees to the
easement for the detention pond,there should be some mechanism to make sure that area
does not become an attraction for waterfowl.
Williams asked what would happen if this issue is passed on to the City Council to approve a
permanent easement? Dulek said it would be up to the Council to decide if they wanted to
give a permanent easement. O'Neil said that if the Commission makes a recommendation to
approve the easement, it is very likely that the Council will assume there are no Airport
issues and will not research what effect this would have on the Airport.
Larson said the three issues he had were the easement for the detention area,the extra fill and
if the Commission wanted to lease some of the Airport property next to his development
area. Staley said that the questions asked earlier need to be answered.
Clay asked when Larson would like an answer to his questions? Larson said he would like to
discuss them at the next Commission meeting. O'Neil said the Commission would need
substantial fill for the runway project. The Commission does not have funding to haul the
dirt and the FAA will not reimburse the Airport for construction projects. O'Neil said the
Commission should not pay for the engineering services needed by Larson to answer the
questions raised by Blum. Larson said he would try to have answers for the Commission at
the June meeting. Krstenansky said he does not want to see the Commission do anything
that would adversely affect the runway extension project.
e. Strategic planning—O'Neil said he and Staley and Krstenansky met with Jeff Davidson to .
discuss the Strategic Plan. O'Neil said there is a letter in the Commission packet from
Davidson,outlining what he thought the issues are. Krstenansky said he thought the initial
groups that meet should have specific topics to discuss. There should be basic information
given to the groups that set the perimeters for the discussion. The Commission may want to
generate the basic information to assist in the data collection.
Staley said the next step is to put this basic information together. He asked O'Neil if there
was a mission statement for the Airport? O'Neil said there was not. Staley said that means
they will start from scratch. Clay asked O'Neil if he could find some examples of plans
from other airports. O'Neil will contact the Office of Aviation. Staley asked if the
Commission had any specific ideas they would like to incorporate? Krstenansky said he
would like to see the Commission gather the information during the summer months and
have a draft report ready in the Fall.
O'Neil suggested the Commission assemble a time line for completing the first draft. He
said that would be helpful for the Commission and would be useful to the Council. Hartwig
asked the Commission when they thought they could be ready with a first draft? Clay said
there might be some way to gather information at the fly-in in August. It would be useful to
have a booth or table to gather information. Clay said they might want to have the mission
statement ready and circulate a questionnaire.
O'Neil said the Commission might want to use the annual fly-in to gather information.
There was a question about what should be expected from the facilitator? O'Neil said the
facilitator should be the person that is a neutral referee at the meetings and helps direct the
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groups and steers them in the right direction to gather information. The facilitator will be the
most useful during the initial stages when the Commission is trying to gather information. It
is important the facilitator gets information from the group and does not direct them to a
particular conclusion. Krstenansky said the facilitator can set the ground rules.
Staley said the subcommittee should schedule another meeting with Davidson and set a
schedule. Davidson can bring the skills of a transportation planner to the project. He can see
how the plans for the Airport would complement the other modes of transportation in the
area.
O'Neil said the theme of marketing the Airport has been brought up whenever there is
discussion about the strategic plan. He said the Commission can began work on a marketing
plan whenever they are ready and at some point,incorporate it into the strategic plan.
O'Neil said the marketing plan could be a standing item on the agenda. It could then be
discussed at any Commission meeting.
CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT:
Hartwig said that he would like to publicly thank Tom Schnell for the simulator demonstration.
He said that even though he has seen some of the presentation before,it is very interesting to see
it all put together.
Hartwig said he would also like to thank the corporate jet pilot that did some landscaping at the
Airport while he was waiting for his passengers.
Hart-wig said he would like to get a marketing plan started as soon as possible.
COMMISSION MEMBERS' REPORTS:
Staley said the summary report to the Mayor was informative. He said it was something like a
newsletter and it may be helpful if information like that was circulated to the tenants of the
Airport. O'Neil said that when something goes to the Council,it is included in their information
packet and is available to the public. If an e-mail list of the tenants could be compiled,a
summary of Airport issues could be sent to the tenants.
Staley said that it was important to inform the Council where the$10,000 budget cut would come
from. In this case,between the agreement with Kim Brogan for the flight school and the leasing
of the United hangar,the Airport would increase the income by more than the mandated
reduction.
Staley said he will be out of town the week of June 10 and would not be able to attend next
month's meeting.
Williams said the intent of the Commission is to be more focused on improving the Airport
income and providing a more precise plan of future direction.
Clay said he agreed it was important compile an e-mail list of the tenants. He said it is also
important to survey the tenants and Airport customers to get their input on priorities for the
Airport.
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Clay said that he has been approached by a couple of people that would like to create a little park
at the Airport. He said it could be something modest to start,like a picnic table and grill that a
family could come down to the Airport and have a picnic.
Krstenansky said he thought the Airport could better utilize the City's web site to promote the
Airport.
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT:
Dulek said that if more than two Commission members planned to attend the EA meeting on May
20, it would need to be posted as a meeting. O'Neil said that although they are welcome to
attend,the main purpose of the meeting is to get comments from the public and is not intended as
a Commission meeting. The Commission members did not plan to attend the meeting.
O'Neil said the Council discussed the Mormon Trek project at their meeting on April 1961. The
runway extension project was discussed briefly, in relation to how the schedule would coordinate
with closing Runway 18/36.
The regional FAA conference is scheduled for June 30 and July 1. Hartwig expressed interest in
going for one day. He will discuss it with the other Commission members to see if anyone else is
interested in going and will contact O'Neil by next week to let him know who would like to go.
O'Neil suggested June 30 as the best day for the Commission members to be there.
O'Neil said he included a memo in the Commission packet with the regular meeting dates for the
Commission through December 2004. The meeting in July will be on the third Thursday instead
of the second Thursday. O'Neil said he would be on vacation the last two weeks of July.
A request for a temporary tower for the annual fly-in breakfast on August 296i has been sent to the
FAA. No reply has been received yet.
A request has been made to the FAA to move the VASI lights from Runway 18 to Runway 30.
The reply was included in the Commission information packet.
O'Neil reminded the Commission that Fly Iowa 2004 will be held in Washington, Iowa on June 5
and 6.
O'Neil has been invited to speak to the a.m. Rotary Club on June 8. Staley said it should be
important to mention that the budget reduction by the Council has been taken care of.
SET NEXT MEETING:
The next regular Airport Commission meeting is scheduled for June10, 2004,at 5:45 p.m.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
G( amv
Randy Hartwig, Chairperson
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