HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-20-2017 Airport Commission Meeting MinutesJuly 20, 2017
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MINUTES FINAL
IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION
JULY 20, 2017 — 6:00 P.M.
AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING
Members Present: Minnetta Gardinier, Christopher Lawrence, Robert Libby, A. Jacob
Odgaard, Chris Ogren
Staff Present: Michael Tharp, Eric Goers
Others Present: Matt Wolford, David Hughes, Regenia Bailey, Jeff Davidson, Laura Routh
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: Ito become effective only after separate Council
action):
None.
DETERMINE QUORUM:
Odgaard called the meeting to order at 6:02 P.M.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS:
First the election of officers took place. Odgaard noted that they need to elect a new
Chairperson and a new Secretary. Ogren moved to nominate Bob Libby as new
Chairperson. Odgaard seconded the motion. The motion carried 4-0, Gardinier absent
Second, the position of Secretary was discussed. Libby nominated Chris Lawrence as new
Secretary. Ogren seconded the motion. The motion carried 4-0, Gardinier absent
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
New Chair Libby began with a discussion of the minutes from the June 27, 2017, meeting.
Ogren moved to accept the minutes of the June 27, 2017, meeting as presented.
Odgaard seconded the motion. The motion carried 4-0, Gardinier absent.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION:
None.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION:
a. FAA/IDOT Projects: AECOM / David Hughes
I. Obstruction Mitigation — Hughes stated that since the last meeting, they
did receive the official grant from the FAA. The first part of the process
should take about a month, according to Hughes.
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ii. South Taxiway Extension — Hughes noted that the taxiway is now
paved and that the contractor is in the process of completing storm
sewers and grading. The plan is to reopen this to traffic within the next
week.
iii. North T -Hangar Restroom — (Gardinier arrived during discussion)
Hughes stated that they took bids today, with eight potential bidders.
Only two bids were received and were more than double the estimate,
according to Hughes. He added that they are recommending rejection of
the bids. Goers shared that he has looked into this and found other
departments within the City running into the same thing. There is so
much work right now in the Iowa City area that contractors are bidding at
very high numbers.
1. Consider Resolution A17-12 accepting bids and awarding
contract — Ogren moved to reject the bids received. Odgaard
seconded the motion. The motion carried 5-0.
b. Strategic Plan — Jeff Davidson began the strategic planning discussion for the
evening. He stated that he likes to begin these sessions by restating why they
are there to begin with, which is: The goal is to create a management tool for
them to use for the next five years, and to get themselves to a place in five years
where they want to be, from where they are right now. He then turned the
discussion over to Regenia Bailey. She spoke to the mission statement and
what it does, and also the vision statement, which is a more aspirational
statement. Bailey began to review the various drafted options, noting that
changes were made in accordance with the Commission's previous discussions.
She noted that verbiage from previous statements has been carried through to
these as well. After reviewing the various options, Bailey asked what Members
thought and if they favored any option in particular. Odgaard asked if it wouldn't
be better to have just one sentence, and Bailey noted that many times it is done
that way. Gardinier stated that one sentence is typically too long and people get
lost in reading it. The discussion centered around draft option 1 and how they
might change the wording there. "It" was suggested to be used in the first
sentence, but after a brief discussion, Members agreed that having "The Airport"
sounds better.
The discussion then turned to the vision statement, with Davidson now leading
the discussion. He noted that the vision statement is what they see in the future,
if the organization is successful. He began to review the three draft options that
were prepared, noting that of the three, he thinks there is an important distinction
to one of them. He asked what Members' thoughts are regarding these options.
Odgaard responded, noting that the first draft brings up a new concept in
stakeholders. It was noted that this is the statement that used to be the mission
statement. Davidson noted that the one thing he believes to be important about
the first option is the strategic goals of the City. He briefly explained how the City
adopted strategic planning goals, around the time when Bailey was on Council
and Davidson was in Planning, and how these goals need to flow throughout the
organization. Any City Council agenda item, for example, should be consistent
with the goals of the strategic plan that the Council has adopted. Davidson
stated that he believes there is value in stating that the 'vision of the Iowa City
Municipal Airport is to be consistent with the City's strategic plan and the goals
that the elected officials for this community set forth.' Goers spoke briefly to this
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topic, noting that the City does want the Airport's strategic plan to line up with the
City's, as Davidson has stated. Tharp noted that he also received this message,
that the Council would be appreciative of the Airport's goals and objectives
aligning with the City's goals and objectives. He added that he did print off the
Council's strategic plan for the Commission to review. Discussion ensued, with
Tharp responding to Member questions and concerns, and giving them some
history on the Council's strategic plan. Bailey then spoke to the Council's
strategic plans and how they have changed over the years, especially when a
new Council has been seated.
Davidson again asked if Members had any questions regarding the three vision
statement drafts. Ogren spoke to the second draft, noting that she does not like
the wording "is viewed." She stated that it sounds like they want to change their
image. She suggested taking the third draft and adding strategic goals. The
wording she suggested was : The Iowa City Municipal Airport supports the
strategic goals of the City of Iowa City, and is an integral community asset that
contributes to the region's economic vitality and invokes community pride. The
other Members agreed to this wording. Gardinier then spoke to the second draft,
stating that most of the community doesn't even know about the Airport. Bailey
noted that this one is more aspirational in nature.
Next the discussion centered around the public survey and the Airport
Commission survey results. Bailey stated that Members need to keep in mind
that the survey was to get a sense of the strengths and weaknesses of the
Airport in order to use in the SWOT analysis. The public survey was available for
10 days at the beginning of June and was promoted heavily through the City's
Communication Department with a press release, and Facebook and Twitter
posts, according to Bailey. She stated that 575 public surveys were returned.
She briefly highlighted some of the respondent data for Members, such as 464 of
the 575 were Iowa City residents or 81 %, and 70% of those were east of the
Iowa River and 30% were west of the river. Continuing, Bailey stated that the
largest category of respondents were non-users of the Airport. She spoke to
some of the various categories of respondents and the percent of respondents in
each of these.
Looking at the statement, 'The Iowa City Municipal Airport contributes to the
quality of life in Iowa City,' with 5 being strongly agree or 1 being strong disagree,
and 3 being no opinion. Of the respondents, frequent users came in at strongly
agree and agree, with periodic users coming in with agree. Non-users basically
had no opinion. Members discussed some of the survey results, with Bailey
responding to their questions. Bailey then shared the responses when the
statement, 'The Iowa City Municipal Airport contributes to the economic impact
vitality of Iowa City,' was posed. A list of strengths was compiled from both the
public surveys and the Commission surveys, according to Bailey. She stated
that in response to the question, 'What does the Iowa City Municipal Airport do
wellT responses ranged from 'services' being a popular topic, to 'diverse aviation
community.' Odgaard asked Bailey for some clarification of the 'service'
category. She noted that this refers to things like flight instruction, self-service
fuel, FBO services, wi-fi in terminal, charter service, and courtesy car. Bailey
continued to review some of the comments received before moving on to 'diverse
aviation community.' She reviewed some of the comments, noting that location
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was noted as a strength as the Airport is 'self-contained and very accessible,'
'easy to get to downtown.' Odgaard asked what kind of comments were seen in
regards to safety. Bailey responded that the comments were 'managing traffic
and flight patterns well,' and 'a good safety record.'
Bailey then spoke to 'weaknesses or needs improvement' items. She stated that
this came from the question, "What doe the Iowa City Municipal Airport need to
improve?" There were 45 comments linked to 'facilities,' 'public
awareness/marketing' at 45 comments, and 'noise' came in with 30. She noted
there was a huge gap as there were then 12 comments about events. Some of
the comments regarding 'weaknesses,' included 'lack of hangar space,'
'technology,' 'no wi-fi to the hangars,' and 'instrument and precision approaches.'
Bailey stated there were also some comments about maintenance of hangars
and maintenance of runways. Gardinier asked for some clarification of
responses, to which Bailey responded. The 'public awareness marketing' portion
netted a response that, 'The Iowa City Municipal Airport does not do a good job
in sharing information as to what they are actually doing.' Matt Wolford with Jet
Air asked for some clarification on the number of actual responses, and Bailey
spoke to the percentages received. Under the topic of 'opportunities,' Bailey
stated that they only asked for the Commission's response on this one. She then
shared what the Commission's responses were. The Airport being a 'community
space,' was a big one; 'facility improvement,' 'growth of air traffic,' and some
mention of the 'South Aviation Commerce Park' were given, as well as 'attract
businesses and expand services..' Bailey addressed some of the events that
were suggested that the Airport host , such as the 100 -year anniversary
celebration, using Airport space for aviation -related educational training, and the
sponsoring of more community events. More hangars was a big one under
'facility improvement.' 'Increasing medical traffic,' and also 'transient aircraft,'
was mentioned, along with 'increasing businesses' at the Airport.
The discussion continued, with Bailey speaking to the change in pilot
demographics, that it is an aging population. She noted that she was unable to
find much data on this, but that Tharp stated he had some information for her to
read. Bailey added that this is something to consider when it comes to things like
services and flight instruction. 'Obstruction mitigation' was noted as a challenge
for the Airport. Other comments included 'expanding,' 'relocating,'
'misinformation about the amount the City subsidizes for the Airport,' 'frustration
linked to noise, low-flying planes.' Another comment was that the Airport was a
'playground for the wealthy' and that there was a 'better use of tax dollars.'
Bailey stated there were 121 comments in the additional comment section, which
she thought was a good turnout. Davidson reminded the Commission that the
last time they did this they received only 27 comments from the public. Bailey
spoke highly of the Communication Department's involvement and suggestions
in the process.
Odgaard then asked what Bailey and Davidson would take from this data to use
as a message, in just a sentence or two, to put into the strategic plan. Davidson
noted how they handled this portion the last time a strategic plan was done. He
noted that their main task is going to be developing the goals and objectives at
the next Commission meeting. For the remainder of this evening, however,
Davidson noted they would like to go through the existing goals and objectives,
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as this is where they will start from. Beginning the list, Davidson noted the first
goal of, 'Maintain effective management structure and strong communication with
the City Council and City Administration.' He added that this goal is from the
original plan, dating back to 2006. He gave a brief history of how it came about.
He stated that he and Bailey believe tremendous progress has been made on
this one. He stated that there are, however, a few things they cannot ignore, with
one being with this relationship is the notion of succession planning. The Council
will be changing overtime, Tharp's position will eventually change, etc. The
notion is to keep this relationship with the City a healthy one. As for'funding and
increase/growth....', Davidson added that there has been tremendous
improvement here as well. The operating subsidy has gone from roughly
$100,00 to $10,000 to 20,000. 'Increase use of Airport for aviation and other
community uses,' is one that Bailey and Davidson plan to look at the specific
strategies under this and make sure there are things relevant now for the
upcoming five years. 'Increase the usefulness of the Airport for economic
development,' one that Davidson stated has seen some progress but that there is
more room for improvement here. 'Upgrade taxiways, runways, and other Airport
infrastructure,' Davidson stated that on the aviation side of things, these issues
have been addressed with much progress made in the past few years.
Tharp spoke to some of these issues as well, noting the facility improvements
that have taken place. Davidson noted that a final comment was 'enhance
appearance, curb appeal, accessibility, develop public viewing area.' Davidson
asked if Members had any comments regarding the existing goals. Members
began to discuss their views, noting that the first item has been addressed. The
second item, according to Gardinier, should be reframed. Members continued to
discuss what portions of this they would like to see included. Davidson noted
that they can work on this area and bring it back to Members at the next meeting.
Bailey asked if there was anything else Members wanted them to include with
their work as they move forward on the next draft. Tharp stated that he will put a
memo together using the previous goals and that he can address what they have
done with respect to each one over the past five years or so. Davidson spoke
briefly to some of the short-term ideas they may want to consider. Gardinier
asked if the survey results are available, and Bailey stated they are. She noted
that she has a .pdf of the the results, somewhere around 30 to 40 pages, that
she can send to Members. Davidson stated that if there are any items such as
technological advances that are coming to the Airport, that the Members should
let them know so they can factor in such projects. Bailey asked if there are other
trends being seen in aviation, besides the aging population, that might also be a
factor.
C. Airport Operations
i. Budget — Tharp stated that they are officially into the FY18 budget year.
He has worked with the Purchase Department and they have ordered the
stacking chairs he wanted to have available for community events, and
also chairs for the conference table. Tharp noted that the State has
released a draft of the FY18 aviation program. Iowa City did not make
the list, according to Tharp. He had the chance to speak with a State
programmer on this, and the IT project that was applied for was a no-go,
as was parking lot paving. Tharp responded to Member questions and
concerns, noting that it appears there was not enough funding to go
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around. Tharp noted the need for more parking and he stated that he is
recommending they move ahead with the parking lot project, paying for it
themselves. The project was estimated to cost $45,000, which included
about $8,000 worth of engineering. Tharp added that he could see the
State funding shrinking even more in the future. Gardinier asked about
the larger crowds at the Airport recently and Tharp noted charters and
also community groups using the conference room. Tharp stated that if
the Members are okay with it, he will continue conversations with Public
Works and see if they can come up with an actual project for the
Commission to consider.
ii. Management — Tharp stated that he and Josh have done the annual
hangar walk-throughs. Ultimately 59 T -hangars, nine that need wire
replacement, four that need upper door seals, 11 need bottom door seals,
and several doors with random issues. In three hangars the lights were
not working. Tharp stated that he does not have pricing at this point, but
that he is getting numbers together to see what costs may be.
An issue that was brought up last month was having flat screens on the
walls in the terminal. Tharp stated that he spoke with Jet Air's IT person
recently to talk about this idea and they came up with putting two 40 -inch
TVs on the comer of each bay so they can be seen from most every
angle. Various things can play throughout the day, using mini -computers
to serve as the 'brains' of the set-up. Costs are estimated to be around
$800 for the TVs and everything needed to set this up. Members spoke
briefly to what type of programming they would like to see on these
screens. Tharp stated that if the Commission is okay with this, they will
move ahead with the project.
iii. Events
1. Sertoma — Tharp stated that this is still planned for August 20th.
He is working with the groups involved to make sure they have
enough parking in the areas where it is typically needed.
Gardinier asked where the taxiway project will be when Sertoma
starts and Tharp responded. He noted that the taxiway will be
open, but that they will not have time to get grass going yet. He
and Wolford have talked about using straw or something like that
if necessary.
Tharp noted that he and Goers, along with Risk Management and
Engineering at the City, have had a couple of discussions about
adding a handrail. They have had a second person trip and fall in
this area. Goers also spoke to the situation, noting that there is no
code requirement on this, but it was felt that a handrail would be a
visual cue to people to prevent them from tripping. Preliminary
estimates put this project around $1,000, according to Tharp.
There may also be some ADA issues, but it should be fairly
straightforward. Members continued to discuss such a railing and
whether they would want to include the ramp area in this project.
Members suggested getting estimates for both options, and
agreed that if the total cost is under $2,000 Tharp should move
forward with the project.
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d. FBO / Flight Training Reports
i. Jet Air — Matt Wolford began with sharing the monthly reports. He stated
that the main maintenance task has been mowing and weeding. They
have also been busy with seeding around the new hangar, hoping to get
something to start growing before the Sertoma event. Wolford then
spoke to the Sertoma event and how they plan to use the new hangar as
part of that. Gardinier asked Wolford if he has ever talked with the
Children's Museum about having some type of exhibit at the Sertoma
event. Wolford stated that he is not aware of any communication with
them. Tharp stated that they have suggested this to the Sertoma group in
the past, but that they are the ones planning it. Everyone agreed that it
would be a good idea. The discussion continued, with Members talking
about the Sertoma event and other events for the community that are
held at the Airport throughout the year.
Wolford then spoke to Jet Air and their business. He has hired a new
flight instructor, adding that she graduated from Purdue's aviation
program. Also, one of Jet Air's line guys just received his pilot's license.
In the shop, Wolford noted that he has hired another mechanic.
Continuing, Wolford stated that today he went to an auction and they
ended up buying a lot of things, such as an old fire truck from the Quad
City Air Show. He continued to share with Members some of the other
items that Jet Air purchased. Charter flights have been keeping them
busy, as has sending new pilots for training.
e. Commission Members' Reports — Ogren noted that she will be at Osh Kosh
through Tuesday. Gardinier stated that she is driving to Osh Kosh on Sunday.
She also added that she recently returned from San Antonio and that Stinson
Field is a pretty cool airport that she would highly recommend.
f. Staff Report— None.
g. 100 -year Anniversary Committee — Ogren stated that there has been no
movement here due to other obligations.
SET NEXT REGULAR MEETING FOR:
The next regular meeting of the Airport Commission will be held on Thursday, August 17,
2017. at 6:00 P.M. in the Airport Terminal Building.
NEW HANGAR TOUR: Commission members along with staff, and Matt Wolford walked to the
new hangar that had recently been built. Wolford described to members the size of aircraft
which could be fit, and demonstrated the hydraulic door of the hangar. Members asked
questions about the hangar to which Wolford responded. Wolford also showed to those present
aircraft which had been parked nearby that were newly based at the airport.
ADJOURN:
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Ogren moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:24 P.M. Gardinier seconded the motion. The
motion carried 5-0.
CHAIRPERSON DATE
July 20, 2017
Page 5
Airport Commission
ATTENDANCE RECORD
2017-2018
Key:
X = Present
X/E = Present for Part of Meeting
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
NM = Not a Member at this time
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W
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N
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N
N
o
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
Minnetta
07/01/19
O/
of
Gardinier
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
E
'E
X
X
Chris Ogren
07101/18
I
X
X
E
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
A.Jacob
07/01118
Ol
Odgaard
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
E
X
X
X
X
Julie
07101/17
O
Bockenstedt
I
1
OI
OI
N
X
E
X
E
X
X
X
X
X
X
E
X
E
M
Robert Libby
07/01/20
O
O
1
1
01
X
E
X
X
O
O
E
X
X
X
X
X
E
X
Christopher
07101/21
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
Lawrence
NM
M
11
M
M
M
NM
NM
NM
M
M
M
X
Key:
X = Present
X/E = Present for Part of Meeting
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
NM = Not a Member at this time