Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-19-18 Airport Commission Meeting Minutes July 19,2018 Page 1 MINUTES FINAL IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION JULY 19, 2018—6:00 P.M. AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING Members Present: Minnetta Gardinier, Derek LaBrie, Christopher Lawrence, Robert Libby Staff Present: Eric Goers, Michael Tharp Others Present: Matt Wolford, Larry Bell RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council action): None. DETERMINE QUORUM: The meeting was called to order at 6:03 P.M. The new Member, Derek LaBrie, was introduced. ELECTION OF OFFICERS; The first order of business was the election of officers. Libby noted that he and Lawrence had discussed their positions and if everyone agrees,they will keep things as they are. Lawrence moved to retain Robert Libby as Chair and himself, Christopher Lawrence,will remain as Secretary. Gardinier seconded the motion. The motion carried 4-0. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Minutes from the June 21, 2018, meeting were reviewed. Lawrence moved to accept the minutes of the June 21, 2018, meeting, as presented. Libby seconded the motion. The motion carried 4-0. PUBLIC DISCUSSION: None. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION: a. Gilbert Street Parcel/Bell Lease—Tharp noted that Larry Bell is present this evening. He is one of the owners on the lease for this property. Tharp gave Members a brief history on the property and lease agreement. He noted that Members received a copy of Mr. Bell's letter in their meeting packet. Bell then spoke to the Members regarding this property. He stated that they did have a buyer for the land but that the City Council did not approve this. They have also tried to sub-lease the land, but to no avail. Bell stated that he is trying to find a way to resolve this issue since neither of these options have panned out. Gardinier asked for some clarification as to why the City did not approve these July 19,2018 Page 2 requests. Tharp stated that it had to do with the risk of flood and not having access to the land, as well as the fact that the developer wanted to develop several other adjacent lots. Tharp then responded to Members'questions and concerns regarding this piece of property and the lease agreement. City Attorney Goers joined the conversation at this point. He noted that due to the fact that this was discussed in executive session, he is unable to provide much detail. However, he stated that Tharp is correct in pointing out the flood risks and lack of access. Goers stated that in the last decade,the City has been attempting to buy properties that are high flood risks. Therefore, it would not make sense to sell this particular piece of property for development. Continuing, Goers stated that in 2014 the Commission offered Mr. Bell the opportunity to buy out the lease by paying half of the remaining lease amount. The current lease amount is $325 per month and will be increasing in May, consistent with the CPI. This is a 20-year lease, running through 2029. Goers added that the Commission does have the right to discuss this issue further in executive session, which they could choose to do at next month's meeting. Bell then responded to Member questions regarding the property. He added that he would like to be out of the lease, that the monthly payments are truly a hardship for him at this point. Gardinier asked what the Commission can do with the land if the City will not allow it to be developed. Tharp responded that the land was originally purchased with FAA money because it was under the runway protection zone. Gardinier stated that she would have to agree with Bell on this issue, that it does not seem right to have development on both sides of this property, yet development is not allowed here. She added that she is very disappointed in the City for how they have handled this. Goers attempted to explain why the City has made the decisions it has regarding this property. Members continued to express their sentiments regarding Bell's request to be released from this lease. The issue of needing to maintain the property— mowing, snow removal, etc. -was also discussed. Gardinier asked if others would like to have an executive session next month. Libby stated that he would like to have more information. Tharp responded that he can work on some type of summary for an executive session and Goers can address any legal concerns they may have. Lawrence stated that he also has questions he would like to have answered. Gardinier then questioned the timeframe that the City Council made their decision to not sell this piece of property. She stated that she does not remember there being any conversation around this. Goers noted that the Commission did in fact discuss the issue at its December 21, 2017, meeting. He read from the meeting minutes the reference to the Council's decision. To Gardinier's point, Tharp stated that collectively the Commission has not had a discussion since that time about letting Bell out of his lease. b. FAA/IDOT Projects: AECOM/David Hughes 1. Obstruction Mitigation—Tharp noted that he did not hear from Hughes so he is not sure why he is not present. He added that there was some weather in the Des Moines area today and that may have been an issue for Hughes. As for the obstruction mitigation issue, a Finding of No Significant Impact was received from the FAA. This notice will be published in the newspaper tomorrow, according to Tharp. This will then wrap up the environmental study. Now the conversation will turn to July 19,2018 Page 3 funding and easement agreements. Funding will drive how the work gets done, whether it can all be done at once or if they will have to do it in phases. Tharp responded to Member questions regarding the obstruction mitigation project and what the various steps will entail. 1. Environmental Assessment(EA)— IL North T-Hangar Restroom—Tharp stated that the restroom project is moving along. Some of the sub-contractors are being waited on, but in terms of the contract there are still a few weeks left to complete things. Mid-August is the current completion timeframe, according to Tharp. c. Airport Operations Budget—Gardinier then asked about FAA funding and grants received. Tharp stated that they have not yet put in for an FAA grant but did for a State grant. This would apply to the terminal apron concrete rehab. Tharp noted that the new fiscal year has begun and there are several projects that are coming up. 1. Building H Entry Road Repairs—Tharp touched on this project, noting that it is very rough driving on this. He added that the pavement is over 20 years old and needs to be replaced. This project is estimated to cost around $13,000. Lawrence moved to approve the estimate from Hansen for the Building H Entry Road Repairs project Libby seconded the motion. The motion carried 4-0. The conversation returned to the budget, with Tharp noting that budget season will be upon them soon. He added that typically they have a work session to walk Members through the budget process and to prioritize things for the upcoming budget year. Tharp also noted some equipment replacements that they will need to consider. Others agreed that such a work session would be helpful for them. The use of solar was briefly touched on, with Tharp stating that the City recently completed a solar study. ii. Management— 1. Airport Viewing Area—Tharp stated that the sod is in, but there was an incident with the landscaping contractor. They evidently hooked up their hose to a water spigot that had a busted water line,therefore flooding the Airport's basement. Tharp also spoke to the four kiosks that will be a part of the viewing area. He noted that a push-pedal plane has been donated to the Airport. Gardinier suggested having a naming contest, perhaps in conjunction with the Public Library, for the viewing area. Tharp responded that the FAA has stated they should not make this an actual 'park,' but that they can probably name it something fairly generic. iii. Events—Tharp stated that the car club event went well. The club raised around $1,600 for St. Jude's. 1. Optimist Club Pancake Breakfast—Tharp noted that this will be held the end of August. He stated that in the past they have had the Civil Air Patrol helping park planes and with crowd control. However, due to other commitments and the lack of cadets in the area, they will not be doing so at this year's event. July 19,2018 Page 4 d. FBO!Flight Training Reports i. Jet Air—Wolford shared the monthly maintenance reports with Members. One of the highlights included the new TVs on the main floor of the terminal building. One side shows Jet Air's services and the other side is constant Flight Aware. Jet Air is also showing upcoming events. Members briefly discussed what they would like to see on these TVs. Other tasks included changing out fuel filters, filling in holes around the Airport, and getting ready for the car show event. In July the invoices were received for the mulch that was spread in June along the Riverside Drive frontage. Wolford continued,touching on miscellaneous tasks performed through the month. Speaking to the Jet Air side of things,Wolford noted that flight training has been going well. They added two more Skyhawks to their fleet, a 1975 model out of Hampton, New York, and a 2001 out of Northern California. Wolford stated that they have seen an increase in crop dusting activity recently and that there has been some Osh Kosh traffic through as well. He then spoke briefly to the flooding that occurred at the Airport and how he was able to come out and help get sump pumps going. Wolford then stated that he just found out that the approaches for Iowa City's runway 7-25 are now back to a category C and D. e. Commission Members' Reports—Gardinier thanked Jet Air, Galesburg for loaning her data cards after her problems last month. She thanked both Philip and Ted for helping her out. She also spoke to the Air Race Classic and how that went for her this year. The weather was a major factor for everyone involved. Lawrence stated that he is heading to Osh Kosh Friday morning. LaBrie thanked the Commission for welcoming him in and added that he looks forward to working with everyone. Libby stated that he will be doing RAGBRAI, helping with the medical portion, this month. f. Staff Report—Tharp asked Members to get the word out for the empty seat the Commission has. Also speaking to the RAGBRAI event,Tharp noted that they will have some riders camping at the Airport on Friday night. They will be located by the hangar L, M, and N complex. And as he is volunteering downtown with the RAGBRAI event, he will be out of the office that Friday afternoon. Tharp also spoke to the upcoming FAA Regional Conference in September. This will be held in Kansas City. He then spoke briefly to an upcoming visit by the FAA and City administration to meet with Tom Schnell to discuss his UAS projects and the application process, in addition to the FAA's push on UAS. SET NEXT REGULAR MEETING FOR: The next regular meeting of the Airport Commission will be held on Thursday.August 16, 2018.at 6:00 P.M. in the Airport Terminal Building. Tharp asked Members how they wanted to schedule the work session discussed earlier. After a brief discussion it was decided to hold the executive session beforehand. Gardinier questioned if they would have a quorum at the next meeting if they are to discuss hangar rates and leases, as she would have to recuse herself. July 19,2018 Page 5 Libby noted that he would have to as well. Goers will check into this issue to see what the rules are for abstention in such a case. ADJOURN: Lawrence moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:22 RM. Libby seconded the motion. The motion carried 4-0. C AIRPERSON DATE July 19,2018 Page 6 Airport Commission ATTENDANCE RECORD 2017-2018 TERM o Wo 'o - N o_ o_ o o u 2 a S, S :=1. N - N N O N o b e W A a + 1n w N + CDNAME EXP. V V V V V CO W CO W W CO CO co co Minnetta 07/01/19 O/ O/ 0/ Gardinier XXE XEX XXX XX x E X Chris Ogren 06130/18 01 XXX X X X X XE XX X X NM A.Jacob 06130/18 0 Odgaard O/ 0/ 0/ Ol O/ 0/ O/ / O/ XXX EEE E E X E E E E NM Robert 07/01/20 O/ O/ 01 Libby XXE XXE XXX XE OX X Christopher 07/01/21 O1 Lawrence XXX E X X XXX XX XXX Derek 07/01/22 N N NM NM N NM NM N N N N NM N LaBrie M M M MMMM 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