HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-01-13 Airport Commission MinutesMINUTES
IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION
January 13, 2022 — 6:00 P.M.
AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING
FINAL
Members Present: Warren Bishop, Chris Lawrence, Scott Clair, Judy Pfohl (Zoom),
Hellecktra Orozco (Zoom)
Members Absent: None
Staff Present: Michael Tharp, Jennifer Schwickerath
Others Present: Matt Wolford, Carl Byers, Ryan Story
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council
action :
None.
DETERMINE QUORUM
Clair called the meeting to order at 6:OOpm
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Bishop noted a couple of places where Commission names were incorrect for those speaking.
Tharp noted he would correct them. Bishop moved to approve the minutes from December 9,
2021, seconded by Lawrence. Motion carried 4-0 (Pfohl Absent)
PUBLIC DISCUSSION
None
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION / ACTION
a. Airport Signage/Wayfinding
Tharp noted that he was working with FUEL to develop an agreement that was almost ready.
Schwickerath said the design work on tiles is done and more work on signage can be contracted
for separately. Commissioners agreed that this was fine.
b. FAA/IDOT Projects:
i. Obstruction Mitigation
la. Phase 1
Tharp said that the contractor had submitted paperwork and the work is complete.
The final resolution had given a quote of $455,000, and work came in at
approximately $42,000 under the quote due in part to a neighbor's taking care of
his own tree trimming. Bishop moved to approve a resolution accepting the
project as complete (A22-01); Lawrence seconded, and the motion carried by
roll call 5-0. It was clarified that members attending by Zoom do not count as part
of the quorum but may vote.
1 b. Phase 2
Tharp pointed out that there was a minor cost overrun on this project due to the
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•
need to cut down extra trees, increasing the cost from $208,000 to $220,000. The
job is complete and the paperwork has been submitted. Lawrence moved to
approve the resolution to accept the project as complete (A22-02); Bishop
seconded, and the motion passed by roll call 5-0.
ii. Runway 7/25 Rehab East End
Tharp said that the bidding process was just beginning. From runway end to intersection,
they would be crack -sealing, doing joint and panel repair. Byers described how language
had been strengthened to encourage contractor coordination and make the process as
frictionless as possible. Byers said down time for the runway should be 5 days for the
repairs, with reopening at night except during times when new paint or fresh concrete
would be drying. In total, with light replacement and threshold relocation, he expected
down time of about 20 days in total for the runway. Lawrence asked what the impact
would be on Runway 30/12, and Byers estimated it would be about 6 hours. Wolford
confirmed that he would be able to make use of 3-0 for charter flights during the closures if
weather allowed. Tharp said that if the motion passed for a public hearing, bidding would
open March 3rd. Bishop moved to approve a resolution setting a public hearing on
February 10th, 2022 for the plans, specifications, and form of contract for the
Runway 7/25 rehabilitation phase 1 project (A22-03), and Lawrence seconded; the
motion passed by roll -call vote 5-0.
iii. Runway 25 Threshold Relocation
Tharp said bidding had opened the week before and that the bids were "phenomenal".
The lowest responsive bid was from Neumiller Electric, with whom the Airport has worked
before, with a bid of $440,811. This award will require FAA approval, so while awarding is
possible now, contract signing will wait for that. Tharp's conversations with FAA indicate
that FAA will participate in funding the LED lighting and marking of the entire runway.
Byers and Tharp recommended that the Commission award all of the alternates for LED
lighting without heating, allowing contractors to get performance and insurance bonds
while awaiting contract signing. Lawrence moved to approve a resolution accepting
bids and awarding contract (A22-04); Pfohl seconded, and the motion passed by
roll -call vote 5-0.
iv. South T -hangar infrastructure
v. Hangar A Door Replacement (phase 1)
Tharp noted that Bolton and Menk was continuing work to put the project plans together.
He asked if Byers had anything to share and Byers responded.
Byers said they were pushing ahead with two state -funded projects. One has been filed
and the other is already bid, and that work on the hangar -door project would be next.
Tharp expected more substantial news on the hangar project at the next meeting.
vi. FAA Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Grant programs
Tharp noted that the BIL had passed with authorizations for airport funding and allocations
to individual airports. His understanding of the Act is that it allocates to the Airport
$295,000 per year for the next five years, with a 10% match, they would need to work with
the city for matching funds since this is currently unplanned for dollars. FAA is currently
crafting guidelines for use of the money, but Tharp's understanding is that in general the
money is meant to fund runways, taxiways, and sustainability. Tharp attended a BIL
webinar after announcement of the award amounts, and said that in general it would be
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similar to the AIP program, which presented some difficulty because AIP required that
revenue -generating expenditures like hangars also required attestation that air -side needs
were taken care of, and preventing requesting funds for air -side needs for five years.
However, Tharp saw the possibility of a big boost for the solar panel project, which was
estimatedoriginally at $300,000, which would allow for immediate savings on energy
costs. A power -purchase agreement from a solar company would not be necessary; the
entire system could be bought outright. Tharp believed it would be their priority project,
with other projects waiting on the guidelines for definition. Current possibilities include the
aircraft parking area and hangars. Tharp encouraged discussion of other projects the
Commission might want to consider. Clair asked when FAA guidance was expected, and
Tharp said likely March or April. Clair then asked that Tharp bring his project list to the
Commission at that time for discussions about priorities, and Tharp suggested they talk
only about items that FAA would not routinely approve for funding. Clair asked about the
parallel taxiway for 3-0, which Tharp confirmed could be a possibility, but not a strong one.
Pfohl asked about funding for the main light. Byers said that at the airport in Washington,
where he was working with the planner and engineer, they had also approached the
project funding strategically decided to use expected AIP funding for runway lighting and
turning to BIL funding for lights and REILs, and that this was made possible by splitting the
work into two reasonably distinct projects, one fundable by AIP and the other with BIL. His
view was that BIL funds, given their size, should probably be approached strategically by
aiming for discretionary projects that could be combined into a large project, but they are
awaiting FAA guidance. He is hopeful that the fact that money has been appropriated
means that the money will either be immediately available in lump sum or that it will be
possible to borrow against it for larger projects. Clair asked what planning for the taxiway
existed in the master plan, and Tharp said that the master plan did not include a full
parallel taxiway. Clair and Lawrence suggested that since they will be extending 3-0, a
taxiway at that end would be a good idea. Byers replied that an approach to getting the
funding might include splitting up the job into non -BIL and BIL segments, so that the
middle was BIL funded, and BIL was not being used for taxiway work projects fundable in
other ways. Lawrence asked Tharp and Byers to come back to the Commission after FAA
guidance is released with proposals for how to combine AIP and BIL funds to carry out
prioritized projects.
c. Airport Operations
i. Management
1. Airport Frontage Area/Parking Lot Tharp said that Airport engineering was
putting a plan and specs together for the parking lot and expected to have
something to show in February; recently they have been focused on pulling
together a report for the City Council's budget meetings. Several members noted
that parking was cramped with charter flight success taking up existing parking
spaces.
ii. Budget
Tharp said that the budget and CIP presentations to City Council had gone well and that
he was not expecting pushback on current operations.
a. Art Mural
i. Fundraising
Clair said he and Pfohl had talked with Marcia and Wendy and adjusted
plans, and come up with a fundraising concept similar to what they had
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used for the simulator. They do not expect that the City's contribution of
$8,000 will be enough for anything beyond a very basic mural, and believe
that they might need another $12,000 for a more complex mural showing
the history of the Airport. His fundraising idea involves including paintings
of donors' aircraft in the mural, so long as each aircraft has had at least one
flight into Iowa City, with large donations qualifying for a foregrounded
aircraft and smaller ones backgrounded. Assuming they are able to find the
funding,, Wendy and Marcia suggested they use an RFP rather than an
RFQ process, in March. Clair said that he had indicated to them that the
Airport Commission was not in a hurry, in part because they did not know
exactly when the new doors would be installed, and that their priority was
quality. Marcia and Wendy assured them that project delay for a funds
drive would not lead to loss of City funding, so they are now planning to do
the project in summer 2023: Bishop asked whether the funding drive could
be structured as a charitable drive, and Schwickerath said that the letters
sent for contributions to the requisite City account did not suggest that the
gift was tax-deductible. However, she said, contributions through the
Community Foundation of Johnson County could be charitable and thus
tax-deductible, but that going through the Foundation would involve a fee,
and that she would check into that. Bishop believed people would be more
inclined to give if there were a tax benefit and described strategies for
doing so, Clair suggested that the Commission should go ahead with
pursuing avenues for charitable contribution to the mural fund and, if this
were a possibility, making sure that it was advertised in the fundraising
campaign. Pfohl noted that the publicity for the project should also include
the Commission's rights to control mural content and future changes to the
mural. Bishop suggested that "Aviator" level donation start at $1,000, and
Lawrence suggested "Navigator" could start at $2,000, and said he'd
pointed out to Marcia that his Cessna 182 model had cost $500, so it was
not unreasonable to think that aircraft owners might give at that level. Pfohl
asked whether it would also be possible to have an exhibit of Airport
historical items in the lobby. Wolford suggested they include getting more
copies of a book of Iowa City's history. Tharp pointed out that the terminal
is cramped, but said he would look to see what could be done. Clair
suggested making a photograph -diagram of the mural indicating the aircraft
and donors for the terminal. Clair said he would send an email around for
more suggestions on details of the fundraising plan. Orozco asked how the
fundraiser would be advertised; Clair said they had a list of current pilots,
and could also compile lists of other airport users, put the information on
the Airport website, and use City announcements. Wolford suggested
selling inclusion of specific aircraft even if they were not donor -owned. Clair
suggested limiting donor slots to limit mural elements, and Lawrence said
that this would all have to be worked out with the artist. Potential donor -
priority strategies were discussed to encourage donation before either an
artist or a budget had been settled, with exact representation of the aircraft
uncertain. Bishop asked what it would cost to paint the building a solid blue,
just for a baseline, and Tharp said that an earlier solid -color paint job had
cost $8,000. Bishop considered that the mural might cost considerably
more than $20,000.
ii. RFQ
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Clair and Pfohl will talk again with Marcia and get RFP (not RFQ) language
written soon in order to start getting details on whom the artist might be,
what the budget might entail, and what might reasonably be offered to
donors. Lawrence expected an RFP might close sometime in April. Pfohl
pointed out that Marcia is retiring at the end of March and that it would be.
good to move quickly.
2. Fuel Flowage Fees
Clair had no updates on fuel flowage fees.
iii. Events
Tharp said that Iowa Aviation Conference event was in April. The Airport will also host the
2022 Iowa Aviation Conference, April 12-14. The designated hotel, the Graduate, seemed
problematic because Iowa law requires that public conferences be held at venues that
specifically support anti -human -trafficking measures and the Graduate is not listed as
having an anti -trafficking program in place, but this is an error, so Tharp has received their
certificate and the plans can proceed. The 12th will involve an axe -throwing activity. Most
of the classroom sessions will be held on April 13th, and an Airport tour will be available
on the 14th. Attendees are expected to be primarily Iowa airport operators and some
commission members. Tharp welcomed Commissioners' attendance. There is a
registration fee, and Tharp is looking for sponsorships.
d. FBO / Flight Training Reports
Clair said he had asked Wolford for a usual Jet Air update but also for a strategic plan. Wolford
said the current maintenance report was just that they'd plowed snow.
i. Jet Air
Wolford gave a presentation of Jet Air's operations and history. He said that on a daily
basis, Jet Air had about 30 employees on site, not counting pilots. At its inception in 2001,
there had been 4-5 employees. Jet Air has two hangars in Iowa City, and also has an
operation in Burlington, founded in 2000. The original operation in Galesburg, IL was
founded in 1969, and still has many longtime employees. Jet Air has an aircraft leasing
operation in Wisconsin (two Skyhawks) and another in St. Croix, USVI, with two Citations
leased to medical operations. Aircraft have been imported or exported from Colombia,
Brazil, Venezuela, Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, the Dominican Republic,
Spain, Italy, Germany, Britain, Austria, South Korea, China, New Zealand (a Stearman),
and many other locales. Much of the business in Iowa City is charter flights, but this
operation also performs air medical (including for Mayo), aircraft maintenance and trains
workers. Overall, the corporation has two maintenance shops, 3 FBOs, 8 charter jets, 10+
trainers, 80+ employees, and is involved in 45+ aircraft sales annually. The charter fleet is
a Cessna fleet, and the training fleet is mainly Cessna 172s but includes a '42 Boeing
Stearman and a taildragger 2017 American Legend AL3. Future growth constraints at this
point include facility constraints (including runway length, which Wolford expects current
runway work will help to alleviate, and office space), aircraft inventory, supply chain, pilot
shortages, and fuel costs. Current advantages include goodwill from a strong reputation,
limited competition in the market, a streamlined fleet, and strong demand in every
segment. Wolford credited the operation's success in part to his and other owners' being
active pilots and personally invested in the aviation life of the customers, regardless of the
sort of interests or aircraft the customers might have. Careful management of the charter
fleet has also helped; although the charter fleet size was once 50% larger, last year they
flew 50% more flights than ever before. Aircraft prices are also up strongly and the
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unusual market conditions mean that Jet Air has to be prepared to move fast and take
advantage of unexpected opportunities rather than committing to a particular plan.
Currently the guidelines are to remain flexible and calm, and to remember that the industry
is cyclical and fast -changing.
1. Jet Air Outlook Plan
The current general plan is "do more business": boost current revenue streams in
all areas: through increasing the charter fleet, aircraft sales and leasing (especially
for air medical and flight school operations), move into new market segments with
different types of aircraft including antiques, build the pilot pipeline from
maintenance to charter pilot, and keep looking for new opportunities and
partnerships. In ensuing conversation about how the Iowa City operation had been
very successful and a good relationship, several commissioners returned more
seriously to the idea of looking at expanding the offices and terminals with BIL
money, and suggested that it could at Least be used for preliminary studies.
e. Commission Members' Reports
Orozco reported that she and Clair had attended a recent City Council meeting to introduce
themselves and give the Airport's annual report in brief.
f. Staff Report
Tharp said that he and Wolford had walked through the Airport's budget process and familiarized
Wolford with its constraints.
SET NEXT REGULAR MEETING FOR:
Clair set the next meeting for February 10th, 2022. All Commissioners expected to be present.
ADJOURN
Clair called for a motion to adjourn; Pfohl moved and Orozco seconded, and the motion passed by a 5-0
voice vote. eeting was adjourned at 7:25 pm.
�-2yarz.
CHAIRPERSON DATE
IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION
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Airport Commission
ATTENDANCE RECORD
2021-2022
NAME
TERM
EXP.
o
3
-1
4
IN
3
0
N
3
`
N
3
0
w
3
`
N
3
0
d,
0
CO
N
-
0
Ln
0
())
i N
a
0
(n
3
W
13
3
0
0)
3
0
El
3
0
0
000
N
.�
07/15/21
08/12/21
0
0
0
(0
N
3
3
0
N
-
N
3
-i
-a
3
CO
N
-a
3
- N
0
(0
N
3
3
:ted
IV
N
Warren
Bishop
06/30/22
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
Scott Clair
06/30/23
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
Christopher
Lawrence
06/30/25
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
Hellecktra
Orozco
06/30/24
X
X
X
X/E
O/E
X
X
O/E
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
JudyPfohl
06/30/22
X
X
X/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Key:
X = Present
X/E = Present for Part of Meeting
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
NM = Not a Member at this time