No preview available
07-18-2013 APM+HUTCHINSON AIRPORT COMMISSION July 18, 2013 5:30 p.m. Airport Arrival/Departure Building Minutes Members present: Doug McGraw, Dick Freeman, Joel Schwarze, Juli Neubarth, Ross Peterson, Steve Cook (Council Representative) Members absent: none Others Present: John Olson, City of Hutchinson; Tom Parker, Hutchinson Aviation; Others present: Tim Miller, ASI; Dave Skaar, CAP; Jim Weckam, Tenant Meeting called to order at 5:32 p.m. There was a quorum of members present. 1. Approve June 20, 2013 Airport Commission Minutes Motion made by Cook, second by Freeman to approve minutes. Unanimous approval 2. Airport Commission Juli Neubarth (to 09/13, first full -term) Doug McGraw- (to 09/14, second full -term) Joel Schwarze (to 09/15, first full -term) Ross Peterson (to 09/16, first full -term) Dick Freeman (to 09/17, second full -tens) Steve Cook (Council representative) For meeting schedules & interest forms for serving on the Airport Conuiussion, see www.ci.hutchinson.mn.us 3. Haniars There was no hangar activity since the last meeting. Update on private hangar construction. Olson explained that Mr. Weckman had not identified a specific contractor on the building permit application; therefore he is treated as the general contractor. As the general contractor, he is required to maintain $1 million liability coverage during construction. After construction, the building must be insured for fire - weather. After construction he, like other tenants, will be required to maintain $1 million premises coverage. Premises coverage is often associated with aircraft insurance policies and would not necessarily need to be tied to the structure. 4. Operational Issues (Open Proiectsl a) Airport Financials. May 31, 2013 year -to -date shows a surplus of $20,501, compared to $23,014 on May 31, 2012. Significant deviations in 2013 are: Fuel - $1,010 due to snow removal during 2012- 2013 season; Utilities - $2,213 due to colder than normal temperatures this spring. The remainder of 2013's expenditures was similar to 2012. b) Maintenance & Operations grant — Requested reimbursement for Jan, Feb & Mar 2013 expenses. The total grant amount is for $22,937 per year. For the last few years, airports have been able to apply for grant reimbursements on a quarterly basis. The airport typically has no problems receiving the entire grant amount, as qualifying expenses typically far exceed $22,937. c) Electrical project — Hutchinson Utilities (HUC) has completed installation of electrical service to the south end of the airport. Beginning in June, electricity charges are now under HUC Electric. It will be some time before the affect of switching carrier will be known, but the KW charges and fixed charges will be less with HUC. d) Pavement condition inspection — Pavement condition inspections were finished this week. The pavement condition reports will not likely come until late fall or early winter. No significant changes, other than usual deterioration, are expected. The cross -crack project done two years ago has held up well. The cracks have reopened, but there is no cupping. Some alternatives for maintenance have been discussed internally and with Bolton & Menk (BMI). Olson reported that pavement maintenance will be a topic that can be considered as part of the airport master planning process. e) 2013 AIP — Report on status of project. At the July 9 City Council meeting, the Council approved the work order with BMI for the Airport Master Plan Update /Obstruction ID /removal. a. Upon approval, the City provided BMI with a copy of the City's account number so the federal grant application could be processed. BMI had already worked with both MnDOT & FAA personnel to ensure the grant application was ready to go in. It's expected that the grant application process will be finished by the end of the week. b. Staff will be holding an initial planning meeting with BMI in the next couple of weeks to lay out some initial steps that need to be taken. c. One of the key elements of the project is the Master Plan Advisory Group (MPAG). This group will provide input on information being considered for the plan and findings being developed throughout the process. The MPAG will help assess airport issues and needs and serve a vital role in the overall project. They will act as a sounding board for proposed development alternatives, as well as be a conduit for information among various groups in the community. MPAG participants are planned to include: i. Airport Commission ii. Airport business representatives iii. City Council representative and /or City Administrator iv. City Planning Commission representatives v. FAA Airports District Office vi. MnDOT Office of Aeronautics vii. Staff from City departments (Public Works, Planning /Zoning /Building) viii. County and township staff, as necessary. d. The MPAG will be on the `distribution' list for various plan components so they can react to the work being done. As necessary, meetings will be arranged to address specific issues. 5. Other Discussions/ New Business a) Rental of Life Link III hangar to ASI. As was indicated earlier via email, Life Link III requested to be out of the hangar at the end of July. ASI Jet has expressed interest in the hangar. ii. Discussions were held regarding the staff recommendation to offer the hangar to ASI Jet for $700 per month from August 1, 2013 until May 31, 2014, when the new FBO contract would be signed. After much discussion relating to the value of the hangar, and whether the hangar should be linked into the FBO contract or not, a motion was made by Peterson, second by Freeman to offer the hangar to ASI Jet for $1,100 per month, while authorizing staff to reduce the rents through negotiation to no lower than $900 per month. b) Report of subcommittee activities regarding FBO alternatives. Cook indicated that a telephone conference with Glenn Burke, South St. Paul Airport Manager and MN Council of Airports Board Member, would be held on Wednesday, August 24. ii. Olson reported on meeting held with ASI Jet and the City's EDA Director. The Director is recommending the City to work with ASI Jet, particularly considering the potential for agricultural related aviation is very good. EDA has programs in place that could assist ASI Jet with future large capital costs, such as building, equipment, etc. However, there are no short-tern small grants available. During the meeting, the EDA Director also mentioned that there may be potential for partial funding to bring water /sewer utilities to the airport, if they were needed in the future. c) Internet service at the airport. The City's IT department had acquired a router. Replacement of the existing router should be completed next week. Hopefully the new router will result in fewer internet outages in Dooley Terminal. ii. Olson has met with one wireless internet service provider, but has not yet received a price quotation for the service. There is one other wireless provider that still needs to visit the airport, and NU- Telecom will be asked to provide a price quote for the best service they can provide. iii. CAP has already worked with NU- Telecom to provide service on a month -to -month basis as final decisions about service are pending. iv. There was apparently a connection that had served at least a portion of the Air Methods computer system which performed very well. It was thought, however, that this line was not hooked up through the internet service, but rather was a dedicated line. d) Change the date of the August meeting Olson requested the Commission change the Airport Commission meeting from August 15 to August 22. The consensus was to change the meeting to August 22. e) Miscellaneous. i. Thank you cards for the courtesy card. Miller requested that consideration be given to snaking business card -sized thank you notes that pilots using the courtesy car could leave at area businesses encouraging them to thank the City for providing the courtesy car. Olson will provide a sample card at the August 22 meeting. ii. McGraw requested installing a logbook, of good quality, in the lobby. Pilots could voluntarily sign in, which could provide some indication of traffic at the airport. iii. It was requested that a refrigerator be installed in the pilot's lounge. This could be a place where pilots could leave lunch or other perishables for a period of time while visiting Hutchinson. This is a comfort feature that could make a positive impact for around $500. iv. The Commission asked Olson to contact North Memorial Air Care to see if they would be interested in moving operations to Hutchinson. At 7:12, a motion to adjourn was made by Peterson, second by Cook. Unanimous approval. NEXT MEETING: Regularly scheduled meeting for 08/15/2013 was postponed to 08/22/2013.