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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAirport.Minutes.02-13-2018AIRPORT BOARD MINUTES February 13, 2018 Sandy’s Place Restaurant Members Present: Justin Albright, Jeff Brune, Robert Cork, Ryan Dewrock, Joe Hobbs, Paul Mingus, Brian Ozark, Mark Seesing, Mark Welker Others Present: Bruce Loy, Airport Manager; Katrina Amos, Deputy Airport Manager; Derrick Irwin, Flight Line Supervisor; Hannah Seesing, Administrative Clerk I. Minutes of Previous Meeting: The meeting was called to order at 11:36am. Mr. Welker moved and Mr. Brune seconded the motion to approve the minutes from the January 9th meeting. The motion was approved with a unanimous vote. II. Appearances: None III. Old Business: A. Airport Activity Report – Mr. Loy discussed the Airport Activity Report. He shared with the Board that the airline had a rough month with five (5) cancelled flights due to bad winter weather both here in Cape as well as in Chicago. As a result, the enplanements were down compared to the previous carrier. Mr. Loy noted that over-all traffic was down 20% compared to the previous year. He attributed this to a much harsher winter than has been seen in a number of years. B. Cape Aviation Report – Mr. Irwin presented the Cape Aviation Report. He reported that fuel sales were up significantly and in just two months, SkyWest had already matched the annual fuel flow from the previous airline. He also noted that the self-serve fuel numbers were up considerably. This is believed to be attributed to the lower price on the self- serve. Mr. Irwin went on to inform the board that he would like to propose decreasing the operating hours of the FBO. He cited other airports in the area including Paducah, Marion, and Sikeston and that their FBO’s close around 7pm whereas Cape Aviation is open until 10pm ever night. He shared that the late hours were to accommodate Cape Air to assist with storing their aircraft after the last flight. The new airline does not require this service. He shared data with the Board indicating sales trends that show operations are happening mostly during the day. He stated that there isn’t much for the evening staff to do after 6pm. Cutting the hours short would save approximately thirty (30) hours. Mr. Irwin doesn’t wish to lose the position of the late night line guy but would like to reallocate the hours throughout earlier in the day. This would allow for more staff during the heavy traffic times. Mr. Welker asked if this could possibly lead the city to cut the budget if they think the man hours aren’t necessary. Mr. Loy said he didn’t believe that would happen as he agreed with Mr. Mingus that it’s more of a redistribution of hours instead of a reduction. Mr. Irwin went on to describe how most of the incident claims that have happened recently have occurred during the night shift when staffing is minimal and airplanes have to be moved in and out of hangars such as Commander. He also noted the difficulty in filling the part-time flight line position. Mr. Seeing asked if there was any marketing being done to promote the FBO in hopes of filling those hours with more operations to justify having the staff present. He was informed that was not currently happening. Mr. Albright shared his opinions of the airports that were being referenced as having shorter hours and stated that he hoped Cape Aviation would strive for greater service than that. He also stated that this would restrict access to the bathrooms and community hangar at a much earlier time. Mr. Loy stated that if reduced hours were considered, he would only do so on a seasonal basis. He appreciated the feedback and asked that they continue to explore other options and revisit at a future meeting. C. Project Update – • 10/28 Lighting Project Update – Mr. Loy informed the Board that the lighting project continues to move forward but there have been delays with regards to the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). The PLC allows the tower control of the vault equipment. The project consultant, Crawford, Murphy, & Tilly, Inc., has indicated that they are still waiting to approve this equipment. From the time of approval, there is a ten (10) week lead time. The contractor is unable to move forward until the PLC is received. There was no other discussion on this topic. D. Air Service Discussion – • Airline Feedback – Mr. Loy discussed some of the struggles that the airline has faced including weather incidents. He shared that the weekend prior there had been some serious delays out of Cape because of issues at the Quincy Airport. Ms. Seesing described the event stating that Quincy had experienced accumulating precipitation and they had difficulty getting personnel there to clear the runways. United Airlines delayed skipping the stop in Quincy for quite a while because they were unwilling to cancel that segment of the flight. It was well into the afternoon before the Quincy Airport staff advised United Airlines that they should cancel the segment due to continued issues with the condition of the runway. Mr. Loy said that he had already had discussion with all parties involved to ensure that this situation did not arise again. • Airline Promotion/Air Service Marketing Grant – Ms. Amos informed the board that there is a sale going on for a $69 one-way fare. This sale, however, can only be promoted on a digital format due to DOT regulations that require disclosure to be immediately available. Airport Staff has been working with the SkyWest marketing teams to develop the landing page as well as finalize the social media advertising. Mr. Loy went on to inform the Board that the Missouri Aviation Trust Fund had reached the required amount, which allows MoDOT to distribute up to $1million to airports with scheduled passenger air service. Mr. Loy will submit an application for these funds and if approved, the City will be reimbursed for all marketing and promotional items at 90%. Mr. Loy will update the Board once the application has been submitted. E. Air Festival Update – Following unanimous support from the Board Mr. Loy shared that he was continuing forward with air show preparations and would be meeting with Scott Meyer, City Manager, and Molly Mehner, Deputy City Manager, in the coming week to further discuss. IV. New Business – A. Cape Aviation Tug Acquisition – Mr. Irwin and Ms. Amos informed the board that the purchase of a new tug was happening. Mr. Irwin traveled to Indianapolis, IN to test drive different tugs and had chosen one. The money for the tug is coming from the sale of equipment from the former Commander Hangar. B. Discussion Regarding meeting with Eastern Aviation – Mr. Irwin recounted his discussion with Eastern Aviation Fuels, Inc., the distributor for Cape Aviation. He expressed that he discussed the need for a new Jet A truck for fueling operations, as well as signage. Mr. Albright asked about the possibility of an awning structure erected to protect the self-serve unit. Discussion continued regarding the matter. C. Facilities Presentation • Discussion Regarding Potential Hangar Funding Opportunity – Mr. Loy informed the Board that he, along with Ms. Amos and Ms. Seesing, would be giving an Airport Facilities Presentation to the City Council at their next meeting in hopes to educate them on the needs of the airport as well as ideas to improve revenue generating operations, such as additional hangar leasing. Airport staff presented the presentation to the Board and asked for their feedback. Discussion continued on the topic. V. Non-Agenda Adjournment: There being no other business, Mr. Brune moved to adjourn the meeting and Mr. Hobbs seconded the motion. All were in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 12:45pm. Minutes prepared by _________________________ Hannah Seesing Administrative Clerk