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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Aviation Advisory Commission - Meeting Date: 12/12/2012 MINUTES AVIATION ADVISORY COMMISSION GLENDALE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT 6801 N. GLEN HARBOR BLVD- SUITE 201 GLENDALE,ARIZONA 85307 AIRPORT CONFERENCE ROOM DECEMBER 12,2012 7:00 P.M. I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chair Ron Cohoe with the following Commissioners present: Victoria Rogen, Marc Terrill and Robert Irons. Also present were Walter Fix, Airport Administrator; Cathy Colbath, Interim Executive Director of Transportation Services; Richard Rivet; Cactus Hangar; Jerome Madson, J-air Hangar; Tito Suazo, Aerosim Aviation; Clare Pryke, Glendale Airport Hangars II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING Commissioner Terrill motioned to approve the November 14, 2012 meeting minutes with the following changes proposed by Chair Cohoe: • On Page 2, "GCH Services LLS" should be changed to "GCH Services LLC". • On Page 6, "Commissioner Irons motioned to address non- aeronautical..." should be changed to "Commissioner Irons motioned create a sub-committee to address non-aeronautical..." • On Page 6, the title "West-MEC Update" should be changed to "West- MEC Aviation Update". • On Page 6, under item #6, "West-MEC is expanding into more adult education." should be changed to "West-MEC is expanding to offer more adult education." • On Page 7, the first paragraph should be changed to read: "Commissioner Irons inquired as to the programs offered by West- MEC. Chair Cohoe replied that it is an FAA A&P Mechanical Occupational School and the credits achieved can also be applied to an Associate's Degree at Glendale Community College. Chair Cohoe noted that the next programs to be offered soon will include Avionics Repair and CNC Machining Technicians." • On Page 10, in the fourth paragraph, "Life Horse Legacy" should be changed to "Light Horse Legacy". • On Page 10, in the fourth paragraph, the sentence "The vets experiencing PTSD are brought in to bring back old aircraft to life." should be changed to "The vets experiencing PTSD are brought in to bring old aircraft back to life." 1 • On Page 10, the fifth paragraph should be moved under item VII. New Business Requests. Commissioner Irons made the second. The motion carried 6- 0 III. REQUEST FOR CONTINUANCE OR WITHDRAWAL OF ITEMS. None. IV.AIRPORT BUSINESS The following business was discussed: 1. Renewal of Commissions and Loyalty Oath Chair Cohoe announced that Commissioners Irons and Rogen have been reinstated for another term and both signed a Loyalty Oath for their new terms. 2. AZ SciTech Glendale Mr. Fix gave a briefing on the AZ SciTech Glendale meeting that was held on December 3, 2012. Highlights include the following: • Mr. Fix was asked to be part of the AZ SciTech Glendale Committee by the Economic Development Department. • AZ SciTech is Festival is a creation of ASU in order to encourage students' interest in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Events of all sizes are held throughout the year statewide with hundreds of thousands of students in attendance. • Mr. Fix suggested that the Committee contact West-MEC for participation in the festival. West-MEC has agreed and will have an event on March 9, 2013 from 9:00 a.m.to noon. • Mr. Fix will keep the Commission apprised of the West-MEC event closer to the date. 3. Airport Rules &Regulations and Minimum Operating Standards Mr. Fix updated the Commission on the progress of the Airport Rules & Regulations and Minimum Operating Standards. Highlights include the following: • The second drafts of both the Airport Rules & Regulations and Minimum Operating Standards are coming to a close. More comments than anticipated were received from the City legal team and members of the hangar organizations. • By the end of next week, the second drafts will be finalized and posted. The finalized second drafts will also be emailed to the hangar owners. • Many comments were received from the City legal team and Fire Marshall Larry Randall. Fire Marshall Randall was not sure until last week if the 2012 IBC and Fire Code language would have an impact on the Airport Rules & Regulations and Minimum 2 Operating Standards. In the end, there were not that many significant changes to the Airport Rules & Regulations and Minimum Operating Standards due to the 2012 IBC and Fire Code language. 4. Airport Coalition Committee Chair Cohoe stated that the Sub-Committee as approved by the Commission will move forward and will include representatives from Airport Administration, the Aviation Commission, Airport tenants and Airport users. The Sub-Committee will determine ways for the Glendale Airport to come into compliance with the FAA mandates while providing the FAA with ideas on how the Airport would like to become more financially self-sustainable. Chair Cohoe suggested the name "Airport Compliance Innovation Committee". Chair Cohoe discussed the goals of the Committee as follows: • Timeframe to start—January 2013 • Draft a proposal outlining ways to make the Airport more self- sustainable. a. Develop an amicable solution with the FAA regarding a safe and sustainable aircraft storage hangar environment b. Address rates and charges, fair market value rents, marketing, etc. • Plan a strategy to present this new proposal to the FAA. • Present the new ideas to the FAA, after the Airport is in full compliance with federal grant assurances. • Determine Committee-members — Representatives from each hangar association, Commissioners, Airport staff, airport business and more. • The subcommittee meetings will not be an Airport Rules & Regulations or Minimum Operating Standards complaint session. The goal is for positive, innovative brainstorming sessions. Commissioner Irons wondered if the Glendale Airport was the first airport with such a Committee. Chair Cohoe was unsure but added that he was sure that other airports were experiencing the same issues and maybe the Glendale Airport could be a leader in developing innovative ways to address these issues. Commissioner Rogen asked if the Commissioners were required to attend the Committee meetings. Chair Cohoe replied in the negative and explained that attendance at the Committee meetings would be voluntary. Commissioner Terrill stressed that the Open Meeting Laws would have to be followed and an agenda would have to be published for the public. 3 Chair Cohoe agreed and assured the Commissioners that the process for the Committee would be handled according to the Open Meeting Laws. Commissioner Irons inquired if a minute-taker would be present for the meetings. Mr. Fix stated that a minute-taker would be provided. Mr. Fix emphasized that the Airport must obtain the FAA Close-Out Letter and in compliance with the FAA before any innovations or changes could be suggested to the FAA. Mr. Fix explained that the Airport has a clear case determination and a clear FAA message on certain items which need to be resolved first. Chair Cohoe stated that a meeting date for the new Committee will be determined shortly and looked forward to working on the new Committee. 5. APS Solar Facility Lease Mr. Fix stated that the Airport APS Solar Farm as been in existence since 1998 and according to the FAA Corrective Action Plan, the current lease between the Airport and APS should be amended based on fair market rental rate of the land. The appraised value of the fair market rental rate for the land came in at $22,500 per year. After receiving this information, APS has announced that they will most likely remove the facility. Mr. Fix explained that APS feels that the Solar Farm is utilizing old technology and is generating a minimal electricity output, so the rental of the land for an increased amount is not economically feasible for the company. Mr. Fix stated that APS will provide plans by the end of the January 2013 for removal of the facility. Chair Cohoe inquired as to who performed the land appraisal. Mr. Fix replied that Dennis Lopez & Associates performed the appraisal and has done other appraisals for the Airport. Mr. Fix added that APS has legal authority to change or dissolve the lease. Mr. Fix opined that in the long run, the decision by APS to remove the facility is mutually beneficial for APS and for the Airport. Chair Cohoe asked if the land would revert to aeronautical use and Mr. Fix replied in the positive. Chair Cohoe inquired if APS could have negotiated on the lease. Mr. Fix replied in the positive but added that APS is choosing to remove the facility. Commissioner Terrill inquired as to who was responsible for the cost of equipment removal. Mr. Fix explained that the lease calls for APS to be responsible for equipment removal, however, the Airport is cutting the 4 lease short by approximately six years and so the Airport may bear some responsibility due to the change in the lease. 6. West-MEC Update: No report. V. SUMMARY OF CURRENT EVENTS Mr. Fix discussed the following: 1. Runway Safety Area Project update: • Night closures of the runway begin this week. • The project duration was bid to last up to 60 days. The contractor was given 8 additional days due to the holidays and inclement weather. No work will be done on the night of the Fiesta Bowl as requested by Staff. • The runway will be closed at 10:00 p.m. to accommodate some late flights and the hours of flight schools. 2. Operations Update • The Airport has signed a new Letter of Agreement (LOA) with the Tower Manager, Mr. Basil Allen. • All airports have Letters of Agreement regarding how situations are handled, including runway closures and emergencies. 3. Update on John F. Long settlement and study • The issue with the John F. Long settlement was in regards to how the area on the east side of the Airport was to be developed. John F. Long donated many parcels of land to the Airport. • The settlement required that a study of the east area was to be performed between 2010 and 2012; however, the study was never initiated by either side. • Mr. Fix contacted a representative of the Long family. It was agreed that after the new Mayor and Council was seated, talks would resume as to how the study would be approached. • The study will determine the feasibility of a second runway, which was one of the stipulations in the settlement of the case. Within the Airport Capital Improvement Plan (ACIP), the FAA and ADOT have tentatively approved the design for the taxiway and the-apron but there is no plan for the runway. Furthermore, these projects would be at least five years out. Chair Cohoe wondered if there would be room for businesses if the second runway was constructed in the near future. Mr. Fix replied in the negative adding that five to ten years ago, the general aviation business was on the upswing and therefore a 5 second runway was appealing at that time. Chair Cohoe wondered why the study still needed to be completed if it is already known that there was not enough need for a second runway. Mr. Fix explained that the study is a legal part of the settlement document. VI. CALL TO THE PUBLIC Chair Cohoe made the Call to the Public. No comments were made. VII. NEW BUSINESS REQUESTS (Future Agenda Items) Commissioner Rogen inquired about Mr. Fix's meeting with the Mayor-elect who is a pilot and Airport hangar owner. Mr. Fix commented that the meeting was very good and the Mayor-elect shares some of the same concerns regarding the Airport, as the Commission, Administration, tenants and users have voiced. The Mayor- elect would also like to boost the growth of the Airport and its self-sustainability. Mr. Fix noted that the Mayor-elect inquired about the plans for a proposed Airport Museum, which was proposed some time ago by a tenant. The tenant did have a fleet of airplanes which could be on display. Mr. Fix will follow-up on the museum suggestion and also suggested that it could be a topic for the new Committee to pursue. The following business items were suggested: • Airport Rules &Regulations • Minimum Operating Standards • Airport Newsletter or other communication vehicle VIII.NEXT,MEETING TIME The next meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on the second floor Conference Room of the Airport terminal building on Wednesday, January 9, 2013. IX. COMMISSION COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS Chair Cohoe thanked all Commissioners for attending the meeting. X. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:57 p.m. by consensus. The Aviation Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of December 12, 2012 were approveat the Commission Meeting of March 13, 2013. IA ,- / 'i Walter L. Fix, A.A. . Airport Administrator 623-930-2188 6