HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Aviation Advisory Commission - Meeting Date: 2/11/2015 MINUTES
AVIATION ADVISORY COMMISSION
GLENDALE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT
6801 N. GLEN HARBOR BLVD- SUITE 201
GLENDALE,ARIZONA 85307
AIRPORT CONFERENCE ROOM
FEBRUARY 11,2015
6:00 P.M.
I. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m. by Chair Quentin Tolby with the following Commissioners
present: Walt Chaney, Leonard Escudero, and Linda Yaeger.
Also present were Walter Fix, Airport Administrator; Cathy Colbath, Deputy Director of Public Works;
James Gruber, Assistant City Attorney; Gillies, Luke Air Force Base; Edwin Ruano, Gold Coast
Helicopters; and the following members of the general public: Mr. Roy Bates, Mike Banks, Melanie
Banks, Crystal Sorensen, Michele Combs, John Deeney, Beth Deeney, Jeff Smith, Oscar Oland, Jeff
OToole, Daniel Peres, Dan Hageman, Robert Lukas, Mel Flores, Ron Kolb, Larry Rovey, Joanne Lukas
II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
Commissioner Escudero motioned to approve the January 14, 2015 meeting minutes as written.
Commissioner Yaeger made the second. The motion carried 4—0.
III. REQUEST FOR CONTINUANCE OR WITHDRAWAL OF ITEMS.
None.
IV.AIRPORT BUSINESS
1. Renewal of Commissioners and Loyalty Oath: New Commissioner Yaeger signed the Loyalty Oath.
Commissioner Chaney's term was renewed and he had been appointed as Vice Chair. Vice Chair
Chaney also signed the Loyalty Oath.New Commissioner Yaeger gave a brief background of herself.
2. Gold Coast Helicopters Presentation: Mr. Ruano, Chief Pilot for Gold Coast Helicopters, gave a
snapshot of the company business and Glendale Airport operations.
Mr. Ruano's presentation included the following information:
• The company originated in California and relocated to Arizona in 2002/03.
• Glendale,AZ is the corporate office.
• ISO 9001: 2008 Certified
• Program management offices are in Manassas, Virginia and Antigua, Guatemala.
• Government Services comprise 95%of the company business:
o Aviation Maintenance
o Turnkey Operations
o Aviation Logistics Support
o Program/Contract Management
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o Quality Assurance
o Quality Control
o Flight Operations
o Flight Training
• $300,000 to $400,000 of local business is student training on civilian helicopters.
• Commercial Aviation Services include:
o Flight Training
o Night Vision Training
o FAA Part 135 Operator
o FAA Part 133 Operator
o VA-Approved Training
• Other services include:
o Training of Phoenix Police Department and SWAT teams in shooting from helicopters
o Transporting maintenance staff to the top of local mountains to maintain cable and
antenna equipment
Mr. Ruano asked for any questions.
Commissioner Escudero asked if Mr. Ruano had concerns about drones and drone cargo lifters. Mr. Ruano
replied in the positive explaining that any craft flying above 500 feet is monitored by the FAA. However,
Mr. Ruano stressed that he must personally be aware of any craft below 500 feet and stated that a drone
could cause a fatal accident.
Chair Tolby asked Mr. Ruano for his opinion on the positives and negatives of the Glendale Airport. Mr.
Ruano stated that he used to keep his personal aircraft at the Deer Valley Airport, however, it took 20-25
minutes to take off from Deer Valley. Mr. Ruano now keeps his personal aircraft at the Glendale Airport
and since the airspace is very clear, he can depart in five minutes. Mr. Ruano added that the steps that the
Airport is taking to fix the flight line are great and the newly improved runway looks awesome. Mr. Ruano
stressed that keeping rocks off of the asphalt and continually fixing cracks is important. Mr. Ruano noted
that many airports have days which are open to the public. Mr. Ruano suggested that since the Glendale
Airport is not very well known, there should be some type of event or festival to get the public to the
Airport.
Chair Tolby thanked Mr. Ruano for his presentation.
3. Aviation Advisory Commission City Website Changes: Mr. Fix stated that all of the Commissioner
names are now posted on the City's website regarding the Commission.
Chair Tolby thanked Mr. Fix for the additions to the website. Chair Tolby still felt it was important to
have contact information posted for the Commissioners. Chair Tolby stated that the public should be able
to feel free contact the Commissioners with questions, comments and concerns.
V. SUMMARY OF CURRENT EVENTS
Mr. Fix reported on current airport activities:
1. Construction Projects/Grants
o Apron and Lighting Project: The pre-construction meeting is scheduled for February 19th.
Mr. Allen, of the Airport Tower, will conduct a safety management presentation on the 19th
to the stakeholders. The contractor will work double shifts starting the second week of
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March in order to complete the 60 day project. The light poles have an extensive order lead
time from the manufacturer which may impact the project.
o Airport Layout Plan and Narrative: This project will be completed by a grant offered by
ADOT. The RFP for a consultant is underway and will be advertised for two weeks. The
contract must go to Council for approval in April in order to complete the project by the
required deadline.
2. Operating Budget/Expenses/Revenues
o A copy of the budget was distributed.
o The budget should be on target for the next four months. There is 38% of the budget
available for this fiscal year.
o The budget planning process for FY2015-16 is underway. On March 12th, Airport staff will
meet with the City Manager regarding the proposed budget.
o The second check from the John F. Long group was received recently in the amount of
$24,000. The donation is very much appreciated.
3. Airport Business Activity/Lease Updates
o Three different land leases are still being reviewed by staff: two for private hangars and one
for the Flying Cacti Light Sport Aircraft facility. Once review is final, the leases will be
brought to the Commission for review and recommendation to Council.
o Valley Aviation Services will be contacted for a hangar sales update. Information will be
provided at the next meeting.
4. Internet Access Tenant Survey
o A brief background of the internet project was provided. Last month, the IT Department
contacted Cox Communications regarding an estimate for a co-ax or fiber cable down Glen
Harbor Boulevard. Cox Communications estimated a cost of nearly$100,000 for fiber and a
bit less for co-ax. Cox stated that if the Airport provided approximately 17 subscribers for
co-ax or 24 subscribers for fiber, Cox would run the cable at no cost to the Airport. A
survey was sent to Airport tenants. Airwest, Gold Coast Helicopters and the Civil Air Patrol
are interested. A survey completion reminder will be sent to obtain more responses.
5. Land Use Planning/Zoning
o Many public meetings regarding the proposed residential development of the nearby 64-acre
parcel have been held. The public attendance at this evening's Commission meeting is
greatly appreciated. This proposed residential development could bring homes as close as
1,500 feet from the runway. Mr. Fix continues to correspond with the City of Phoenix
Planner, Mr. Ray Brown and his staff,regarding opposition to the proposal.
o Mr. Fix attended a pre-proposal meeting regarding a good-sized medical complex at
Glendale and 91st Avenue. More information will be provided as the proposal develops.
6. Super Bowl XLIX Planning
o The PPR (prior permission required) system that the FAA required for the Super Bowl
worked pretty well system-wide. A full report will be obtained when Mr. Fix attends the
next Phoenix Airspace Users Workgroup meeting hosted by the FAA.
o The Airport handled 91 arrivals over a four day period. On game day, there were 45 jets on
the ground despite two days of rain and fog on game day.
o The Air Traffic Controllers did a great job with all of the jets, as well as 10 banner tows and
6 helicopters.
o The FBO sold $25,000-$30,000 in gallons of jet fuel. The Airport receives nine cents a
gallon from the sales.
o The new Airport café staff worked around the clock with crews catering the following
number of orders from Airports: 45 for Glendale, 50 for Goodyear, 50 for Gateway and
1,400 for Phoenix.
7. New Councilmember Airport Tour 2/23/15
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o Council-members Tolmachoff, Aldama and Turner will be taking the tour at 10:00 a.m. with
Mr. Jack Friedline, the Director of Public Works.
8. Air Traffic Operations:
o January 2015: 5,531 operations at the Airport, which is down 816 from January 2014
o For calendar year 2014, the FAA reported that total operations were down 5.7% for the six
valley reliever airports: Glendale was down 4.5%, Deer Valley was down 4.2% and
Goodyear dropped from 125,000 operations in 2013 to 88,000 operations in 2014 due to a
flight academy which moved to Falcon Field.
Chair Tolby encouraged all of the Commissioners to speak with their Council-members regarding the
proposed residential development on the 64-acre parcel of Camelback Ranch. Chair Tolby asked Mr. Fix
to keep the Commissioners apprised on any other public meetings regarding the proposal and encouraged
the Commissioners and public to attend those meetings. Mr. Fix stated that for the past two years, there
has been high-level correspondence between the City of Glendale and the City of Phoenix outlining the
opposition to the project.
Chair Tolby asked members of the public in attendance for their comments.
• A citizen stated that he opposes the project and does not want any more traffic congestion in the
area.
• A citizen stated that she invited Chair Tolby to the recent public meeting at Pendergast High
School and appreciated his attendance and comments made at the meeting. The Phoenix citizen
and her neighborhood group vehemently oppose the project. The citizen hoped that the land could
be re-zoned which would put a stop to developers proposing residential projects on the land. The
citizen offered to work hand-in-hand with the Commission to oppose the proposed development.
• A citizen suggested that the City of Glendale purchase the 64-acres.
• A citizen suggested that the City of Phoenix purchase the 64-acres and give the land to the City of
Glendale.
Commissioner Escudero encouraged the public attending in opposition of the residential development to
continue to make their voices heard to their Council-members and to attend a Council meeting and fill out
a speaker's card. Even though the development might not yet be on a Council agenda, the public is
allowed to comment on non-agenda items as well in order to simply comment or suggest a future agenda
topic. Commissioner Escudero shared a personal story about how his one voice saved a historical building
from being torn down and others could achieve the same effect by working with their elected
representatives.
VI. CALL TO THE PUBLIC
No comments.
VII. NEW BUSINESS REQUESTS (Future Agenda Items)
• Possibility of an Open House/Event at the Airport
• Possibility of a Weekend Workshop for the Commission
VIII.NEXT MEETING TIME
The next meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. on the second floor Conference Room of the Airport terminal
building on Wednesday, March 11, 2015.
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Chair Tolby announced that if there is a Maryvale Village Planning Commission scheduled for
Wednesday, March 11th in regards to the Camelback Ranch proposed development, the Aviation
Commission Meeting should be rescheduled in order for the Commissioners to attend the Maryvale
Village meeting. All agreed.
IX. COMMISSION COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Commissioner Chaney stated that he was in support of publishing some type of Commissioner contact
information on the City website.
Chair Tolby stated that he was recently contacted by the Mayor regarding a recommendation for
appointment to fill a Commission seat. Chair Tolby suggested Mr. Ron Kolb, who was in attendance.
X. ADJOURNMENT
Meeting adjourned by consensus at 7:18 p.m.
The Aviation Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of February 11, 2015 were approved at the Commission
Meeting of Marc! 18, 2105.
dolt ,
Walter L. Fix, A.A.E.
Airport Administrator
623-930-2188
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