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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Aviation Advisory Commission - Meeting Date: 6/10/2015 MINUTES AVIATION ADVISORY COMMISSION GLENDALE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT 6801 N. GLEN HARBOR BLVD - SUITE 201 GLENDALE,ARIZONA 85307 AIRPORT CONFERENCE ROOM JUNE 10, 2015 6:00 P.M. I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 6:04 p.m. by Chair Quentin Tolby with the following Commissioners present: Vice Chair Walt Chaney, Leonard Escudero, Larry Rovey and Linda Yeager. Also present were Walter Fix, Airport Administrator; James Gruber, Assistant City Attorney; Bill Gillies, Luke Air Force Base; Jack Friedline, Public Works Director II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING Commissioner Rovey motioned to approve the May 20, 2015 meeting minutes as written. Vice Chair Chaney made the second. The motion carried 5—0. III. REQUEST FOR CONTINUANCE OR WITHDRAWAL OF ITEMS. None. IV.AIRPORT BUSINESS 1. Proposed Airport Rates and Charges Follow-Up Mr. Fix presented additional details on the proposed changes to the Airport Rates and Charges. Mr. Fix displayed the potential revenue impact of the proposed changes to the rates and charges. Mr. Fix explained that by City ordinance, proposed changes to the Airport rates and charges may require a 60- day public comment period. Mr. Fix noted that changes to the Airport rates and charges are on the September 22, 2015 Council agenda for review and action. Therefore, the Commissioners' input and recommendation is required at tonight's meeting. Discussion was held regarding the proposed increase to the open tie-down fee from $20.00 currently to $40.00. Mr. Fix had proposed either an immediate increase to $40.00 or an implementation of the increase to $40.00 over a period of time. Commissioner Rovey felt that if imposed immediately, the Airport could lose some customers and agreed with the phased implementation. All Commissioners agreed the fee increase for open tie-downs would be implemented at $5.00 annual for 4 years to reach the survey trend rate in the valley. The Commissioners stressed the importance of negotiable lease rates. Chair Tolby stated that tenants who are willing to rent for a longer period of time should be able to negotiate a better rate than short- term tenants. Mr. Fix will set up a meeting with City staff in regards to this suggestion. Mr. Fix provided an analysis of the current terminal office space lease rate at the current occupancy versus a lower rate at 100% occupancy. Mr. Fix stated that the internet cable installations and improvements by 1 Cox Communications will bring more value to the terminal office space. Commissioner Yaeger agreed. Commissioner Rovey inquired as to who would handle lease rate negotiation if approved by Council. Mr. Fix replied that City staff or legal would handle lease negotiations. Mr. Fix will keep the Commissioners apprised of comments received by the public. Commissioner Rovey motioned to recommend to Council the proposed changes to the Airport Rates and Charges as presented with the following changes: 1. Tie-downs shall increase to $40.00 per month implemented as $5.00 per month annually over a four year period. 2. The Terminal Lease Agreement shall be amended to allow negotiable rates. Commissioner Escudero made the second. The motion carried 5—0. 2. Aircraft Hangar Storage Mr. Fix and Chair Tolby facilitated discussion on potential lines of communication with the FAA regarding the hangar storage policy at the Airport. Chair Tolby stressed that more information was necessary regarding the fact that Brackett Field Airport in Los Angeles County has been allowed to rent to non-aviation tenants, and Glendale Airport was denied this allowance. Mr. Fix explained that Brackett Field Airport does have two hangar lease rates: non-aeronautical storage has an annual surcharge to the hangar land lease at the Airport. Mr. Fix stated that the difference between Brackett Field and Glendale Municipal is that the hangars at Brackett Field are city-owned and vacant. Therefore, Brackett Field was in a non-revenue situation, while Glendale Municipal still collects rent on its land leases regardless of hangar occupancy. Mr. Fix noted that if an airport is unable to rent hangars, the FAA has been receptive to using hangars on an interim basis for non-aeronautical storage for a period of five years and fair market value must be charged. However, this allowance by the FAA is on a case-by-case basis and does not apply across the board to all airports. Mr. Fix stated that the Airport was required to come into compliance with the FAA regarding hangar storage. It was agreed by the Commission two years ago that following compliance, the Airport would request a change to the FAA policy in the future. Commissioner Rovey asked for clarification of the issues with non-compliance at the Airport and Mr. Fix provided a background of recent situation. Mr. Fix displayed copies of correspondence from Mr. Fix and Mayor Weiers to the FAA regarding the ruling disallowing non-aeronautical storage at the Airport which required the Airport to come into compliance with the FAA ruling. After the Airport came into compliance and at end of 2014, the FAA has proposed changes to its hangar storage policy and has solicited public comment. Mr. Fix, Mayor Weiers and other City staff submitted official comments. The FAA has not made any formal changes to the policy as of yet. Chair Tolby commented that a policy allowing hangar tenants to store non-aeronautical items would be optimal to achieve higher occupancy rates and maintain current tenants. Vice Chair Chaney agreed and stressed that higher occupancy leads to a more self-sufficient Airport. Chair Tolby felt that all Airports should be treated in the same manner and allowed non-aeronautical storage. It was agreed that Mr. Fix would draft a letter to the FAA requesting the allowance of safe,multi-storage in the hangars subject to inspection. The letter will be brought to the Commission for review and approval at the July meeting prior to being sent to the FAA. 2 Chair Tolby acknowledged Mr. Friedline, who gave a brief background of himself. Mr. Friedline announced Mr. Fix's retirement at the end of July and described the recruitment process for Mr. Fix's replacement and the Commission's participation. Commissioner Escudero expressed his appreciation of the opportunity to participate and the other Commissioners agreed. Mr. Gillies asked Mr. Friedline to include the needs and partnership with Luke Air Force Base as part of the recruitment process. Commissioner Rovey inquired as to the methods of advertisement for the position. Mr. Fix described the various media used. Mr. Friedline added that the valley aviation networks know that Mr. Fix is retiring and therefore,there is great word-of-mouth advertising as well. 3. Status of Aviation Advisory Commission Vacancies Mr. Fix and Chair Tolby gave an update on the efforts by the City to backfill the vacancies. Chair Tolby announced that the Commission current consists of five members. Mr. Fix announced that there are two spots to be filled: one from Council Member Tolmachoff's District and one as a Mayoral appointment. Mr. Fix displayed the Airport website which has an announcement regarding the vacancies and added that a flyer has been posted on the Airport bulletin board. Chair Tolby felt that an email should be sent to all Airport users regarding the vacancies. Mr. Fix will implement the suggestion. 4. Commission Meeting Format Chair Tolby opened the floor for feedback on the general format for the Commission meetings. Comments from the Commissioners and Mr. Gillies included the following: • Chair Tolby is running the meetings well. • The format is structured and organized well, yet allows a forum for Commissioners to speak freely with opinions. • Public feedback is important and valued. Chair Tolby has been doing a good job ensuring members of the public have their chance to provide input. V. SUMMARY OF CURRENT EVENTS Mr. Fix reported on current airport activities: 1. Construction Projects/Grants Status/ACIP Meeting o Apron and Lighting Project: The apron lights should be delivered by July 10th. Upon installation,the project will be fully completed. o .Airport Capital Improvement Plan(ACIP): Last week, Mr. Fix had a meeting with the FAA and ADOT regarding the FY2016-2020 and FY2017-2021 ACIP. Mr. Fix discussed the top three projects from the FY2016-2020 ACIP. Mr. Fix explained that the request to modify entrance on Glen Harbor Boulevard is not eligible for ADOT or FAA funding. Therefore, this project will not be included in the FY2017-2021 ACIP which has submittal date of August 28, 2015. Mr. Fix noted that the north apron improvement project and the Conair land acquisition issue will both be included in the FY2017-2021 ACIP. Mr. Fix provided a brief background of the Conair issue as requested by Commissioner Rovey. 2. Operating Budget/Expenses/Revenues o Mr. Fix announced that the Airport did not make budget and has an estimated override of $6,326.61 for FY2014-2015. Mr. Fix stated that the some of the reasons for the override include the installation of the Airport restaurant natural gas sub meter at a cost of approximately $7,000, plus the cost for emergency generator and Airport pick-up truck 3 repairs were several thousand dollars. In August, Council will approve a one-time override from the General Fund to cover the expense. o Mr. Fix announced that revenues increased by approximately $15,000 to $20,000. Reasons for the increase include lease increases due to CPI, Airport restaurant utilities revenue, an additional ground lease, and an increase in open tie-downs from 78 to 100. 3. Airport Business Activity/Cox Communications/Lease Updates o Cox Communications is still gathering access permits from Airport business owners and hangar associations. So far, there are over 12 subscriptions at the Airport. Mr. Fix displayed an installation diagram for the fiber optic cables. Mr. Fix anticipated the project to begin in 90 days and expressed appreciation to Cox Communication for the smooth negotiation and planning to date. 4. Land Use Planning/Zoning/Development: No recent issues. 5. Air Traffic Operations/Phoenix Sky Harbor Flight Paths/Community Relations o Mr. Fix reported 8,333 operations for May 2015, which was up 20% over May 2014 operations of 6,926. Mr. Fix attributed the figure to the many flight academies utilizing the Airport for training purposes. o Mr. Fix displayed the Sky Harbor public view portal which displays real time or historical flight information on the internet for valley airports. Mr. Fix stated that information from the site is useful for handling noise complaints as well as an informational tool for the public. VI. CALL TO THE PUBLIC No comments from the public. Chair Tolby announced that he and Vice Chair Chaney met with Mr. Yost of Forever Young regarding the possibility of an event at the Airport. Chair Tolby explained that Mr. Yost handled the recent running events at Scottsdale and Peoria airports whereby participants are allowed to jog on the runways. Chair Tolby distributed materials and information provided by Mr. Yost. Chair Tolby added that besides a run, other displays such as a home-built aircraft or helicopter displays could be included. Vice Chair Chaney explained that Mr. Yost would be in charge of planning and promoting the event. Chair Tolby explained that Mr. Yost works with various sponsors for his events. Chair Tolby stated that a good time for the event might be February 2016, however planning would need to begin soon. Commissioner Yaeger noted that it would be important not to have the event at the same time as the LAFB air show. Mr. Gillies stated that the air show was scheduled for March 2016. Commissioner Yaeger mentioned that the Buckeye air show was scheduled for February 2016. Chair Tolby stated that if the Commission is interested in more information, Mr. Yost will be invited to the next Commission meeting to provide more details regarding an event. The Commissioners agree to move forward in the research process for the event. VII. NEW BUSINESS REQUESTS (Future Agenda Items) • Future Commission Workshop • Presentation by Mr. Yost of Forever Young regarding a possible event at the Airport • Fiscal Year End Commission Status Report 4 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, July 8, 2015. IX. COMMISSION COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS None made at this time. X. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Yaeger motioned, second by Commissioner Escudero, to adjourn the meeting at 8:06 p.m. The Aviation Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of June 10, 2015 were approved at the Commission Meeting o July 15, 2015. 1 / if , i Walter L. Fix,A.A.E. Airport Administrator - 623-930-2188 5