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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20.06.11 - Minutes, Hag Regional AirportHAGERSTOWN REGIONAL AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION Minutes of the Open Meeting June 11, 2020 In response to the existing State of Emergency, this meeting of the Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission was conducted with a virtual component allowing for AAC Members and Staff participation with a virtual component via remote audio conference. on Thursday, June 11, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. With the following Members present: Norm Morin, Jr., Chair, Jack Miller, Rob Ferree, Sam Cool, Gary Bockrath, George Stone and Ex -Officio County Commissioner Randall Wagner. Staff members present were Washington County Department of Business Development- Jonathan Horowitz, Business Development Leader. Airport staff members present were Garrison Plessinger, Airport Director, Gene Bolanowski, Operations Manager, Peggy Siler, Airline Station Leader, Richard Lesh, Office Associate. Special Note: The April and May meetings were cancelled due to Governor Hogan's Executive" Order followed by Interim County Administrator & County Attorney, Kirk Downey's instruction to "cancel all non-essential business meetings, and office visits..." on March 22, 2020. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Norm Morin called the meeting to order at 3:02 p.m. Closed Session There were no topics to discuss in Closed Session. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion made by Mr. Ferree, seconded by Mr. Miller to approve the minutes of the March 12, 2020 meeting. The motion passed unanimously. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION There were no citizens present who wished to participate. AIRPORT DIRECTOR'S UPDATE Mr. Plessinger reported on the following: • The Airport will be receiving CARES Act funding to cover wages and benefits. Also included in the CARES Act there will not be any required local match required for ACIP grants for the Passenger Boarding Bridge and the Runway 9/27 rehabilitation projects. These will be 100% federally funded. • Funds will be needed to make up for the loss in revenue from Southern Airways ($30,000 annually) and concessions from AVIS/BUDGET Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of June 11, 2020 Page 2 of 4 • Additional forward funding will be needed for change orders necessary for the completion of the Terminal Expansion project as well as the additional placement of security cameras and assess control system exceeded the allowance from the County. • Funds will be needed for the Land acquisition (Runway Visibility Zone) project for professional services and appraisals. • The Airport will reallocate funds to make up for losses from the pandemic and the various airports needs that have been held off due to budgetary reasons. A detailed spreadsheet is attached. • One of the changes was to take the runway painting project out of the budget, the painting will be included in the Runway 9/27 rehabilitation project. AIRLINE REPORT Peggy Siler, Airline Station Leader, stated the first month with 24 flights cancelled, it was overwhelming dealing with the large number of customers trying to change or cancel their reservations. Things are picking up now with flights at approximately 50% capacity. The benefit to Hagerstown is people are more comfortable flying out of a smaller airport. Allegiant is giving out safety Kits which have a mask gloves and hand sanitizer. Allegiant is notifying passengers of the cleaning process of the aircraft. The temporary hold room working great. Ms. Siler believes it is important to keep the passengers informed about all the changes that are happening. Answers to questions from the committee: Myrtle Beach flights are flying Monday and Friday and some flights are as low as $8.00; The Airbus 319 has a seating capacity of 156; The Airbus 320 has a seating capacity of 177 or 186. The committee suggested that Business development collaborate with Ms. Siler and Public Relations to send out a press release to promote that the Airport is operating and has great flights with great prices. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Mr. Plessinger reported on the following project updates: • Equipment Update: The Belt Loader is expected to be delivered at the end of June or early July. The Flail Mower is proposed to be purchased outright with reallocated funds. • The Runway 9/27 mill and overlayppdate: We are expected to receive the discretionary grant by the end of June. The grant from the FAA will be in the amount of $6,000,000 (with no local match due to the CARES Act). The bid was awarded to C. William Hetzer, Inc. at $5,775,230. • Passenger Boarding Bridge update: Received the grant agreement two weeks ago and executed the change order to utilize the current contract under Callas Contractors who is doing the terminal expansion. • Terminal Expansion update: The Airport Offices are now located in the fire station. The Steel is up, and concrete will be poured this week. Framing has started in the office space. Mr. Morin added: The first of March was the original deadline, but due to pandemic More areas Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of June 11, 2020 Page 3 of 4 are being worked on simultaneously. Now the project is projected to be completed in January. Land Acquisition of corner of the New Heights Industrial Park (the old Fairchild facility) in order to fix the runway visibility zone issue on runway 2/20: Working with ADCI in order to get appraisals. The COVID-19 pandemic is delaying the appraisals. The Airport -needs to request forward funding for appraisals and professional services from the County Commissioners. NEW BUSINESS Mr. Plessinger presented the following: Air Service Development: Volaire Aviation Consulting is currently conducting market research and putting together a business case for us. For possible EAS reinstatement with a legacy carrier brand operated by SkyWest with possible routes with United to Chicago or with Delta to Atlanta. Mr. Plessinger stated Southern Airways contacted him regarding re -applying for the Essential Ai Service program. The SCASD Grant is another possibility for acquiring funds. There are a limited number of these grants available and there is a 60 -day application timeline. The Department of Transportation (DOT) wants to see a measurable amount of local funds to show community support for the service. The DOT also wants to see a broad-based support (many donors as opposed to one or two) The Committee members responded that the SCASD grant will be difficult right now due to the pandemic significantly reducing recreation and business travel. Many local businesses are struggling financially, and it would be difficult to find donor support for this grant at present. After members discussion it was agreed moving forward to use Mr. Plessinger's best judgement. OPERATIONS REPORT Mr. Bolanowski Reported regarding the FAA Virtual documents inspection: The new computer- based training program for employees was implemented. The training and inspection records were sent in digitally and they were approved. While still waiting on the physical inspection part we are not anticipating any discrepancies. The Tri -annual drill is postponed until October. Still anticipating a full-scale drill. There were five new T -Hangars leases signed and there are eight people on the waiting list. The COVID-19 pandemic reduced the size of the list. COUNTY COMMISIONERS UPDATE Mr. Wagner reported on the following topics: 0 The Board of County Commissioners passed a balanced budget. Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of June 11, 2020 Page 4 of 4 Mr. Wagner is glad there is Government Money available for some departments. The Commissioners are consumed with COVID-19 and are following Governor Hogan's orders. • Responding to Committee members question: Mr. Wagner stated the hiring process for the new county administrator was delayed due to the pandemic and they are now scheduling interviews. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT REPORT Mr. Horowitz reported the CARES ACT Business Stabilization Program that helps small businesses with under 50 employees has received 350-400 applications well short of the funds available. Using the Public Relations department, the Herald Mail, and Blasts in social media we need to get the word out. Program is running smoothly -Checks are being sent out. We may have to extend the program or have a second round. The new tenant in the Warehouse across the street is Amazon and they are very tight lipped about their plans. The Business.Development department foresees a very positive impact for the Airport. New owners of New Heights Industrial Park are very happy with the area and the relationships they have made in the County. They are making many improvements to the property. MEMBERS COMMENTS The Members welcomed George Stone as the newest member of the Airport Advisory Committee. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Cool made a motion, seconded by Mr. Miller to adjourn the meeting at 4:01p.m. The motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, 2 Nonnih Morin, fr., thaif