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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20.08.13 - Minutes, Hag Regional AirportHAGERSTOWN REGIONAL AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION Minutes of the Open Meeting August 13, 2020 The Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission held a public meeting on Thursday, August 13, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. at the Hagerstown Regional Airport Fire Station Training Room, 18434 Showalter Road, Hagerstown, Maryland. Commission members at the meeting were: Norm Morin, Jr., Chair, Jack Miller, Rob Ferree, Sam Cool, George Stone, Gary Bockrath, John Barr, 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, and Richard Lesh, Office Associate. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Norm Morin called the meeting to order on Thursday, August 13, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. Closed Session There were no topics to discuss in Closed Session. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion made by Mr. Cool, seconded by Mr. Ferree to approve the minutes of the June 11, 2020 meeting. The motion passed unanimously. Special Note: The July meeting was cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic issues as well as conflicts with members' schedules. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Mr. Plessinger reported the following: • Equipment Update: The belt loader has been received and is working well. The Runway 9/27 Mill and Overlay project is underway. The first phase of the project started August 3rd, relocating taxiway Delta. C. W. Hetzer is performing the work. The Airport received a Discretionary Grant for the full amount of the project due to the CARES Act eliminating the need for matching local funds. • The FAA required removal of tree obstructions for Runway 2/20 should be completed in a few weeks. The Runway 2/20 cannot open until this work is completed. Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of August 13, 2020 Page 2 of 5 • Terminal Expansion update: The project is going really well; mechanical units were installed on the roof and are working properly. Construction is being worked on all phases. The framing in the administration offices is complete. The Land Acquisition of corner of the New Heights Industrial Park (the old Fairchild facility) is needed to fix the runway visibility zone issue on runway 2/20. Mr. Plessinger stated he is working with ADCI in order to get appraisals for the property. The project will include renovating all gates and replacing the entire fence line. Air Service Development • Volaire Airport Consulting has completed a Business Case Study that outlines our traffic, demographics, and community highlights. It was created to attract new airlines. Volaire has sent the business case to Houston Air Holdings to gauge interest. Another option for air service development is applying for a Small Community Air Service Development (SCASD) grant. The grant is issued by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and applications are accepted annually. With the SCASD grant. The DOT is looking for community support, so the grant will match the amount raised by the local community businesses. Most Airlines would require a Minimum Revenue Guarantee contract with or without government funding. If the Airline did not meet the quarterly minimum revenue, the Airport Community is required to pay the difference. The SCASD grant, if awarded, would pay 50 percent (half) of that difference. The members agreed that asking the local businesses for money right now would not be very successful. After discussion the members decided to table the decision about applying for a SCASD grant until the airline environment improves. All agreed to keep perusing any leads for low cost Airlines that may not require a Minimum Revenue Guarantee. NEW BUSINESS There was no new business to discuss. AIRPORT DIRECTOR'S UPDATE Mr. Plessinger reported on the following: The CARES Act provides federal funding to the Hagerstown Regional Airport that will be utilized for reimbursement of wages and benefits. Currently the Airport is submitting reimbursements for the first half of 2020. Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of August 13, 2020 Page 3 of 5 In discussions with the Hagerstown Aviation museum it was decided that Wings and Wheels Event for 2020 should be cancelled. AIRLINE REPORT Ms. Siler made the following report: The Airport on-site Maintenance facility Plane Care is under new management and has not renewed the maintenance agreement with Allegiant. Ms. Siler reported after coordinating discussions with Allegiant Maintenance and the new General Manager of Plane Care, an agreement is forthcoming. The Allegiant flight Schedule is out to mid-February. The flights are doing well, the Airport Should reach 10,000 enplanements this month. An Allegiant auditor showed up last week for a surprise audit. Out of 147 bullet points only one minor infraction was found, the result was a 99%. Members stated maybe Washington County Public Relations should promote this and maybe it should be mentioned at one of the Board of County Commissioners meetings. The new TSA inspector was impressed with the operation and did not have any concerns with any security issues. • Allegiant is requiring masks to be worn on all flights. Answering one of the members questions Ms. Siler stated she has never received notification of anyone being infected with covid-19 from any of our flights. The only food or drinks available at the Airport are two vending machines in the temporary Hold Room. Ms. Siler suggested a food truck operator could be utilized on the days and times there are flights. Several members responded the problem may be there just is not enough business for the operator, predominately now when the passenger loads are low. Ms. Siler stated when the new Hold Room opens snacks and drinks should be available for the passengers. It is especially needed when there are flight delays. The Airport will continue to work on finding a vendor for food or snacks for the passengers. OPERATIONS REPORT Mr. Bolanowski reported on the following: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspection was held virtually this year, due to COVID-19. The Airport passed the elements with no deficiencies at this time. There has not been any word on an on-site inspection at this time, again citing COVID concerns. The inspector is currently planning on doing an on-site inspection next year. The Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) came to the airport on August 11, 2020 for their annual licensing inspection. A tour of the ongoing construction projects, Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of August 13, 2020 Page 4 of 5 inspection of the airfield, and discussion on various state concerns resulted in the Airport passing the annual inspection. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is also conducting an on-site inspection of the Airport and its security programs currently. This inspection checks our compliance with various TSA regulations and staff training on security, as well as provides an opportunity to discuss upcoming security projects and regulations to plan for future changes when possible. Due to changes being implemented, the Airport security program will have to be modified after the Terminal Expansion construction is complete. The Airport is still planning on October 17th for the Full -Scale Drill date. Due to COVID risk, FAA approval will be needed to modify the drill to limit participation to first responders and Airport staff, to minimize the potential exposure and mitigate as much risk as possible. COUNTY COMMISIONERS UPDATE Mr. Wagner reported on the following topics: COVID-19 is causing the Commissioners to keep the budget tight. The County is only hiring essential employees. Concerned with the future, the County is not making any large expenditures. The County Commissioners helped the Business Development Department by contacting local businesses to inform them of the Business Stabilization Program. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT REPORT Mr. Horowitz reported the CARES Act Business Stabilization Program was established to assist small businesses with under 50 employees. After the initial round, 740 grants were approved and only 36 were denied due to being in the wrong industry. The Business Stabilization Program was re -opened and 12 new applications were received this week. Though not at liberty to discuss at length, Mr. Horowitz stated he is working with Amazon on several projects in Washington County; some that may have a positive impact on the Airport. After performing his own local economic development survey, Mr. Horwitz stated the more rural the area the quicker the recovery. Garret county has received a record number of visitors last month. Washington County is doing well relative to neighboring Counties, not as well as Garret County but better than Frederick County. The Business Development Department is hard at work promoting that Washington County is open for business. Many Developers are showing interest in Washington County. Mr. Horowitz also reported: The New Heights Industrial Park's prospects for future tenants is encouraging. Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of August 13, 2020 Page 5 of 5 MEMBERS COMMENTS The Members welcomed George Stone as the newest member of the Airport Advisory Committee. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Bockrath made a motion, seconded by Mr. Miller to adjourn the meeting at 4:13p.m. The motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, ) A. - - A11L,- / o an Mo n, Jr., ClYair