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HomeMy WebLinkAbout23.02.09 - Minutes, Hag Regional AirportHAGERSTOWN REGIONAL AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION Minutes of the Open Meeting February 9, 2023 The Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission held a public meeting on Thursday February 9, 2023, at 3:15 p.m. at the Hagerstown Regional Airport Terminal Conference Room, 18434 Showalter Road, Hagerstown, Maryland. Commission members at the meeting were: Gary Bockrath Vice Chair, Curtis Berry, Laurence Gross, George Stone, Samuel Cool, Ex-Officio County Commissioner Randall Wagner, Jonathan Horowitz Director of Business Development. Airport staff members present were Andrew Eshleman Director of Public Works, Neil Doran Airport Director, Gene Bolanowski Operations Manager, Peggy Siler Airline Station Leader and Richard Lesh Administrative Assistant. CALL TO ORDER Gary Bockrath called the meeting to order on February 9, 2023, at 3:18 p.m. CITIZENS PARTICIPATION No citizens wished to participate. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion made by Mr. Cool seconded by Mr. Barry to approve the minutes of the January 12, 2023, meeting. The motion passed unanimously. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Mr. Doran reported the following: Land Acquisition Update - Still awaiting court decision regarding the condemnation. Mr. Doran also had a meeting with (Airport Design Consultants, Inc. (ADCI) finalizing details about the security and construction of the access gate. Terminal Roof Leaks- The Fenestration Experts believe the four vertical columns are leaking water through the mortar. The Airport will be getting estimates on the cost for the repairs. Industrial Permit - Mr. Eshleman has not received any additional information regarding the permit that should be issued this month. Operating Budget - Mr. Doran again thanked staff for their efforts in preparing the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget. Site H&I – Mr. Doran had a meeting with Ben Rider and his contractor and ADCI. The sites will be prepared as shovel-ready with permits and approvals already in place. As soon as an end-user or tenant is located, this would allow the tenant to build ASAP thereafter with minimal delays. Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of February 9, 2023 Page 2 of 3 GRANTS • FAA - Hagerstown Regional Airport, Reconstruct Taxiway F Pavement and Lighting - In order for the construction phase of the project to start next fiscal year, the FAA needs additional information. Letters regarding the requested funding and the Independent Fee Estimates (IFE) need to be submitted. The project is proceeding on schedule. • Infrastructure Grant - New Air Traffic Control Tower - The Airport will apply for the Tower Grant, but there is a question of who is responsible for maintaining the facility. If the grant is approved and once the maintenance costs are calculated, the Airport can decide to proceed with the project or not. NEW BUSINESS Strategic Plan - R.A. Wiedemann & Associates, Inc. (RAWA) will Create a report on developing an Airport Branding and Marketing Strategy, Developing Business Planning Strategies and Reviewing Airport Operations. RAWA would like to have a “Kick-Off” meeting next month. They recommended to have a core team of seven to ten members comprised of Airport staff, Airport Advisory Members, and possibly local business owners. Mr. Eshleman and Mr. Doran provided an update to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on January 24th about recent happenings at the airport. They received approval to apply for and accept grant funds if awarded by the FAA for these three environmentally-friendly projects (Sustainability Plan) as follows: Sustainability Plan - Applications have been submitted for the three different FAA grant items that Hagerstown Regional Airport (HGR). • The Airport applied for an energy audit can be conducted to see where the Airport spends the most money on electricity. • The Airport applied for Airfield LED lighting upgrade for both runways. This project is currently in the capital improvement plan and will be moved and placed under this environmental grant if approved by the FAA. • The Airport applied for an electric pushback tug and a backup that could push large aircraft with one possibly to be leased out to the Rider Jet Center. AIRPORT DIRECTOR’S REPORT Included with the New Business report. AIRLINE REPORT Ms. Siler gave a tour of the Airport Terminal to Ritchey’s Totlot Learning Center Thursday, February 2nd. Steven Caho (Firefighter) assisted by giving them a tour of the Airport Fire Station. Ms. Siler reported an update on our inbound and outbound numbers: Sanford/Orlando has an inbound passenger load of 1,112 and outbound passenger load of 1,124 with 882 bags. St. Pete/Clearwater has an inbound passenger load of 1,074 and outbound passenger load of 1,039 with 891 bags. The results from a performance call with Allegiant Hagerstown’s performance for January was 100% for station controllable turns with 18 departures. Customer impact was 88.5%, which is very good. Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of February 9, 2023 Page 3 of 3 Ms. Siler suggested the Airport work on a new contract with Allegiant and decide what incentives the Airport could provide to encourage additional flights and possibly new destinations. OPERATIONS REPORT Mr. Bolanowski reported: • There was a successful VIP visit on February 4th. • Planning has started for the full-scale drill that is required by the FAA and will be held in October. • The Hagerstown Aviation Museum received a donated aircraft named “Condor”. COUNTY COMMISIONERS UPDATE Mr. Wagner reported that he spoke with Ben Rider about the Fixed Based Operator working with Airport management and he has no issues doing so. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT REPORT Mr. Horowitz reported the following: One of the tenants at the New Heights industrial Park (NHIP) First Breach will swap out one of their production lines with one of their primer lines. The new primer line will provide for 60 new jobs. Another tenant at New Heights Industrial Park (NHIP) (Program Insite) a nitrile glove manufacturer will be starting up soon. They have created a process that cleans all water used in the manufacturing process, so there will be zero wastewater. A trucking company is interested in property north of the Airport, but their approval for water connection has a time frame. They will have to have a conceptual site plan in and approved by December 31, 2023, or they will have to re-submit their request and it is unlikely to be approved. MEMBERS COMMENTS Mr. Bockrath asked the members about a replacement for County Commissioner President John Barr. After a brief discussion, the members agreed to expedite the process. At next month’s meeting, the members will select and send their candidates to the Board of County Commissioners for their approval. CLOSED SESSION No topics to discuss in Closed Session. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Cool made a motion, seconded by Mr. Barry to adjourn the meeting at 4:47 p.m. The motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Richard Lesh, Administrative Assistant