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HomeMy WebLinkAbout24.11.14 - Minutes, Hag Regional AirportHagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of November 14, 2024 Page 1 of 4 HAGERSTOWN REGIONAL AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION Minutes of the Open Meeting November 14, 2024 The Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission held a public meeting on Thursday, November 14, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. at the Hagerstown Regional Airport Terminal Conference Room, 18434 Showalter Road, Hagerstown, Maryland. Commission members present: Rob Ferree (Chair), Austin Colby (Vice Chair), Randal Leatherman, George Stone, Laurence Gross, Samuel Cool and ex-Officio County Commissioner Randall Wagner. County staff members present included Andrew Eshleman (Director of Public Works), Neil Doran (Airport Director), Gene Bolanowski (Airport Operations & Security Manager), Tina Smith (Airline Station Leader), Giselle Butt (Office Manager), and David Douglas (Administrative Assistant). CALL TO ORDER Rob Ferree called the meeting to order on November 14, 2024, at 3:00 pm. CITIZEN’S PARTICIPATION Tom Riford, Vice President of Rider Jet Center, spoke about various events held at the Rider Jet Center and at the Hagerstown Aviation Museum (HAM). The 17th annual HangarFest took place on September 21, 2024, from 6pm-11pm at the Rider Jet Center. HangarFest is the largest breast cancer awareness fundraising event in four states. The Aviation Education and Career Expo was held on November 8th, 2024, from 9am-2pm. Sixty-five vendors, including flight schools, Colleges/Universities, military recruiters, maintenance and repair firms, aviation sector-employers, and manufacturing companies were present. Scholarships in the amount of $186,000.00 were given out to high school students toward their flight training costs. Forty applicants were identified for filling internship positions at various companies. Wings and Wheels took place on Saturday, September 14, 2024, from 10am-4pm at the Hagerstown Aviation Museum. An estimated 7,000 people attended. This event included an official grand opening of the museum and the welcoming of six new rare and historic aircraft into the museum’s collection. The museum’s collection is the largest collection of Fairchild-made planes in the world and the largest collection of museum-owned aircraft among the five aviation museums in Maryland. Mr. Riford praised the Hagerstown Regional Airport’s (HGR) staff for their assistance in making all these events a great success. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion was made by Mr. Leatherman and seconded by Mr. Gross to approve the minutes of the September 5th, 2024, meeting. The motion passed unanimously. Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of November 14, 2024 Page 2 of 4 AIRPORT DIRECTOR’S REPORT Neil Doran, Airport Director, provided his report details including that HGR was not selected to receive the requested marketing grant from the Small Community Air Service Development Grant Program (SCASDP). This would have quadrupled the airport’s marketing resources across a three- year period. Staff will likely try again in future years. HGR did, however, qualify for an Appalachian Regional Commission grant (ARC) in the amount of $50,000.00, which will be used toward marketing efforts. HGR received good media coverage on the FAA BIL-ATP Terminal Expansion grant which was awarded in the amount of $5.25 million. Mr. Doran noted that several events were held at the airport include the 15th anniversary of LifeNet 8-1, the medical helicopter operation based at HGR. Mr. Doran and Mr. Eshleman attended the Allegiant Conference at the end of September in Las Vegas. Representatives from Allegiant mentioned the possibility of Summer seasonal flights to Nashville and Fort Lauderdale. Staff also discussed the concept of developing a Crew Base operation at HGR with Allegiant representatives. The new Allegiant flight schedule should be available this evening and include flights for the period of May 13th through September 2nd, 2025. Mr. Doran will submit before the Washington County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) an increase in the fees charged to Allegiant Airlines. The new rates are scheduled to start on July 1, 2025. The estimated increase, at current activity, would be no less than $73,548.00 in additional annual revenue. Mr. Doran and staff are working with Sue Briggs from the County Budget and Finance department to improve the accuracy/precise placement of our figures used on the Annual (“CATS”) report submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Mr. Doran had a phone call to welcome Michele Morrison, the new Director at Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics (PIA). The airport business office now also features a Munis credit card machine for processing payments. Tenants will be receiving an email with information about new ways of paying their airport bills online and by phone. Mr. Doran and Mr. Eshleman both provided presentations at a local Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) tour. Both were able to express different ideas for airport improvement and larger needs. Mr. Doran had a discussion with Southern Airways Express and got a better sense of the expense involved in restoring commuter flights and how that could compare with the more-affordable Landline motorcoach-bus model. Mr. Doran and Mr. Eshleman had a video conference meeting with Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) representatives to discuss how they developed their Allegiant Crew Base operation. HGR is working with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on a Wildlife Plan Update. HGR was able to get this service for $45,000.00 instead of an estimated $100,000.00 cost offered by other firms. Some or all of this expense may be covered by an FAA grant. HGR will start collecting a $4.50 per enplanement Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) on December 1st, 2024. Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of November 14, 2024 Page 3 of 4 An Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting foam transition project has started with an initially estimated expense of $200,000 to complete. Danny Shirley, Airport Fire Chief, has been able to get this project done at a cost of $50,000-$55,000 with the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) agreeing to cover $7,000.00 of that sum. Staff from the Salisbury Regional Airport (SBY) were so impressed with our efforts they will be following the same process for their foam transition project. We had an out-of-state maintenance technician visit to inspect and maintain our Passenger Boarding Bridge (PBB). The lease with Avis has been signed and we will see an increase in revenue starting in the Spring of 2025. Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Firefighter Stand-by service has started and in the first month it generated a billable amount of more than $20,000.00. This revenue will help cover ongoing fire department expenses. HGR staff is working on drawing down FAA grant funds to reimburse the $1.6 million spent for the Fairchild Firehouse/New Heights area land acquisition in January 2023. A Chlorination system was added to the terminal water system to improve water quality. Allegiant’s first Boeing 737 operation is scheduled for November 22nd. AIRPORT OPERATIONS REPORT Mr. Bolanowski, Airport Operations & Security Manager, provided his report including the success of several events including Wings and Wheels, HangarFest, and the Aviation Education and Career Expo. The Snow and Ice control meeting was held with stakeholders and staff to review plans and procedures. Some of the construction projects have been completed or are nearing completion including: the Runway 09-27 sign and lighting project, and the reconstruction of Taxiway F. The Taxiway C Object Free Area (OFA) project is also 99% completed. The airport staff conducted a few airport tours with school groups. HGR had a few operations in support both the President and First Lady of the United States. HGR staff has also completed annual wildlife training. Mr. Bolanowski spoke about some upcoming events. He will be attending the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) Security Summit in Washington, D.C from December 2nd - December 5th. On December 5th, Mr. Bolanowski will be factory testing the new Parking Lot Pay Machines. From December 9th - December 13th Mr. Bolanowski will be at the Public Safety Training Center for Incident Command System (ICS) 300 and 400 training. AIRLINE SERVICES UPDATE Ms. Smith, Airline Services Leader, provided her report including in September she traveled to Sanford, Florida for Allegiant-specific training at that large operating base. This included an opportunity to get familiar with the Boeing 737 aircraft. Airport staff are also receiving supplemental training on the requirements of the new Boeing 737. The hiring process is going very well, with Ms. Smith is working on hiring for one more position to be fully staffed. Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of November 14, 2024 Page 4 of 4 COUNTY COMMISIONER UPDATE Mr. Wagner, County Commissioner, provided his report including an update on events he attended and continuing efforts to fill various County staff positions. He reported the County’s budget will have a $29 million surplus. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT UPDATE Mr. Horowitz was unable to attend the meeting. No update given. AAC MEMBER UPDATES Mr. Ferree praised staff and the Director for moving the airport in a positive direction. Mr. Ferree made a motion to cancel the December 12th meeting and to resume meetings in January 2025. This motion approved unanimously. Mr. Eshleman mentioned with the expansion of the airport terminal the display of diecast aircrafts near the Allegiant ticket counter may be better located and seen by more individuals if displayed at the Hagerstown Aviation Museum (HAM). Airport staff will research the background of the collection. Mr. Colby stated the museum is on the list to receive an A-10 aircraft and has one requirement remaining to complete the approval process. ADJOURNMENT Motion made to adjourn by Mr. Cool. Motion was seconded by Mr. Gross. The meeting was adjourned at 4:12 p.m.