Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout25.04.10 - Minutes, Hag Regional AirportHagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of April 10, 2025 Page 1 of 4 HAGERSTOWN REGIONAL AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION Minutes of the Open Meeting April 10, 2025 The Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission (AAC) held a public meeting on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. at the Hagerstown Regional Airport Terminal Conference Room, 18434 Showalter Road, Hagerstown, Maryland. Commission members present: Austin Colby (Chair), Curtis Berry (Vice Chair), Randal Leatherman, Laurence Gross, Samuel Cool, George Stone, George Meyer and ex-Officio County Commissioner Randall Wagner. County staff members present included Andrew Eshleman (Director of Public Works), Neil Doran (Airport Director), Jonathan Horowitz (Director of Business Development), Gene Bolanowski (Airport Operations & Security Manager), Tina Smith (Airline Station Leader), Giselle Butt (Office Manager) and David Douglas (Administrative Assistant). CALL TO ORDER Austin Colby called the meeting to order on April 10, 2025, at 3:03 pm. CITIZEN’S PARTICIPATION Tom Riford, Vice President of Rider Jet Center, spoke about various interviews and news articles featuring RJC including: A National Magazine was at the Rider Jet Center interviewing Ben Rider, owner and operator of RJC, for an article highlighting Hagerstown and Washington County. Aerospace and Defense Review is interviewing Ben Rider, owner and operator of RJC, for an article naming Rider Jet Center as one of the top FBOs in the country. PR Newswire is doing an article celebrating the 15-year anniversary of LifeNet 8-1 Air Ambulance, a medical helicopter operation based at Hagerstown. Business and Commercial Aviation Magazine will also be featuring a story on RJC and its relationship with LifeNet 8-1 Air Ambulance. That interview is set for May 2025. Planning is continuing for the Aviation Career Expo to be held on November 7th and the 17th annual Hangerfest to be held on September 20th. Planning for construction of a new addition to include bathrooms at Sierra Nevade Corporation (SNC) Hangar 17A is also underway. Representatives of the Rider Jet Center also attended the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Schedulers and Dispatchers conference on March 25th-27th. Over 800 companies shared their exhibits at the conference. The conference was a great opportunity for networking and sharing ideas with peers in the aviation industry. Eight Apache helicopters and various other aircraft flew into the RJC on April 9th. They are part of the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade and were returning from deployments overseas. RJC was given a Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of April 10, 2025 Page 2 of 4 Certificate of Appreciation from the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade for their continual support and generosity which contributed to the successful return of the brigade’s helicopters. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion was made by Mr. Gross and seconded by Mr. Leatherman to approve the minutes of the March 13th, 2025, meeting. The motion passed unanimously. AIRPORT DIRECTOR’S REPORT Neil Doran, Airport Director, provided his report including that, unfortunately, funding to replace HGR’s Air Traffic Control Tower will not be included in this year’s state budget. Airport staff will likely try again next year to obtain state funding. It was also reported that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) deemed the ATCT siting study from 2016 as too old and thus will need to be redone. This study is estimated to take approximately 6 months to 1 year to complete at a cost of $72k. On March 25th – the RJC hosted a lunch presentation with Carl Anderton from the State Commerce Office to promote Aero-defense industries in Maryland. This focus on expanding Aero- defense could also assist companies like Sierra Nevada Corporation. SNC is expected to create additional local jobs with the workforce increasing from some 450 jobs to approximately 700 jobs within the next 1-2 years. Two of the three items needed to move forward with the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics (PIA) expansion project-the Airport Layout Plan revisions and the Runway Protection Zone written analysis- have been submitted to the FAA. The final step is the environmental documentation which is being developed and worked on. A meeting is scheduled next week with the FAA to discuss the precise information that needs to be in the environmental documentation and if any soil/water samples need to be taken. On April 3rd Washington County staff met with the Environmental Protection Administration, Maryland Department of Environment, and the Federal Aviation Administration to learn more about the status of the Fairchild Site investigation. Shannetta Griffin was named the new Executive Director/CEO of the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) including oversight of the Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI). Mr. Doran is working with Ashish Solanki, Director of the MAA’s Office of Regional Aviation Assistance, on scheduling a tour of HGR and to discuss adequate funding for the entire state-wide system of airports with Ms. Griffin. HGR is also continuing marketing efforts and working with Allegiant to produce “price point” ads and to geofence digital ads around area colleges and universities. We will also have radio spot ads and more printed ads especially during the months of April, May and June 2025. Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of April 10, 2025 Page 3 of 4 AIRPORT OPERATIONS REPORT Mr. Bolanowski, Airport Operations & Security Manager, provided his report including that staff have conducted a few airports tours for various schools and home school groups. Airport badge renewals are also underway. The annual FAA inspection is scheduled for May 6th- May 8th. The airfield painting and rubber removal project is still scheduled for April 13th - April 17th, 2025. Mass emails to airport tenants have been sent out to communicate airfield closures. The County Highways Department is installing security bollards at the front curbside of our airport terminal. Flight operations for Allegiant and our T-Hangar tenants should start to increase in May and continue during the summer months. From mid-February through today, the parking revenue has grossed $62,140 and netted $59,505. AIRLINE SERVICES UPDATE Ms. Smith, Airline Services Leader, provided her report including that her team is prepared for unannounced audits from Allegiant. Flights to Myrtle Beach resume May 23rd. Cross training of her staff is going well. Ms. Smith will also be attending an NTSB Emergency Response Preparedness training program in June. COMMISIONER UPDATE Mr. Wagner, County Commissioner, provided his report praising Mr. Doran and Mr. Eshleman for a great job presenting the airport’s FY26 budget at the Board of County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, April 8th. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT UPDATE Mr. Horowitz, Director of Business Development, provided his report including an interview with the Washington Business Journal promoting Washington County and HGR. Mr. Horowitz attended public speaking events at Leadership Washington County at Port Richie and at the Kiwanis Club promoting the airport. On April 24th Brooke Lierman, Maryland’s Comptroller, will attend a round table discussion at the Chamber Office regarding housing. The information gathered will be presented to the governor regarding the impact of the housing shortage in Maryland. On April 16th at 5p.m., at Clear Spring High School, there will be a public hearing about the 40 West Bridge closure. It is estimated that the bridge will be closed for two years. AAC MEMBER UPDATES Mr. Colby informed the board that the Hagerstown Aviation Museum (HAM) is still moving forward with the certification process to receive a Fairchild’s A-10 aircraft. Hopefully, by the end of the month, the Air Force Museum will visit to complete a site survey, the last step in the certification process. Renovations at the museum are also moving forward. The first Open Airplane Day & EAA Young Eagles Flights will be held on April 19th. Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of April 10, 2025 Page 4 of 4 ADJOURNMENT Motion made to adjourn by Mr. Cool. Motion was seconded by Mr. Gross. The meeting was adjourned at 3:37 p.m.