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Home My WebLink About26.01.08 - Minutes, Hag Regional Airport Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of January 8, 2026 Page 1 of 5 HAGERSTOWN REGIONAL AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION Minutes of the Open Meeting January 8, 2026 The Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission (AAC)held a public meeting on Thursday, January 8, 2026, 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), Laurence Gross, George Meyer(via-telecom), Sam Cool (via-telecom), John Cavey, Aaron Vittini 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), Jonathan Horowitz (Director, Business Development), 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 January 8, 2026, at 3:04 pm. CITIZEN'S PARTICIPATION None. No visitors were in attendance. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Mr. Cool and seconded by Mr. Berry to approve the minutes of the November 13, 2025, meeting. The motion passed unanimously. VOTE TO RECOMMEND-AUSTIN COLBY The AAC agreed they would like to recommend to the Board of County Commissioners of Washington County that Mr. Colby be reappointed to serve a second term. Motion was made by Mr. Gross and seconded by Mr. Vittini. The motion passed unanimously. AIRPORT DIRECTOR'S REPORT Neil Doran,Airport Director,provided his report including: ➢ Mr. Doran gave updates on the budget for FY27. He noted the growth of the budget from 2014 to 2026: in 2014, the budget was about$1.4 million dollars. It has grown to an estimated $4.7 million for FY27. For FY27, Mr. Doran is asking to fill the Deputy Director position. A primary focus of the Deputy Director position would be to assist Mr. Doran in revenue development initiatives. The airport is suggesting increasing the T-Hangar fees by 3% and may ask for a modest increase in the parking lot fee. Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of January 8, 2026 Page 2 of 5 ➢ A meeting with Maryland Commerce Secretary Mr. Coker and delegation was held on December 1 sc ➢ Mr. Doran had multiple meetings with our Air Service consultant Volaire. ➢ A meeting with Avelo Airlines is scheduled for January 121n ➢ Mr. Eshelman and his intern researched the lost market share that Southwest Airline is experiencing in the Washington/Baltimore region due to changes in their business model. Hagerstown Regional Airport(HGR) is hoping to establish a plan using Landline motorcoach to facilitate passengers from HGR or Harrisburg International Airport(MDT) to Baltimore/Washington International Airport(BWI) to increase flights for Southwest Airline. ➢ Meeting with Washington County Industrial Foundation (CHIEF) and Josh Walsh with Sierra Nevada Corporation(SNC)regarding the purchase of the Civil Air Patrol and Nick's Airport Inn. Appraisals for both properties are underway. ➢ A meeting was held with Steven Sabold the Vice President to Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics (PIA) and Butch Adams. PIA is moving forward with their expansion project. They will also be seeking a new Campus Director. ➢ Meeting with Mountain Air Cargo who took over ownership of Royal Air Services. They have a new general manager and office staff. HGR is anticipating signing a new 10-year lease with Mountain Air Cargo at a higher rate. )0- The Wall Street Journal ran a story featuring HGR. The article was about the benefits of using smaller airports for travel. ➢ HGR surpassed 90,000 passenger operations in CY25. This is a 48% increase over the last three years. ➢ An updated terminal ramp layout with painted markings is scheduled for Spring 2026. This update is to support pushback operations and two aircrafts or one aircraft and a Landline bus on the terminal ramp. ➢ Appalachian Regional Commission(ARC) Grant marketing project has begun. Grant funds will be used for improvements on HGR's website and to obtain drone footage of the airport. ➢ Digital Air Park Sign project is complete. ➢ The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)has published the current National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). HGR updated the based aircraft count at the airport for the report. The plan is necessary to fund projects that make sure the airport's design standards are current. ➢ Mr. Doran is working on responding to a letter from the Environmental Protection Administration(EPA) regarding the historical use of firefighting foam and other chemicals around the airport. Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of January 8, 2026 Page 3 of 5 AIRPORT OPERATIONS REPORT Mr. Bolanowski, Airport Operations & Security Manager,provided his report including: ➢ Staff conducted the annual Snow and Ice Control Committee meeting on December P. ➢ The Airport Emergency Plan has been submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Also, HGR is working with the county to coordinate the Airport Emergency Plan and the County's Emergency Plan. ➢ Bolanowski attended the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE)Aviation Security Summit in Washington DC. ➢ HGR has hosted two Transportation Security Administration(TSA) CLEAR enrollment events. ➢ HGR is planning a Family Assistance workshop. This workshop is designed to bring together airline, operations, Office of Emergency Management (OEM), and our federal partners, to plan for the initial response after an aircraft incident to reunite friends and family. ➢ FAA and TSA inspections will happen in May and August respectively. This is a Tri-annual drill year for HGR. The Airport Emergency Response Drill will be conducted in October. This event brings together local and regional partners to simulate a response to an air carrier accident at or close to the airport. ➢ Security planning for the 2501h Anniversary of Washington County and the Country is underway. ➢ Federation International of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup matches will be held June through July. No major events are scheduled near the airport but events in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia might bring in increased traffic to the area. AIRLINE SERVICES UPDATE Ms. Smith,Airline Station Leader,provided her report including: ➢ Overall customer feedback regarding the parking lot fees and the snack bar prices are positive ➢ Three additional staff members will be trained on the push-back procedures, which will bring the total trained to six or seven staff members ➢ Allegiant's flight schedule has been released with dates through August 2026 ➢ Security situation happened on December 29th. Procedures were followed and this was a good training opportunity for the staff. Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of January 8, 2026 Page 4 of 5 COMMISIONER UPDATE Mr. Wagner, County Commissioner, provided his report including: ➢ Budget season for FY27 is beginning this week ➢ Election season-to elect new or re-elect incumbent commissioners-will start within the next six months ➢ Continue effort to fill various Couty staffing positions ➢ Welcomed John Cavey to the commission BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT UPDATE Mr. Horowitz, Director of Business Development, provided the following updates: ➢ Mr. Horowitz has been able to meet and talk with Governor Moore directly about the needs of Washington County ➢ Mr. Horowitz has been invited to the Governor's Sub-Cabinet meeting on January 26th. This meeting is designed to share information and the needs of individual counties across all governmental departments. AAC MEMBER UPDATES ➢ Mr. Colby informed the board that First Breach is moving forward with drone demo testing. ➢ The Hagerstown Aviation Museum(HAM) is moving forward with the executive hangar acquisition. ➢ Aviation Adventure Days will be held the third Saturday of every month. ➢ Mid-to-late June HAM will be bringing in the B-17 and the B-29, and both aircraft will be doing their 100-hours inspections in the executive hangar. There will be several events showcasing the B-17 and B-29. ➢ In May HAM will hold the Military Vehicle show. ➢ Wings and Wheels will be held on September 12th. ➢ HAM will also be participating in the 250th Washington County celebration at the Agriculture Center. ➢ Banners advertising HAM will be on two trailers located on I-81 and one trailer on Showalter Road. Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of January 8, 2026 Page 5 of 5 CLOSED SESSION Motion made at 4:30 pm by Mr. Gross and seconded by Mr. Vittini to enter closed session to discuss the appointment, employment, assignment,promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal, resignation, or performance evaluation of appointees, employees, or officials over whom this public body has jurisdiction; any other personnel matter that affects one or more specific individuals. The motion passed unanimously. Present during the closed session were Austin Colby(Chair), Curtis Berry(Vice Chair), Laurence Gross, George Meyer, John Cavey,Aaron Vittini and ex-Officio County Commissioner Randall Wagner. County staff members present included Andrew Eshleman(Director of Public Works), and Neil Doran(Airport Director). RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION Motion made at 4:46 pm by Mr. Vittini and seconded by Mr. Gross to reenter open session. The motion passed unanimously. ADJOURNMENT Motion made to adjourn by Mr. Vittini. Motion was seconded by Mr. Gross. The meeting was adjourned at 4:47 p.m. Respectfully submitted, David Douglas, Administrative Assistant