ASHLAND AIRPORT COMMISSION
June 4, 2013
 
MINUTES
 
 
 
 
Members Present: David Wolske, Nicole Doran, Jeff Nielsen, Susan Moen, Lincoln Zeve, Elizabeth Tripp, Richard Hendrickson, Bob Skinner and Alan DeBoer
Staff: Scott Fleury & Brenda Barker
Members Absent: William Skillman, Greg Lemhouse
Visitors: None
 
CALL TO ORDER: 9:30 AM
 
 

1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: May 7^th, 2013, motion by Hendrickson for approval, second by Tripp, minutes approved. Nielsen asks to add a hangar use agenda item, Commission agrees to agenda addition.

 
 

2. Public Forum: No public discussion.

 
 

3. OLD BUSINESS:

1. FBR RFP/Lease: Staff informs Commission the RFP for a new FBO closed the previous Thursday and Skinner Aviation was the only responder. Staff believes that it will take approximately two weeks for the grading team to score Skinner proposal and verify all operational requirements of the RFP can be handled by Skinners and his staff. The City still maintains the discretion of awarding the FBO lease to the sole proposer, or reissuing the RFP at a later date. Once the grading is complete the City, if they so choose, can negotiate final lease terms and start date with Skinner Aviation. A few of the lease terms will be clarified in response to an addendum that was released during the process.
2. AIP Projects: Staff informs Commission the City is still waiting for written approval from the FAA confirming that non-primary entitlement funds will be available next spring in grant form to reimburse the City for the taxilane engineering. Staff still needs to generate the qualification based selection request for proposal for the engineering work. Once an engineer is selected the final scope of work and budget will be determined. The engineering and construction documentation package needs to be ready by June of 2014 for public bids in order to receive the construction grant funding. The engineering for this project will not be complex, but there will be significant work with regards to going through the environmental process as required when federal funds are used on projects.
3. Airport Budget: Staff informed Commission the budget document will be presented before the City Council at tonight’s meeting for full approval. The document includes the airport add packages for the hangar door and shade hangar enclosure projects. The airport rate recommendations will also go before the Council at tonight’s meeting. If the new rate structure is approved staff will forward to Skinner in order to charge new rates starting July 1, 2013. In addition, the add package monies will be available July 1.

 
 

4. NEW BUSINESS:
   1. Airport: Good Neighbor Items: Skinner states he has received an occasional complaint over the past two months, but nothing directed at a specific operator. Skinner also informs Commission that various helicopter operations have been occurring onsite with minimal impact. Commission inquires into the remodeling of the Ward house. It appears the house is being completely remodeled and brought up to current standards. Commission would like to verify an avigation easement has been signed and recorded as part of the deed record for the property as now would represent the perfect time to make this happen if not complete already.

 
Motion by Zeve: Move to determine if an avigation easement is in place prior to issuance of a final occupancy permit by Jackson County, 2^nd by Hendrickson, all approved.
 
Wolske states that long term parking has been moved to the area between Sky Research and the FBO maintenance hangar.
     
 

2. Airport mowing: Staff states the agreement with the Parks Department is for four thousand dollars a year and covers mowing, weeding and sprinkler system maintenance. No other details were available for the agreement. Commission believes this a fair price for maintenance of the airport grounds. Staff states the Street Department has mowed the area west of the runway and is done for the season. The Street Supervisor has asked to investigate the possibility of purchasing a loader front end mower that could be used multiple times a year onsite to keep vegetation at a minimum. Purchasing a mower would eliminate the need to rent or borrow equipment and allow flexibility to maintain the site. Staff also informs Commission that grading the area to the north east of Sky Research has been postponed until fall. Brim Aviation expressed concern over tearing up the existing sod cover during the summer as their helicopter operations will create a large amount of dust in that area without proper ground cover. Brim stated he would maintain that area during the summer season and the City will finish up grading work when there is less worry about dust.

3. Airport Zoning: Staff informed Commission that after a meeting with the Planning Director, Bill Molnar that two critical issues need to be resolved with regards to the airport overlay code update. These issues are parking requirements and the 15% landscaping requirements of the E1 zone. The building height restriction represents an easy change to include the maximum E1 height of 40’ with the actual heights based on the FAR77 requirements. Molnar would like the Airport Commission to determine a method to handle the parking and landscaping requirements. Once a method is determined he will be able to develop a comprehensive schedule for the code update.

 
Commission would like to see the code update occur as soon as possible specifically with the taxilane extension project coming up next year. This taxilane project will allow for developers to build banks of hangars and its critical the overlay code at that point allow for airport appropriate development.
 
Staff discusses options for landscaping including eliminating the requirement all together, picking a centralized location for improvements or riparian restoration the length of Neil Creek on the airport boundary. With regards to the parking requirements staff states there are also a few options to consider, including development of the public parking lot to the north east of Sky Research’s hangar. Staff would like to see commercial hangars accommodate their parking requirements around the building within the leased area, while general aviation individuals can use the public lots, or park in their hangar as they often do. Commission would like staff to research how other similar general aviation airports handle the parking and landscaping requirements. Staff to research and forward any information via email prior to the next meeting for Commission review.
 

4. Hangar Use: Nielsen asks about lease requirements regarding occupying a hangar without storing an airplane. Staff states the lease has a provision of default if plane is absent from a rented hangar for more than a period of five months.  Staff believes the lease has different requirements for renters vs. long term ground lease occupants. Commission believes in the best interest of the airport and City to have based aircraft and not allowing individuals to use hangars only for private storage. Commission would like to discuss this as a future agenda item and also discuss the possibility of penalties for individuals who do not store aircraft within hangars.

 
 
 

5. AIRPORT MANAGER REPORT/FBO REPORT/AIRPORT ASSOCIATION:

1. Status of Airport, Financial Report, Review of Safety Reports: Skinner states activity is picking up as the weather improves. Skinner also informs Commission the maintenance shop has been busy and he has been flying fire spotting missions for his Forest Service contract.
2. Maintenance Updates: Skinner states the weed problem at the airport is increasing and needs to be handled as it is speed up the pavement degradation issue on the taxilane’s and taxiway’s. Skinner states the PMP program did not apply an herbicide with their last project as the organic product was in powder form and their was too much wind when the contractors were onsite. Staff to bring this issue up with Faught again and research who if anyone can approve spraying of herbicides onsite. Staff will also speak with McFarland from the Parks Department to determine the most effective herbicide to manage weeds at the airport. Staff states that if spraying occurs onsite all airport users should be notified of the time and date and a NOTAM should be issued. Staff informs Commission the asphalt damage done by the recent prop strike was recently repaired by the Street Department.
3. Brown Bag: No update.
4. Transportation Commission: Staff informs Commission the Council will review parking prohibitions painting around the Plaza loop at the next meeting.
5. Medford Airport: No update
6. Action Item List: List updated to include mower purchase and removal of various cleanup items.
7. Airport Day/Marketing: The Puget Sound Antique Aircraft Club has their scheduled fly in to the Ashland Airport on July 17^th. The planes will be available for viewing between noon and three on the 17^th. Hendrickson states that many volunteers will be needed to act as marshals for the viewing public and also to taxi the club from the airport to their hotels and back. Staff will post a small informational item on the City website informing citizens of the fly in and the ability to view up to thirty antique aircraft. Commission is interested in sending a member to the Council meeting on July 16^th to discuss the state of the airport and also discuss the fly-in the next day.

OTHER:
The meeting of the JC airport commission is the third Monday of the month at 12:00 PM.
 
NEXT MEETING DATE:  July 2, 2013 beginning at 9:30 AM
 
ADJOURN:  Meeting adjourned at 11:03AM