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KENANSVILLE — Discussion about the ongoing construction and hangar rehabilitation project headlined the board meeting on Tuesday night.
“All the outside metal is almost done, walls and doors are going up in the office part, and glass will go in the conference area soon,” Director Joshua Raynor told the board at Tuesday’s meeting.
Potential charge order No. 6 to reskin the old hangars was approved at the January meeting, but the board discussed adjusting the plan to make room for upgrading the doors. New hydraulic doors would use the available budget funding but are outside of the original approved request for qualifications. The board discussed submitting a request for proposal to adjust the project plans and get approval to use the funding on the new doors.
“I recommend that we upgrade everything else but the doors then request the RFP adjustment and use the rest of the budget funds to take bids and put on new doors,” Raynor suggested and the board agreed.
Work on the fuel farm is planned to begin in April to match the delivery of the new tanks. The board discussed color on the catwalk on the top of the tanks and agreed to leave it plain galvanized steel for a clean look beyond the fence line. The old tanks will be declared surplus and sold.
The apron rehabilitation project is still in the design phase. The board discussed the life cycle cost analysis that is being done to argue the value of concrete vs. asphalt. Though the long-term cost of maintenance is higher with asphalt, concrete requires an up-front investment.
Raynor reported that 296 operations were performed in February. The airport sold 865 gallons of avgas and 15,500 gallons of jet fuel. The board discussed their rates and charges for items sold at the airport. The current rates will be submitted to county commissioners for approval. Potential rate changes following the airport upgrades were also discussed. Raynor said that he’d want to give a “lot of lead time” before any changes are made to be fair to the current tenants. Board Chairman Jack Alphin asked about trends in aviation to help determine whether an increase would meet market demand. Raynor suggested an annual standardized increase that would make rate adjustments easier. The board plans to discuss rates again at a later date.
Local farmer Jordan Heath secured a lease agreement to rent the runway protection zone, or RPZ, for hay. The six-year agreement will bring in $850 annually for the airport.
Interest in using the runway to showcase fast cars for social media was discussed. The board opposed the request, citing potential damage and liability concerns.
Problems with AT&T caused a standstill in internet service at the airport. Raynor shared that the service being used was cut off because of bigger issues with the AT&T network, and a new solution needed to be found quickly. The board discussed short-term and long-term options, including Starlink and mobile hotspots. The meeting adjourned shortly thereafter.
