Loading...
02/07/2007 AIRPARK ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES CITY OF CLEARWATER February 7, 2007 Present: Tom Calhoun Chair James Hess Vice-Chair Dennis Roper Board Member – arrived 3:18 p.m. David Spaulding Board Member Norma Carlough Board Member Also Present: Carlos Colón Assistant City Attorney William Morris Marine & Aviation Director Gordon Wills Airport Operations Manager Patricia O. Sullivan Board Reporter The Chair called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. at City Hall. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. 2 – Approval of Minutes Member Hess moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of November 1, motion 2006, as submitted in written summation to each board member. The was duly carried seconded and unanimously. 3 - Tenant & Lease Report from FBO FBO (Fixed-Base Operator) representative Barbara Cooper reported the 47 T-hangars and 40 shade hangars are fully occupied and have waiting lists. Twenty-six of 43 hard stands are rented. Two of 21 grass stands are rented. The corporate hangar is rented to capacity. She reviewed visitor counts. The CAP (Civil Air Patrol) held a fly day recently. Upcoming events include a Young Eagles rally, a visit by Pinellas Pals Club, a group of visually-impaired children, and an extended visit by the missionary group JAARS. Ms. Cooper said the airpark is receiving calls regarding Neighbor Day, June 23, 2007. It may be possible to obtain a waiver to feature a tethered balloon at the event. A NASA astronaut has been invited and a remote control demonstration is planned. Airport Operations Manager Gordie Wills will send invitations to groups, such as the U.S. Coast Guard. The airpark is seeking sponsors to help defray costs. She said it is difficult to schedule skydivers for a single jump as FAA approval is necessary and many airpark planes must be moved. 4 – Old Business – None. 5 – New Business Review Documents sent to members Airpark Advisory 2007-02-07 1 Assistant City Attorney Carlos Colón has reviewed and corrected the board’s bylaws, rules, and procedures. Members submitted recommended corrections. Staff will verify who has the ability to call special meetings. Regarding a “through the fence operator,” Mr. Wills said the generic wording is based on FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation) language and does not apply to the airpark. The City’s Fire Department has jurisdiction. Regarding page 42, Ms. Cooper recommended that language, requiring aircraft to have functioning, two-way radios be expanded to require pilots in the traffic pattern to use their radios and announce their position and intention. Mr. Colón said the board does not have to review the documents again unless legal issues need to be resolved. Review financial status as of first quarter Mr. Wills reported the airpark’s annual operating budget is almost $196,000. To date, $68,000 has been spent. Staff anticipates $229,000 in revenues this year. To date, the airpark has collected $73,500 and earned approximately $5,000 more than it spent. The greatest expense related to security system work. The new facility has reduced maintenance costs. A copy of a year-to-year comparison of annual operating costs and revenues was requested. New Officers motion Member Hess moved to reappoint Tom Calhoun as Chair. The was duly carried seconded and unanimously. motion Member Carlough moved to reappoint James Hess as Vice Chair. The was duly carried seconded and unanimously. Requests It was requested that a windsock be reinstalled at the north end of the airpark. Airpark Pilots Marine & Aviation Director Bill Morris complimented airpark pilots for self-policing. Pilot meetings focus on safety. He requested that EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) and other pilot groups continue to invite him to their meetings. The flight school also was complimented for encouraging radio use. Expanding Airpark Hours One person recommended allowing landings at the airpark until 11:00 p.m., stating that a small group of vocal residents are restricting full use of this City asset. Discussion ensued with comments that current landing times cause difficulties for eastbound commercial pilots, as they must land in St. Petersburg, arrange for roundtrip transport to Clearwater, and later relocate the aircraft to the airpark. It was suggested that late landings could be limited to six times a year. It was agreed that aircraft makes little noise when landing. Concerns were expressed that the airpark could not limit late landings to specific Airpark Advisory 2007-02-07 2 . . . tenants and that the extension of hours would have a negative impact on the airpark's relationship with its residential neighbors. Ms. Cooper said the airpark lost four tenants last year due to the hours, primarily landing times. She said there is not enough space to accommodate the number of aircraft that would be interested in locating at the airpark if operations were extended to 24 hours a day. One person said the airpark has an insufficient number of corporate tenants to consider extending landing hours and should construct additional hangars and t-hangars to increase revenues. Discussion ensued regarding extending landing times on a trial basis. It was stated that fluctuating the landing times would be confusing to pilots based elsewhere. It was felt the airpark is for general aviation and not designed to be a corporate base. It was suggested that the operational times and current demand be reviewed. One person said the Sheriff's helicopter and U.S. Coast Guard aircraft are responsible for the majority of nighttime aircraft noise. In response to a question, Mr. Morris anticipated that the level of neighborhood complaints would increase immediately if discussions on extending operational hours began. He recommended meeting with neighbors and providing all affected residents the opportunity for input before presenting this issue to the City Council. He said a small increase in revenues is of little value if good will with surrounding neighborhoods is lost and staff must spend its time fielding complaint calls. It was recommended that the issue be presented to the Clearwater Homeowners Association in April. It was felt that the entire community should be included in discussions, not just those who oppose the airpark. Member Roper moved to table discussion of extending landing times at the Clearwater Airpark until August 2007. The motion was duly seconded. Discussion ensued with comments that the Airpark Advisory Board should address issues identified by the City Council, not initiate change, that it should react to public input, and that it is responsible to see that the asset is used to its highest potential. Upon the vote being taken, the motion carried unanimously. 6 - Aqenda for Next Meetinq on Mav 2. 2007 7 - Adiournment The meeting adjourned at 4:12 p.m. ~dtmn:J Board Reporter -U4- ir, Airpark Advisory Board Airpark Advisory 2007-02-07 3