Aviation Board Hears Updates On Capital Improvement Plans
January 11, 2017 at 7:32 p.m.
By David [email protected]
In his engineer report, Ken Ross, NGC Aviation Consultants, asked for the board to approve the Warsaw Municipal Airport’s Capital Improvement Program.
He said he and Airport Manager Nick King met with Mayor Joe Thallemer this week to get him up to speed on their November meeting with INDOT and the Federal Aviation Administration.
“We talked about some strategies, through (Michiana Area Council of Government) as well as some of the other ones we talked about in the past. Suffice to say, I think we’re moving forward with one of the strategies we talked about in the past,” Ross said. “We’re trying to get a meeting set up with some representation and we can tell you more about that as the meeting happens.”
As for the Warsaw airport’s capital improvement program, Ross said they’ve already been told by the FAA that this year was not a good year for discretionary projects.
“We didn’t have anything on there this year that was likely to get funded anyway, so we’re recommending that we go ahead and roll over the 2017 money so it will be available in 2018,” he said.
Ross said a plan to lower the power lines at the end of the airport was split up over two years. The FAA previously advised Warsaw that is should phase things into smaller pieces, but now it’s saying to consolidate them into bigger, fewer projects.
“We have now combined the power lines back into one project with the goal of it being funded in 2018,” Ross said. “Then after that, 2019, we have the LED taxiway lighting system that’s been on our radar screen for some time. For now, we are showing the road (CR 100E) relocation being funded with some sort of alternative mechanism of funding. That is subject to change before we get to that year. This is just the target we’re shooting for with the FAA and hopefully with the assistance we’re seeking to get things moving again.”
The Capital Improvement Program has to be submitted to INDOT by Feb. 1, so he asked for the board’s acceptance of the program. The board voted to authorize Rigdon to sign off on the program.
Board President Jay Rigdon explained to board member Dan Robinson that with the CIP, the state wants the airport to project what it’s planning to do over the next five years.
“This basically is the same plan we had last year, only we’re putting stuff in slightly different years because of what the FAA says they might fund, but priorities are staying the same – the whole project to get the power lines lowered and everything else that goes with it.”
“Which has basically been a 35-year project,” Board Secretary Gene Zale said.
Robinson asked how much the power lines were actually going to be dropped. Ross said it’s approximately 50 to 70 feet.
“Right now there are two circuits on one set of structures. They’re going to put them on monopolies and have them more frequently so the spans aren’t as far and they will lower them enough to a point that it can completely clear our services and could accept up to a 7,000-foot runway length in the future,” Ross said.
In the claims, King pointed out a claim by DBT Transportation Services for $16,478.
“Vaisala, who is the company we’ve had a contract with for the last 2-1/2 years to do the maintenance on our instrument landing system and the automated weather system, has removed themselves from aviation completely, sold their interest to DBT Transportation Services, and DBT assumed the contract we had with Vaisala and continuing on with it,” King said.
The amount with DBT is the same as the contract with Vaisala was.
He said the airport had a three-year contract with Vaisala, but it expires in August.
“We will be looking at a new contract with DBT this year as soon as we get that, but that is a continuation of the contract we did have with Vaisala,” King said.
DBT is providing the same service, the same technicians and even the same corporate contact, he told the board.
Thallemer asked what the connection was between DBT and Vaisala. King said there was no connection, but Vaisala was getting out of the aviation business and DBT took it over and hired Vaisala employees across the board.
Another claim King highlighted was from Four T Door Systems for $5,000. He said it was for a new gate that had to be installed on Hangar Drive.
“That gate went out of service. It was going to be $3,000 to repair an 18-year-old gate or $5,000 to put in a new gate structure completely, so we opted to spend the extra money and not repair it,” King said.
The last claim he mentioned was for $2,250 for Stoops Freightliner-Quality Trailer.
“That is for the new-to-us truck we purchased from the county trade-in,”?King said.
Claims for December totaled $30,841.36.
The bill to Ascent Aviation Group Inc. totaled $29,178.75, with a claim to C&P Oil Co. Inc. totaling $528.40.
Rigdon asked King what the story was with the small fuel bill and if it was just because it was a “weird time for things.”
“Weird time for things, and traditionally, the 15th of December through the 15th of January is just a very slow time of year as it is, and we just don’t sell a lot of fuel,” King responded.
A lot of companies also try to set it so their aircraft are down over the winter months for the annual inspections, he said. He said January and the beginning of February also are expected to be slow for the airport.
The claims were unanimously approved.
At the start of Tuesday’s meeting, Thallemer gave Rigdon the oath of office. Rigdon indicated he’s served on the board for 28 years.
The board officers were retained for 2017 as they were for 2016. Rigdon is president, John Yingling vice president and Zale as secretary.
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In his engineer report, Ken Ross, NGC Aviation Consultants, asked for the board to approve the Warsaw Municipal Airport’s Capital Improvement Program.
He said he and Airport Manager Nick King met with Mayor Joe Thallemer this week to get him up to speed on their November meeting with INDOT and the Federal Aviation Administration.
“We talked about some strategies, through (Michiana Area Council of Government) as well as some of the other ones we talked about in the past. Suffice to say, I think we’re moving forward with one of the strategies we talked about in the past,” Ross said. “We’re trying to get a meeting set up with some representation and we can tell you more about that as the meeting happens.”
As for the Warsaw airport’s capital improvement program, Ross said they’ve already been told by the FAA that this year was not a good year for discretionary projects.
“We didn’t have anything on there this year that was likely to get funded anyway, so we’re recommending that we go ahead and roll over the 2017 money so it will be available in 2018,” he said.
Ross said a plan to lower the power lines at the end of the airport was split up over two years. The FAA previously advised Warsaw that is should phase things into smaller pieces, but now it’s saying to consolidate them into bigger, fewer projects.
“We have now combined the power lines back into one project with the goal of it being funded in 2018,” Ross said. “Then after that, 2019, we have the LED taxiway lighting system that’s been on our radar screen for some time. For now, we are showing the road (CR 100E) relocation being funded with some sort of alternative mechanism of funding. That is subject to change before we get to that year. This is just the target we’re shooting for with the FAA and hopefully with the assistance we’re seeking to get things moving again.”
The Capital Improvement Program has to be submitted to INDOT by Feb. 1, so he asked for the board’s acceptance of the program. The board voted to authorize Rigdon to sign off on the program.
Board President Jay Rigdon explained to board member Dan Robinson that with the CIP, the state wants the airport to project what it’s planning to do over the next five years.
“This basically is the same plan we had last year, only we’re putting stuff in slightly different years because of what the FAA says they might fund, but priorities are staying the same – the whole project to get the power lines lowered and everything else that goes with it.”
“Which has basically been a 35-year project,” Board Secretary Gene Zale said.
Robinson asked how much the power lines were actually going to be dropped. Ross said it’s approximately 50 to 70 feet.
“Right now there are two circuits on one set of structures. They’re going to put them on monopolies and have them more frequently so the spans aren’t as far and they will lower them enough to a point that it can completely clear our services and could accept up to a 7,000-foot runway length in the future,” Ross said.
In the claims, King pointed out a claim by DBT Transportation Services for $16,478.
“Vaisala, who is the company we’ve had a contract with for the last 2-1/2 years to do the maintenance on our instrument landing system and the automated weather system, has removed themselves from aviation completely, sold their interest to DBT Transportation Services, and DBT assumed the contract we had with Vaisala and continuing on with it,” King said.
The amount with DBT is the same as the contract with Vaisala was.
He said the airport had a three-year contract with Vaisala, but it expires in August.
“We will be looking at a new contract with DBT this year as soon as we get that, but that is a continuation of the contract we did have with Vaisala,” King said.
DBT is providing the same service, the same technicians and even the same corporate contact, he told the board.
Thallemer asked what the connection was between DBT and Vaisala. King said there was no connection, but Vaisala was getting out of the aviation business and DBT took it over and hired Vaisala employees across the board.
Another claim King highlighted was from Four T Door Systems for $5,000. He said it was for a new gate that had to be installed on Hangar Drive.
“That gate went out of service. It was going to be $3,000 to repair an 18-year-old gate or $5,000 to put in a new gate structure completely, so we opted to spend the extra money and not repair it,” King said.
The last claim he mentioned was for $2,250 for Stoops Freightliner-Quality Trailer.
“That is for the new-to-us truck we purchased from the county trade-in,”?King said.
Claims for December totaled $30,841.36.
The bill to Ascent Aviation Group Inc. totaled $29,178.75, with a claim to C&P Oil Co. Inc. totaling $528.40.
Rigdon asked King what the story was with the small fuel bill and if it was just because it was a “weird time for things.”
“Weird time for things, and traditionally, the 15th of December through the 15th of January is just a very slow time of year as it is, and we just don’t sell a lot of fuel,” King responded.
A lot of companies also try to set it so their aircraft are down over the winter months for the annual inspections, he said. He said January and the beginning of February also are expected to be slow for the airport.
The claims were unanimously approved.
At the start of Tuesday’s meeting, Thallemer gave Rigdon the oath of office. Rigdon indicated he’s served on the board for 28 years.
The board officers were retained for 2017 as they were for 2016. Rigdon is president, John Yingling vice president and Zale as secretary.
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