The Warsaw board of aviation commissioners began their July meeting on a somber note. President Jay Rigdon asked those in attendance to stand in a moment of silence for former airport manager David Beall. Beall passed away Saturday after a long battle with cancer. He served as airport manager for 13 years before resigning due to health complications. Mayor Joe Thallemer then introduced the new airport manager, Nick King. “We had a lot of very good candidates and I think that speaks very well of Nick,” Thallemer stated. “Out of the last four candidates, every one of them could do the job. Nick rose above them.” In the engineer’s report, Ken Ross of NGC reported FAA issues with the airport expansion project. Due to changes in FAA personnel and policy, the current plan has hit a snag. Current ways to resolve the issue include re-painting a taxiway, tearing up the taxiway, or re-submitting a runway layout plan. “I think this is the best expenditure of our funds and resources, but if they won’t let us do this, we need to move on,” Rigdon said of the FAA delaying the project. Ross stated he will discuss options further with the FAA. The board meets next Aug. 13 at 5:15 p.m.
