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Lake Wales Airport seeks to buy fuel equipment, expand hangar leases as operations rise
Summary
Airport director reported rising activity and asked the commission to approve the purchase of an Avgas fuel trailer and acquisition of a used Jet-A fuel truck, plus new ground leases and a renewal for a flight school; staff said existing debt proceeds must be used on capital outlays before year-end.
Amanda Robb, airport director for the City of Lake Wales, told commissioners the airport’s operations and fuel sales have risen substantially and staff want to purchase a 500-gallon Avgas fuel trailer and acquire an existing Jet-A fuel truck to expand refueling services.
Robb said the city has about $133,000 in debt proceeds that must be spent on capital items before the fiscal-year deadline, and that market prices for new fuel trucks are near $300,000 each. As a lower-cost alternative to buying a new Avgas truck, staff proposed a filtered 500-gallon Avgas trailer that can be towed by an airport vehicle and meets FAA/DEP filtration requirements.
Robb explained the operational benefit: “People don't like to fuel their own airplane. ... that's a lot of money wasted just to go get fuel at the fuel island. So this will keep them from having to do that, so we'll end up selling more Avgas in the long run, with the trailer.”
For larger Jet‑A needs, Robb said the airport has rented a Jet‑A truck since February of last year and the vendor offered to sell that 2009 truck to the city for $75,000. She said the truck has been well maintained and buying it would reduce ongoing rental costs and ensure the airport can serve customers that require single-point fueling or large volumes.
Commissioners asked about life span and maintenance; Robb said such trucks have limited road miles and regular inspections are required by the Department of Environmental Protection and the airport performs routine maintenance and annual tank inspections.
Robb also presented a proposed half-acre ground lease with Jump Florida (an ISR Aviation affiliate) for a new maintenance hangar and a renewal operating agreement with Fun Flight Training (a flight school) that continues a revenue arrangement (hourly fee and per-ferry charge) and supports more flight instruction capacity at the field.
On leases and expansions, Robb said skydiving operations and flight training have not deterred other users; she noted Federal Aviation Administration grant-assurance obligations require the airport to allow compatible aviation activities. She reported operations at the field have increased roughly 60–65 percent over the past year, which staff said supports additional fuel and maintenance capacity.
The transcript records presentation and discussion; staff asked the commission to approve the capital purchases, the Jump Florida ground lease and the Fun Flight Training renewal. No formal recorded vote appears in the provided transcript excerpt.
