Goldendale council approves amended airport manager consulting agreement; airport team outlines grant-backed runway work

The Goldendale City Council voted to authorize the mayor to execute an amended airport manager’s consultant agreement with Richard (Rick) Lundin, the city’s airport consultant, following a motion that added annual review language and clarified financial reporting responsibilities.

The council’s action formalizes a six-month trial arrangement recommended by the budget committee and includes amendments requiring the airport advisory committee to review proposed salary and hours and return recommendations to the council for any changes. The amended motion also removed language that would have assigned broad responsibility to the consultant to “coordinate all development and improvements” and instead requires coordination on finances and reporting with the clerk-treasurer.

The change was moved, amended on the floor and approved by voice vote. Councilmembers and staff said the amendment was intended to keep final budget and policy authority with the council and the city’s finance office.

Mayor (name not specified) presented the item and noted the agreement is a consultant contract, not a city employee position, and the budget committee recommended the six-month trial. Councilmember (name not specified) amended the motion on the council floor to require that the budget committee “review the salary and hours spent, and instead of ‘adjust accordingly,’ they will give suggestions back to the council for council vote,” and to change the review to an annual review instead of automatic two-year renewals.

Airport consultant Richard Lundin gave a substantive update after the vote. He said the airport has secured a $360,000 state grant that the city will use for an initial property purchase and for Phase 1 engineering work to address a wetlands constraint to the north of the runway and to define culvert sizing and other design work. Lundin also described a possible WSDOT airport aid pot that could provide about $780,000 to place conduit and begin the soil and compaction work needed to create the proper shoulder and support a widened runway.

Lundin said the Phase 1 engineering would allow the city to plan a runway widening (a target 60-foot width was discussed during the update) and to “displace the threshold 200 feet to the west” on one end to improve safety; the council discussed keeping overall runway length unchanged by displacing both ends. He also said the team is researching replacement of the airport’s runway lighting controller, which is old and for which manufacturer support no longer exists.

Lundin told the council he is preparing an updated airport layout plan and an airport master-plan update, which staff and the airport advisory committee will review before the council considers formal adoption and subsequent grant applications. He said the city is pursuing inclusion in federal airport aid eligibility language and has asked state legislators’ offices to help restore prior exclusion language that, if successful, would make the airport eligible for larger federal programs.

The council also agreed to convene its ordinance committee to consider airport-related fee and revenue options (tie-down fees, landing fees, land leases and hangar issues) and to meet in late May to work on draft ordinances.

City staff and council members framed the consultant role as an advisory and project-steering position that will bring expertise to identify potential return-on-investment projects and prepare grant-ready documents; final decisions on development and budget actions remain the council’s responsibility.

The amended consultant agreement and the airport advisory committee’s materials will return to the council for follow-up as staff prepares contract paperwork and the consultant readies the airport layout plan and Phase 1 engineering scope.