Advisory board recommends Fontaine LLC for Sandpoint Airport Lot 33 lease

The Bonner County Airport Advisory Board voted at a special meeting to recommend that the Bonner County Commissioners award the lease for Lot 33 at Sandpoint Airport to Fontaine LLC, after reviewing RFP responses and the board’s scoring matrix.

Board members discussed potential changes to the request-for-proposals (RFP) process, including scoring incentives for pilot cooperatives or LLCs that would build multi-unit hangar buildings (condominium-style hangars), adjustments to lease-term options, and ways to fund ongoing pavement and infrastructure maintenance.

"We are here today, calling a special advisory board meeting to order to make a decision discussion, recommendation to the commissioners about the approval for who should be the lessee for Lot 33 at Sandpoint Airport," said Jeff Connelly, an airport advisory board member who opened the meeting and led proceedings.

The board reviewed scoring results that showed Fontaine outscoring 7D Aviation overall; the reported averages in the meeting were Fontaine 87 (out of a possible 107) and 7D Aviation 80 (out of a possible 100). Board members flagged wide variation in how individuals applied category scores and discussed whether to anonymize proposals before scoring…