Hamilton County Airport Authority moves to restore Sheridan fuel, approves hangar and construction steps

The Hamilton County Airport Authority on Aug. 13 voted to repair Sheridan Airport’s fuel tank, start a short-term fuel-management arrangement with JetAccess and approve several construction and personnel steps as the county integrates the newly acquired Sheridan facility.

The board approved two motions to get fuel available at Sheridan quickly: up to $15,000 to repair and ready the existing fuel tank, and a provisional, month-to-month arrangement with JetAccess to provide fuel-farm management and credit-card processing while a final contract is negotiated. Authority members said the repairs and contract are funded from the appropriation set aside at acquisition and not from the authority’s general operating budget.

Why it matters: Sheridan has transferred to county ownership and lacked reliable fuel operations at takeover. Restoring on-site fuel availability is the top operational priority cited by airport staff; without it aircraft operations and tenant services remain limited.

Board actions and context

Sheridan fuel and JetAccess Airport Director Sam (identified in the meeting as the airport director) told the board he had identified about $1,314,000 in work that would fully refurbish the tank and associated systems, but characterized several line items as ancillary. For immediate service, staff sought board authority to spend “up to $15,000” to perform the repairs that will allow the tank to be filled and used and to begin fuel deliveries as soon as the work is completed. Sam said the airport installed a modern credit-card reader earlier and expects that JetAccess could manage fuel-sales accounting and credit-card processing in the background.

JetAccess representatives described a proposed support package that included a roughly $1,500 monthly management fee covering weekly/monthly/quarterly checks and farm management, plus a $100 fee for ad-hoc daily visits (daily QA or fuel-quality checks). Board members discussed tailoring the agreement and asked staff to bring a formal contract back at the next meeting. The board approved both the repair authorization and the provisional JetAccess arrangement; members said a final, ratified contract will be presented at the September meeting.

Hangars and tenant assignment Board members discussed hangar availability at Sheridan and directed that the empty aircraft portion of a specific T-hangar be allocated to the Commemorative Air Force (CAF). The board approved a motion allocating the empty hangar (aircraft portion only) for CAF use and directed staff and legal to prepare a lease. Directors also asked staff to develop a formal, written process for hangar assignment and wait lists, and to provide standard lease templates and insurance minimums to reduce ad hoc decisions.

BEX hangar foundation and terminal movement Design consultants presented 90%-level structural foundation drawings for the new BEX hangar and associated linking building and customs facility. The board “accepted” the 90% foundation package and urged staff to proceed to state permitting and early foundation release so steel can be ordered and foundations can be poured as scheduled. Staff emphasized that final signed-and-stamped construction documents and state permits are required before any above‑ground construction begins.

Separately, staff outlined proposed changes to the terminal apron and taxi-lane layout intended to create a CBP (Customs and Border Protection) stand area and safe object-free movement zones for larger aircraft; staff said they will circulate the exhibit and finalize the plan next month to coordinate with JetAccess and construction phasing.

Other infrastructure and grants Engineering and operations staff reported the airfield lighting project is substantially complete, with a PAPI flight check scheduled for the following week. The taxiway extension (Taxiway Alpha extension/rehab) remains on schedule to begin in late August with substantial completion targeted by November. Staff said FAA grants tied to the lighting work are expected to execute in August, with pay requests and federal reimbursement likely to be processed in the fall and state reimbursements to follow.

Personnel and administrative actions Following an executive-session discussion about personnel, the board approved updating the airport director’s position description and approving a compensation move (the director requested a 12% increase over their current pay level), and authorized staff to proceed with HR to post and hire two part-time positions: an administrative assistant and a part-time maintenance worker. The director and HR will finalize job descriptions and recruitment steps.

Payments, contracts and other votes The board approved a $4,000 change order for a commercial septic inspection tied to the taxiway/extension project, and approved vendor claims totaling $4,840,288.39 (which included Sheridan acquisition costs) and routine payroll claims.

What’s next Staff will return to the board in September with a formal JetAccess agreement, finalized hangar-lease language for CAF, signed-and-stamped construction documents or permit applications for the BEX foundations, and a timeline for Sheridan tenant communications and digitized lease records. Staff also said they will prepare a written hangar-assignment procedure to govern future openings and reduce ad hoc decisions by staff or board members.

Ending note Board members and staff emphasized the short-term priority of restoring fuel and keeping tenant communications updated as Sheridan transitions to county ownership.