Alva airport manager reports lower fuel sales, AWOS back online; seeks budget review

Joshua, the Alva airport manager, told the Airport Commission on May 20 that fuel sales were down last month and that weather — including high winds and rain — likely contributed. He said previous months’ unpaid fuel invoices made this month’s purchase line look high, and that a roughly $60,000 fuel purchase recorded this month related to older invoices.

“The AWOS is fully operational. We had one blip the day after it came up and it was due to the system locking up. I just rebooted it,” Joshua said. He also reported that work on Taxiway Bravo is under way and crews were scheduled to resume concrete pouring at 3 a.m. the next day, with the contractor pouring about half a strip (about 17 1/2 feet) at a time.

Joshua discussed several maintenance and facilities items: the mowing season has started and he asked for another month to learn site needs before finalizing a mowing schedule; he is gathering bids and talking with city staff about additional lighting over the south fuel pod and runway islands; and he is seeking confirmation whether a fuel pod (QT pod) is wired and has electricity.

Commissioners pressed for better financial transparency. One commissioner said the commission’s profit-and-loss statement showed inaccuracies and noted the airport appears to be operating at about a 4% profit on roughly $357,000 in sales. The commissioner asked Joshua and staff to develop a target percentage and a formula the airport can use for budgeting. Joshua said he and city staff (including Steve) were working on a formula but did not provide a target at the meeting.

Commissioners and staff also discussed operational impacts from nearby construction: trucks have driven on apron areas and will be asked to remove temporary materials and increase sweeping; the commission asked Park Hill (the contractor) to monitor damage and to repair areas where needed. Joshua said Park Hill planned to remove construction fabric and pour cement over a damaged area and to run additional sweeping.

Other facility and safety items raised at the meeting included: the need for better lighting at fuel points so pilots can see fuel levels at night (Joshua said he will seek bids and discuss funding availability with city staff), uncertainty about whether new pump/keypad lighting prevents pilots from seeing keypad entries, concerns that light poles could interfere with low-wing aircraft, and the northwest corner of a paint hangar that remained dark because wires were cut during wiring work.

Commissioners also raised routine maintenance items for the tetrahedron wind indicator and windsock, noting the wafer/sock has worn down; one commissioner volunteered equipment and time to help reinstall or service the tetrahedron. Several commissioners reported a persistent problem with an undersized and overflowing trash dumpster at the airport and discussed whether to request a larger dumpster or additional pickups.

Why it matters: the items discussed — runway/taxiway construction, fuel sales, AIP grant pursuit (covered separately by the commission), and maintenance — affect day-to-day airport operations, pilot safety and the airport’s budget planning ahead of the July 1 fiscal-year start.

Looking ahead, Joshua asked the commission to review a budget draft earlier than the meeting packet normally arrives; commissioners asked staff (Sadie and Steve were named) to provide the draft well before the next meeting so the commission can review and, if necessary, schedule an extra meeting to consider changes before the June/July budgeting deadlines.