Airport manager reports FAA grant wins, PAPI commissioning and hangar compliance push

The Carson City Airport Authority heard a series of operational and compliance updates from staff and legal counsel, including FAA grant awards, progress on runway lighting and pavement projects, and a formal push to enforce hangar‑use reporting under municipal code and FAA requirements.

Brian Martinez Wallace of Wood Rodgers reported the authority received FAA grant funding for the main apron and that staff obtained permission to combine the apron work with a pavement preservation project into a single bid to keep a single contractor on the job. Martinez Wallace said design work is underway and the design will be delivered to the airport manager for review at the end of the month.

A representative speaking for Lochner reported that PAPI (precision approach path indicator) flight checks and commissioning are complete, but approval of the instrument flight procedures remains pending. That application requires additional work; Lochner has requested assistance from Kaufman and Associates and an extra scope of work may be necessary to complete the instrument procedure application.

Corey, the airport manager, reported the SRE building utilities have been installed and a concrete foundation was planned for the following week. Corey also said the airport received FAA concurrence for CTE through‑the‑fence access points after about five years of work and expects minimal on‑airport construction requirements for those access points. The manager noted two FAA grant awards confirmed in the meeting: South Ramp rehabilitation and RSA drainage improvements; a third grant application for a forecasting update remains pending.

Corey reported the Eager Valley hangar development lease had been fully executed and that developers had already done substantial pre‑lease work. He said one tenant had executed a temporary sublease of parking on the land side of a lease parcel to a local manufacturer and that the arrangement was short term and would not be approved long term.

Corey also reported a fully executed amendment with AT&T that extends timing and confirms AT&T will maintain the airport beacon and includes updated points of contact in the lease.

Steve Takas, airport legal counsel, said hangar owners have been notified that the Carson City Municipal Code requires them to report the aircraft stored in their hangars and the occupant when a hanger is rented to someone else. He said the requirement reflects FAA hangar storage rules adopted into the city code following a 2017 FAA audit. Takas said several hangar associations have failed to provide the required information and the office has prepared follow‑up notices; failure to comply could lead to lease termination, penalties or mandatory hangar inspections.

Takas and airport staff said there is some flexibility for credible situations—such as aircraft under build, aircraft shared between locations or recent sales—but that nonresponses are a compliance risk to the airport’s FAA relationship and funding. Staff said they hope for cooperative compliance but are prepared to proceed with enforcement if necessary.

The airport manager also said work is underway on a simplified employee manual, and that the airport aviation festival and open house is planned for Sept. 20. A board member and the treasurer offered departing remarks about the authority’s recent progress; one long‑serving member said he was stepping down after eight years.