Collegedale officials prioritize immediate airport repairs, pause PAPI design pending new engineering review

Airport staff and city commissioners reviewed a prioritized list of airport projects and agreed to focus on near-term maintenance and equipment replacements while pausing the Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) design pending a contract review and grant-eligibility confirmation.

Airport staff summarized the funding constraint at the meeting: "The airport can only afford to spend so much money a year on repairs and maintenance," and asked the commission to approve the prioritized list so staff could begin work and spend sales-tax funds first, then maintenance funds in the next fiscal year.

Staff reported recent and planned work: LED runway lights have been installed, the next step is moving the windsock lighting to its own circuit and removing old fixtures (an estimated $3,500 for the electrical work). A beacon pole and LED beacon were ordered at a cost staff cited as $17,828, which staff said includes installation but does not include an access deck or pad (staff estimated an additional roughly $5,000 if a deck/pad is needed). Hangar maintenance remains a recurring need, with staff recommending budgeting roughly $10,000 per year for roofs, doors and insulation; specific roof-repair quotes included an outstanding $2,500 per-side quote for leaking box and roof work.

Operational replacements discussed included a courtesy vehicle (staff suggested a cost target of about $25,000, and raised the Kia Soul as an example), one golf cart or a side-by-side for ground operations (estimates discussed in the range of roughly $8,000–$12,000 per unit), and a cloud-based fuel kiosk (FuelMaster) to modernize fueling and, if configured with a data logger, allow tracking of gallons per user for budgeting and rate decisions. Staff noted the kiosk vendor may push for a cloud system; staff said they would verify whether a data-logging option is available and at what incremental cost.

On instrument approach work and larger grant-funded projects, staff noted several unknowns. The Airport Layout Plan (ALP) and an obstruction analysis are underway with TDOT participation, and the outcome will determine whether an instrument approach is practical and what it would cost (a later stage would require procedure work from a firm such as Jeppesen). Staff said the airport is an "NSG 6" (noted in the meeting), and as a result some instrument approach funding may not be available; staff said the instrument approach and its maintenance could be self-funded depending on the ALP outcome.

Staff recommended pausing the PAPI design until legal and contract issues were resolved: the existing engineering firm under the master services agreement has a contract ending in August, and staff asked for time to finish the ALP and then interview other firms (staff named local and national firms by example). Staff also said TDOT had discussed shifting a local cost-share for LE PAPI design from 95/5 to 90/10 (reducing the local share). Commissioners generally signaled support for the prioritization, with safety items to remain the highest priority.

Staff also described a needed change order for the AWOS ceilometer: the new ceilometer will require upgraded UHF/digital radios to communicate, and staff estimated a change order of about $3,500 to provide compatible radios. Staff said they expect to bring that change order back for a vote at a subsequent meeting.

Commissioners discussed trade-offs in the sales-tax project list and said staff should proceed with the prioritized items until funds run out; items not completed would roll into annual maintenance. Commissioners and staff discussed delaying the PAPI design to the FY2026–27 budget, confirming grant eligibility with TDOT, and moving ahead now on the beacon, kiosk, hangar repairs and other immediate maintenance. Staff also noted the hangar waiting list discussed in the meeting — participants mentioned figures ranging from about 42 to "60 something" — and commissioners raised concern about declining fuel sales and the potential effect of higher hangar rents on fuel usage.

Staff said they would: (1) follow up on the kiosk's data-logging capability and cost; (2) return with a change-order request for radios to make the AWOS ceilometer communicate; (3) defer the PAPI design until contract/engineering questions are resolved and TDOT confirms grant share; and (4) continue executing the prioritized maintenance list using sales-tax funds and then maintenance funds.

Ending: Commissioners voiced broad agreement with staff's approach to prioritize safety and immediate maintenance needs while deferring design work that depends on a new master services agreement and TDOT grant confirmation.