Leesburg Airport Commission adopts 2025 priorities, opens rewrite of hangar lease and rules after safety review

The Leesburg Airport Commission on Feb. 12 voted to adopt a condensed list of 2025 priorities, reorganize its committees around those priorities and begin a multi‑month rewrite of the hangar lease, airport rules and minimum standards aimed at improving safety and clarity.

The commission approved the agenda at the start of the meeting and later unanimously adopted the new 2025 priorities and committee assignments. Commissioners also confirmed Ryan Goler as vice chair. The meeting ended after routine reports and a motion to adjourn.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the lease and rules rewrite is driven by fire‑safety problems revealed after a June 2023 hangar fire and by inconsistent language in the current documents. Commissioners and staff agreed a shorter, focused hangar lease that references a separate, more detailed rules-and-regulations document would be easier to maintain and enforce; the commission intends to work with the fire marshal and the town attorney before forwarding documents to the town council for public review.

What the commission decided and directed - Adopted a shorter set of 2025 priorities and reorganized committees so work is carried out by focused subcommittees (tower, operations/land use, rules & minimum standards, master plan/facilities). The motion passed with no opposition. - Confirmed Ryan Goler as vice chair by unanimous consent. - Approved the meeting agenda and later adjourned by motion.

Hangar lease, rules and minimum standards Commissioners agreed to split the single, combined document into at least two separate documents: a concise hangar lease (to be kept short and to reference the rules) and a separate rules-and-regulations document with fire‑safety requirements and a third document for minimum commercial standards. Commissioners said the rules-and-regulations document is likely to remain longer and be updated more often.

Timeline and process discussed - Commissioners said they will aim for a draft lease to circulate to the full commission in the spring/early summer (several participants referenced a June target for a draft lease and a May target for a working draft to the commission). The rules-and-regulations rewrite will take longer and include additional iterations. - Staff and commission members will meet with the fire marshal to align electrical and fire‑safety language (examples discussed included restrictions on chained power strips, limits on plug‑loads and storage of combustible materials). - The town attorney must review the lease (the town attorney and town manager will review contract language). Rules and regulations will be presented to the town council and open for public comment before any final adoption.

Safety and substantive inconsistencies identified Commissioners and staff pointed to specific inconsistencies they want fixed: the current document allows only six small cans of oil in a hangar (which some said is impractical), and a clause in the existing text appears to prohibit maintenance in hangars even though FAA guidance allows maintenance in hangars and local operators build and maintain aircraft on the field. The rewrite will seek to align practice, safety, and enforceable requirements.

Control tower and federal grants Airport staff reported that an environmental study for a proposed air traffic control tower has started and that the town is negotiating with a selected architectural/engineering firm to design a tower. Staff said procurement negotiations are ongoing and indicated more information will be available at a future meeting.

During the meeting staff briefed commissioners on federal grant obligations: accepting federal airport grants triggers long‑term federal obligations (for example, grants tied to major apron or infrastructure work can create multi‑year obligations). Staff said a pending reimbursement application for environmental work on the tower was for about $400,000; the application had been announced but not yet awarded.

Taxiway relocation and master plan Staff described a planned relocation/rebuild of a parallel taxiway to comply with FAA advisory circular guidance that discourages a straight connector from apron directly to the runway (the commission discussed removing two existing straight connectors—identified as Alpha 3 and Alpha 4 in staff materials—and installing a relocated connector that provides a jog to reduce runway incursion risk). The project is tied to a larger master‑plan discussion about land use on the south/west side of the field; staff said a limited plan amendment (a pen‑and‑ink update or targeted amendment) could be used rather than a full master‑plan rewrite.

Fuel and electrification updates Commissioners heard that a private company is proceeding with installation of electric‑aircraft charging infrastructure at the field (company referred to in the meeting as Beta). The FBO has expressed support for unleaded fuels and said it would offer new fuel types once approved and available. Commissioners also noted continuing industry debate about the lead‑free gasoline candidate (G100UL) and potential airframe/corrosion concerns; no commission action was taken on fuel policy at the meeting.

Other operational items Staff reported January aircraft operations and noise complaint counts and answered commissioner questions about whether accepting federal grants limits local operational policy. Staff reiterated that federal grants carry federal obligations intended to keep an airport available to the public and said that acceptance of FAA funding typically makes curfews and closures harder to impose.

Next steps and calendar Commissioners asked staff to continue drafting the lease and rules documents, to coordinate with the fire marshal and the town attorney, and to circulate drafts to the commission’s working groups. The commission set its next regular meeting for March 12, 2025.

Ending: The meeting adjourned after the commission completed the agenda and scheduled further work on the lease and rules rewrites.