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Airport staff recommend leasing larger refuelers; conversion of Avgas tank debated and deferred
Summary
Airport staff recommended leasing one-to-three 7,000-gallon jet refueler trucks to boost on-island capacity; commissioners raised safety, maneuverability and warranty concerns about converting an underground Avgas tank to Jet A (estimated at about $100,000) and asked staff for financial models before deciding.
Preston Herriman, the assistant airport manager, told the Nantucket Memorial Airport Commission that staff recommend leasing larger refueler trucks to ease summer supply constraints and reduce the risk of inventory shortfalls.
"We would recommend 3, 7,000 gallon trucks in addition to what we have," Herriman said, noting the airport currently rotates 5,000-gallon trucks and would like the extra capacity to avoid repeat low-inventory periods.
Why it matters: ferry and barge capacity limit how much hazardous fuel can be shipped to the island. Staff reported Steamship'line allocations currently handle about 48 hazmat loads per week divided among several island fuel customers; small shifts in reservations can determine whether the airport can replenish tanks before peak demand. That constraint, commissioners said, makes on-island storage and refueling capacity a central operational issue.
Commissioners pushed back on several points. Some argued that 7,000-gallon trucks are substantially larger and harder to maneuver on tight ramps. Mister Marks said the size difference is "a huge difference when you're on dual axle trucks and trying to manage them around those airplanes," and asked that staff trial a single 7,000-gallon truck before committing to more. Herriman acknowledged mechanics and staging will be a factor: the airport staff have one in-house mechanic and may rely on vendor support for major repairs.
Staff also presented an alternative: converting one of the airport's underground Avgas tanks to Jet A. Herriman said the preliminary estimate from Trask Petroleum for conversion work'including new piping, valves, probes, an upgrade to the Entegra tank-monitoring system and partial decommissioning of the Avgas vapor-recovery system'was "just shy of a $100,000 to convert that tank over." He cautioned that converting a tank reduces Avgas capacity and would likely require leasing additional Avgas trucks to compensate.
Several commissioners warned about warranty and lifecycle tradeoffs: the underground tanks are about 26 years old and warranties generally expire at 30 years, raising the prospect that an expensive conversion could leave the airport responsible for later failures. Others emphasized the potential revenue upside of additional Jet A capacity: Mister Levitt calculated that turning a 20,000-gallon buffer twice would generate roughly $80,000 in profit.
What the commission directed: rather than decide immediately, commissioners asked staff to circulate inventory trend charts and prepare quick financial models showing the incremental benefit of each option (leasing one vs three 7,000-gallon trucks, conversion costs, lease negotiations and operational trade-offs). Commissioners said they favor trialing at least one larger truck before committing to an entire fleet and will revisit the tank-conversion question after reviewing the models.
Next step: staff will circulate the requested data and return with cost/benefit scenarios at a future meeting. No formal action to convert tanks or to lease multiple trucks was taken at this meeting.
