Kenai Airport staff reports successful emergency drill, basin draining and new administrative hire
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Summary
Staff told the commission the FAA‑required triennial emergency drill on Oct. 10 had about 60 participants and went well; the floatplane basin is being drained to about 1 foot to control aquatic plants; the airport offered the administrative assistant position to Julie Simmons, who started Oct. 27.
KENAI, Alaska — At its Nov. 13 meeting the Kenai Airport Commission received a staff update on safety, maintenance and personnel.
Airport staff reported the triennial FAA‑required emergency drill on Oct. 10 simulated a mass‑casualty incident, included about 60 participants and tested communications with partner agencies. “This is an FAA requirement that is done every three years, and it went very well,” Mary, an airport staff member, said.
Staff also said the floatplane basin is being drained to roughly 1 foot to reduce heavy aquatic plant growth and improve conditions in spring, and that preseason and post‑season winter operations meetings for tenants were held Oct. 22 as part of required snow‑and‑ice control planning under FAA Part 139.
Personnel and compliance: Staff completed interviews for an airport administrative assistant position and offered it to Julie Simmons; staff noted Simmons began work Oct. 27 and attended her first commission meeting on Nov. 13. The city will mail notices to 27 lessees for FAA‑required lease lot inspections to be conducted in December and January.
Other operational items: Commissioners asked whether instrument procedures could be created to allow a taxiway to be used as a runway for next summer’s project. Staff said the FAA project engineer replied on Nov. 4 that it is too late to create such instrument procedures for next season and that the necessary work would take at least two years.
What’s next: Staff will proceed with the planned lessee inspections and report back on follow‑up items, including FAA consultations about instrument procedures and any additional maintenance or signage (for example, pet‑relief area signs) requested by commissioners.
