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Board reviews Eastern Sierra Air Alliance draft MOU and approves airport project amendments
Summary
County staff and partners briefed the board on commercial air service at Bishop Airport, draft MOU options and potential service expansions; staff were directed to continue negotiations. The board also approved amendments for a beacon replacement and design work on Independence runway rehab to preserve FAA funding.
County staff on Feb. 25 gave the Board of Supervisors an extensive update on Eastern Sierra commercial air service and airport infrastructure, and the county approved multiple airport construction and design actions.
Deputy Public Works Director Ashley Helms described capital projects at Bishop, Independence and Lone Pine airports, including runway resurfacing and grooving at Bishop, a runway safety area project in design, replacement of a World War II'era rotating beacon, and planning for an equipment storage building. Helms said the county received $2 million in congressionally directed spending for a future commercial terminal and is pursuing environmental review and design steps so the county can apply for construction funding.
Helms highlighted operational improvements tied to a new Embraer E175 aircraft in United's regional fleet, reporting a 100% completion rate for flights this season so far and significantly higher enplanements in December. John Erdeus of Mammoth Lakes Tourism shared exit-survey findings showing strong local usage and repeat users, which staff said support a $200,000 annual county contribution in a draft MOU that would secure Inyo County's participation in the Eastern Sierra Air Alliance oversight committee and help the county qualify for FAA entitlements tied to reaching 10,000 enplanements.
Staff presented options for modest expansion, including adding days in the shoulder season or adding Denver round trips, each with preliminary cost estimates and opportunities for cost-sharing with regional partners. The board generally expressed support for staff continuing to negotiate the MOU and examining expansion scenarios with potential partner contributions; there was no formal action on expansion at this meeting.
Separately, the board approved Amendment No. 1 to the contract with Tartaglia Engineering for design and construction administration of the rotating beacon replacement at Bishop Airport, and ratified Amendment No. 5 with Lochner to advance design for the Independence Airport runway rehabilitation so the project meets FAA timelines. Staff said the FAA allowed moving forward on projects contingent on a county acknowledgement to repay grant funds if land tenure changes would require repayment. Both amendments were approved by voice vote.
