Airport manager reports midyear finances, staffing hires and project updates

At the meeting the airport manager presented a midyear operations and finance report that showed operating revenue of about $1,390,000 through December (excluding grants) and an expected annual revenue of roughly $2,200,000. He said expenditures totaled about $1,680,000 to date, noting the figure includes the last hangar payment and recent equipment purchases.

On staffing the manager reported two recent hires that nearly fill the airport’s seven-day coverage schedule and said the new employees are progressing through training. The QTPOD unit suffered a controller failure but repairs and parts procurement were described as rapid; AWOS issues appear to have been reduced after recent replacement of transmission/receiver radios.

Commissioners also discussed recent procedural changes from the FAA: one commissioner said the January 22 departure procedure now begins the left turn off Runway 29 at 700 feet instead of 1,500 feet, potentially putting aircraft over nearby houses and raising noise concerns. Commissioners asked staff to research whether the FAA or Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) could be contacted to review the procedure and explore a potential adjustment.

Project updates included early-stage state-funded work on taxiways Alpha and Bravo, assignment of a project manager and permit work for those projects, and a plan to scope and fund fuel farm rehabilitation in FY27 to meet a 20-year tank inspection deadline. The manager also noted temporary power backup options are available while a permanent solution is scoped.

The meeting adjourned at 07:20.