Director reports productive FAA visit, coastal permit approval and fuel‑farm work planned for September

Director Sean Rosenthal told the board that a site visit and seven‑hour meeting with the FAA Airport District Office staff yielded practical guidance on grant applications, runway eligibility and project parameters. Rosenthal said the ADO team provided specific references (the AIP handbook) and suggested ways to demonstrate need for a larger runway.

He reported that the coastal development permit passed the planning commission and that the board expects a 20‑day waiting period for Coastal to respond before construction — fence work for the fuel farm is slated to start around Sept. 7. Rosenthal described the meeting as “very fruitful” and said the visit helped build relationships with federal staff who can be resources for upcoming AIP and capital improvement efforts.

Rosenthal also noted a recent TSA inspection (results pending), a scheduled homeland‑security drone tabletop exercise with community emergency partners, and the authority’s resource constraints: two administrative staff and two maintenance workers for 560 acres. He recommended discussing staffing and project prioritization at an upcoming workshop.