Airport Commission Minutes - February 1, 2010
(04-01-2010)

CITY OF ROSEBURG

AIRPORT COMMISSION

MEETING MINUTES

February 1, 2010

CALL TO ORDER: The Roseburg Airport Commission met in the City Hall Council Chambers on Monday, February 1, 2010. Chair Ryan called the meeting to order at 12:00 p.m.

ROLL CALL:

Present: Airport Commission Chair Tom Ryan, Commissioners Steve Skenzick, John Ward, and Gary Crowe. Ex-officio Ed Langerveld was also in attendance.

Absent: Commissioners Dave Leonard and Douglas County Commissioner Joe Laurance as County Representative for Robb Paul

Others: City Manager Eric Swanson, City Recorder Sheila Cox, Public Works Director Nikki Messenger, Finance Director Cheryl Guyett, Civil Engineer Jeff Nelson and Staff Assistant Sandy Cook. Katie Boer with KPIC

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬Ward moved to approve the minutes of the January 11, 2010 Airport Commission meeting. Motion was seconded by Skenzick and carried unanimously.

MAINTENANCE OF THE MAJOR MARION CARL MEMORIAL

Cox provided a brief overview of the concerns expressed in a letter received from Joyce Smith regarding the ongoing lack of maintenance of the Major Marion Carl Memorial. Copies of the appropriate section of the lease with the Foundation were provided to the Commission. Cox noted that the City could provide a 30 day notice to the Foundation to repair the memorial. If the work is not completed, the City can make the repairs and charge the Foundation for the expenses. Consensus was for Cox to prepare a letter stipulating 30 days to perform the necessary repairs with a copy to the Foundation’s attorney.

Ernie King of 7391 N Bank Rd, Roseburg advised that he has been the chairman of the General Marion Carl Foundation for the past 3 years. King explained that bids are expected next week from two electrical contactors to repair or replace the lighting. The landscaping is provided by Wintergreen Nursery and the sign is maintained by Umpqua Painting Company under contract. The boulder in question is powerwashed and sealed on a regular basis. The flags are maintained by City facility maintenance employee Ed Sperry, who has a full set of flags and it is his option to replace any flags as needed. King asked people to call him directly if there are concerns. Joyce Smith of 588 Rivershore Dr, Roseburg, advised that during construction of the memorial, Tom Pappas had expressed concern about the boulder. Smith also stated that an alternative was proposed about a year ago to resolve the issues with lighting. The Commission asked Cox to prepare a letter to the Foundation and send a copy to their legal counsel. King also asked that a copy be sent to Bud Smith.

AIRPORT MANAGEMENT GROUP CONCEPT

Swanson advised that a proposal has been submitted requesting the City to prepare a Request for Proposals for airport management services. Swanson asked the Commission to consider a motion directing staff to investigate the option of preparing an RFP by presenting the idea to the City Council at their next meeting on February 8. This proposal provides a public/private approach to managing the airport. This is not a new concept in airport management as it has been done in other places. The idea is that non-profit Airport users, who are committed and knowledgeable of the Airport, would form an organization with a Board of Directors who would hire an Airport Manager to work with them to manage the facility. This is only conceptual at this time, with the proposal to be developed into an RFP. Ward expressed concern about the proposed automatic annual increase, but Cox advised that today, the Commission was being asked to approve the concept, not dwell on the details. Once the document is prepared, the Commission and Council will have an opportunity to review and provide additional input.

Randy Turnbow of 800 Willamette St, Eugene advised that he is an attorney representing interested parties. Turnbow suggested that the concept of outsourcing management is a good idea, but he expressed concern about how this particular concept would work. He noted that the Airport is a public facility built with public funds and that public facilities should be ran by the public. He felt this proposal took one small interested segment of active pilots and gave them the power to run the Airport. Turnbow suggested that the City should not give that much power to one small segment of users. Another question is how to accomplish the goals of the Airport. Turnbow suggested that hiring professionals would be a more successful approach. Pilots are not experts in managing an airport or getting and managing federal funds and grants. Managing the Airport by committee can become cumbersome and disruptive. Additionally, whoever is selected to be the manager would not be loyal to the City, but to whomever pays his salary. Turnbow expressed concern about assigning leases on City owned real public property that is managed by a group of pilots. He was concerned that if the City allows a limited group of users to make decisions about the Airport and surrounding property there may be other issues involved. Turnbow suggested the commission recommend the City Council look into all available options to manage the Airport and determine what works best for the interest of the City. Ward requested, and Turnbow agreed, to put his concerns in writing.

Bill Woods of 2825 Aviation Dr, Roseburg, stated that he had been very active in preparing the proposal before the Commission. Mr. Turnbow was invited to previous meetings of the users group, but did not attend. Woods suggested that although Turnbow’s advice was good, it would be better presented in the pilots’ workshops. Woods suggested that many pilots had donated their time in an attempt to work with the City to make the Airport and the community better. This private sector is very passionate about the Airport. The City would not be giving money to this group as the Airport would still be under the City’s control. Woods invited Mr. Turnbow to attend their meetings, to provide input and to assist in preparing information to return to this Commission.

Mike Dannielle of 1550 Azalea Dr, Elkton spoke in favor of the concept. The City of The Dalles is currently being managed under a similar concept. This group could manage the Airport as a subcontractor. Any policy change would still have to be approved by the Airport Commission and the City Council. The previous Airport Manager had difficulty because he was not familiar with the Airport. He felt that to be successful, the Airport should be managed by someone who knows the Airport. Danielle recommended the Commission forward the concept to the City Council to begin the RFP process as suggested.

Crowe stated that he did not believe the Airport needed a full-time manager. However, professional assistance may be necessary to assist in things like securing grants and preparing guidelines for managing the Airport, but not a full-time manager. Crowe suggested looking at other ways of managing the Airport effectively and efficiently.

Ward made a motion to recommend that the City Council direct Staff to prepare a request for proposals for comprehensive Airport Management Services and present the results of the RFP to the Airport Commission for further recommendation to City Council. The motion failed for lack of a second.

Ryan reminded the Commissioners that staff had been looking at available options and had spoken to other groups that manage airports elsewhere. The City needs to decide between having a full-time manager and the idea of outsourcing. Ryan reiterated the motion was only to look at the concept of outsourcing.

Skenzick made a motion to recommend to the City Council that they proceed with an RFP for airport management services. The motion failed for lack of a second. Crowe requested clarification on the process. Cox stated that the City falls under state contracting laws that would require an RFP to be developed. An RFP would outline the scope of work and all other details of what is expected of a contractor, address the compensation issue, and the other normal requirements found in a contract. The draft RFP would be presented to the Commission for review and approval of the content. Upon the Commissions recommendation, the City Council would review and approve or amend the document. Once approved for publication, the RFP will be advertised to allow anyone who has the ability to meet the RFP to respond – an individual, a group, etc. If the proposed management group is interested in responding, they can submit a proposal or a proposal could come from anywhere, including out of state. The process of public contracting and the details would be worked out and the Commission would be provided the opportunity to make a recommendation on the award of the contract.

Ward re-presented the original motion - to recommend that the City Council direct Staff to prepare a request for proposals for comprehensive Airport Management Services and present the results of the RFP to the Airport Commission for further recommendation to City Council. – Skenzick seconded. No further discussion. The motion passed unanimously. Ryan reiterated that the Commission would continue to be involved.

INFORMATIONAL

Swanson suggested Commissioners express best wishes to Robb Paul whose wife is going through some difficult health issues. Joe Laurence stated at the previous meeting that he would be serving in Robb Paul’s place until his return.

Monthly Airport Maintenance Report for January, 2010: The Monthly Airport Maintenance Report was included in the packet.

BUSINESS FROM GENERAL PUBLIC - none

BUSINESS FROM THE COMMISSION - none

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: None

Meeting adjourned at 12:50 p.m.

Sandy Cook, Staff Assistant

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