Airport authority meeting

 

The first 2008 meeting of the Santa Ynez Valley Airport Authority was held on Jan. 3 in the pilots’ lounge at the airport administration building. Attending the meeting were Chairman Willie Chamberlin, board President Jim Kunkle, Treasurer Dave Romero, and Directors Rich Condit, Tom Petersen, Jeff Hecker, and Bob Leite.

During an extensive chairman’s report, Mr. Chamberlin reported on the county’s process for deciding on the best location of an emergency operations center.

Using a point system, the county evaluated three locations for the EOC. A location near the Cathedral Oaks county facility in Santa Barbara was rated first with 720 points, the Betteravia County Center in Santa Maria was second with 650 points, and the Santa Ynez airport was last with 340 points. This information now will go to the county board of supervisors for additional comment and review.

 

Chamberlin reported on discussions during a meeting of the Regional Water Quality Control Board in San Luis Obispo last month.

At that time, local activist groups were demanding that the water board require an environmental impact report on the capped landfill near the east end of the airport. Chamberlin reported that the water board determined that they have no jurisdiction to require the airport to perform an EIR.

Chamberlin went on to indicate that his conversation with a local group leader made clear the process and position the airport authority has taken on the need for an EIR.

Kunkle reported on an inspection of T-hangars done by airport operations manager Keegan Bailey.

Bailey found that 18 aircraft did not match the registered occupants for these hangars.

During discussion by the board it was noted that in many cases an aircraft registered to a corporation or to a co-owner was the reason for the discrepancy. Bailey will be distributing copies of the hangar rental agreement to occupants of T-hangars to provide information on the proper registration criteria for aircraft.

 

Romero, in a financial report, indicated that $266,000 was in the authority’s checking account.

Kunkle suggested that this amount be reduced and a large portion be placed in interest bearing accounts, leaving in the checking account only an amount necessary for operation on a monthly basis.

Bailey reported on parking of vehicles other than gliders and glider trailers at the glider port at the east end of the field. Over time, trucks, derelict aircraft and aircraft parts, farm equipment, and other unauthorized vehicles have become a nuisance. Gliders are only required to pay $10 per month for parking at the glider port, but collection has become spotty, with some owners not paying on time or not paying at all. Romero volunteered to make contact with the owners of these items and to collect from those authorized to have gliders there — and to have those items not authorized to be there removed.

 

During board discussion of agenda items, a person who was deleted from the hangar waiting list was reinstated after it was found that the letter sent was returned due to an error on the part of the post office. 

The board set the date of the annual membership meeting to Oct. 2. At this meeting the membership will elect officers and conduct annual business of the membership.

The board had solicited bids for window replacement in the administration building and received one bid for $8,395. Due to the high cost, the board decided to wait and include window replacement in any possible upgrades to the building in the future.

 

Two bids were received for painting of the trim at the maintenance hangar; one for nearly $2,000 and another for $900.

The board voted to accept the lower bid and the trim will be painted within the next few weeks.

Airport board consultant Kim Joos reported that she will be meeting in January with engineers and will be soliciting a letter of intent from the Forest Service on the planned U.S. Forest Service administration building. Currently the Forest Service is operating out of temporary trailers between the east end of the paved ramp and the glider port.

 

Kunkle reported that testing of the seal coat on the ramp area came back with two different results; one that the seal coat was far out of specifications and another that it was within specifications.  The seal coat was provided by a “single source” bidder, Brewer Coat of Arizona. Ultimately, Granite Construction, the prime contractor for the airport work, will be responsible for bringing the work up to specifications.

Toward the end of the meeting, Kunkle reported that an Internet relay that brought wireless Internet service to much of the ramp and to many hangars was turned off.

Although this relay was provided and wired at no charge to the airport authority and provided weather and flight plan information to airport users, the board felt that access in the airport administration building was sufficient for airport users.

 

A memo from airport user and local flight instructor Yves Bajulaz stated, “The original intent of the installation was to provide access to weather and flight planning formation.  Users were told to minimize bandwidth.”

Bajulaz went on to note, “After numerous unauthorized accesses of other websites by the fire department’s younger members during the Zaca Fire, I spent many hours restricting the network from any access other than weather sites.”

A petition signed by several airport users was submitted requesting continuation of the Internet service.

 

The next meeting of the airport authority will be Feb. 7 at 7 p.m.