HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-07-26 Airport Committee MinutesAIRPORT COMMIT E MEMNG
DNRSDAY, .TO 6, 1995 - NOON
NISTRATION OFFICE
Present: James Tyler, Chair
Don Soucy, Member
Tim Woodcock, Member
Pat Blanchette, Councilor
Ed Barrett, City Manager
Bob Ziegelaar, Airport Director
Richard Paszyc, Airport Sales Mgr.
Media: Various representatives of Newspapers,
Television and Radio
The meeting was opened at 13:10 PM by the Chair. Items were
taken up in sequence as per published agenda:
/1. Low Level Radio Active Waste (LLRW). The Airport Director
stated that he wanted to update the Committee about the status of
the possible proposal, by the Westinghouse Corporation, to ship
LLRW materials via BIA. At this point the Airport i awaiting
a formal requestfrom Westinghouse to initiate such shipments,
at which time a Public Review Forum will be announced to fully
brief the general public. The Airport's Sales Manager advised
the Committee that he had met the Minister of Transportation for
the Russian Republic of Dagestan and had been informed that all
aspects about the proposal as far as Dagestan's involvement is
concerned are
acceptable at this point. Mr. Tyler asked whether
Maine would bei a position to stop shipments of LLRW if these
materials were to be flown out of a Canadian airport. Mr. Singe -
last responded that, to his knowledge, and based upon information
received from the State, it would probaby be legal to route
such freight through Maine. He added that LLRW materials have
been shipped within the country for twenty years, without any
serious incidents reported, according to a recent article in the
Portland Press Herald. Mr. Woodcock stated that he has not
formed an opinion as of yet about the proposed project and wishes
to be kept up to date about any final proposal and related de-
tails. He also stated that it was important to formulate a
response to any questions regarding the moral aspects of the LLRW
generation processes and that additional details concerning the
specific origins of the materials would be valuable information
to have. Mr. Paszyc volunteered that there has been a recent
rule change by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission which introduces
an oversight role by the State Department as to the export li-
censing aspects of this type of project, whereby the State De-
partment would assess the conditions at the storage site prier to
giving its approval. Mr. Ziegelaar stated next that as soon as a
formal proposal is received, a Public Review Forum would be
scheduled, at which time expert testimony would be presented by
the various oversight agencies as well as other parties. Subse-
quent to the public forum, the matter would be presented to the
City council during a regular public session. In the meantime,
the Airport would disseminate a "briefing sheet" to interested
citizens, providing responses to questions received to date.
(Note: Briefing sheets were mailed 7-26-95).
02 - Baggage Carts and Lockers. The Airport Director proposed
that the airport solicit proposals for the installation and
maintenance of baggage carts and lockers. The advantages would
be: better control of the carts (by m of a deposit/payment
system), increased availability of carts,,sability to respond to
passenger requests for temporary baggage storage and a small
revenue increase for the airport. Mr. Ziegelaar further ex-
plained that most U.S. airports have opted for similar systems.
He indicated that it had been the airport's desire to provide
carts at no cost but that the costs for retrieval and maintenance
had become prohibitive. Upon brief discussion the Committee
voted to solicit RFP's for both the carts and lockers.
$Z Cellular Telephones. Mr. Ziegelaar explained that he had
been approached by a company offering to install a cellular
phone rental machine and he suggested that, whereas there would
be no financial risk to the airport, "Pis also be solicited for
that function. He estimated that franchise revenues to the
airport could reach the $10,000 level (per year). The Committee
voted to proceed with the proposal through the RFP process.
F4 Business Update. The Airport Director next briefed the Com-
mittee about the following issues.
- interspace advertising, the newly selected airport advertising
management company, has also been selected by the Portland
Jetport. This should help them appeal to a broader Maine
market for advertising displays in Bangor's terminals.
- Telford Aviation is
continuing its efforts to increase defense
related sub -contract work. Senator Cohen is assisting in
that process.
- North Star Energy's fuel leak and related expenses could lead
to problems with the DEP, if the agency decided to seek re-
imbursement from BIA for clean-up expenses. Based on discussion
with the City Solicitor, the airport could reclaim such expenses
from the operator's (North Star) insurance provider. The
airport had attempted to close down the operation of the fuel
station during 1994 but the DEP consented to allowing the
operation to continue for one year, upon Che operator's request.
- The latest snow sweeper provided to BIA under an FAA grant i
not living up to expectations. The airport may want to upgrade
at additional expense. Mr. Ziegelaar stated he would provide
the funding solution for such an upgrade if and when he recommends
changing equipment.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:05 PM