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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-03-02 Airport Committee Minutes City of Bangor Airport Committee Virtual Meeting March 2, 2021 Meeting Minutes The following City Councilors attended: Airport Committee Chair Clare Davitt, Councilors Rick Fournier, Susan Hawes and Jonathan Sprague. Also in attendance were City Manager Cathy Conlow, Airport Director Tony Caruso and Marketing & Business Development Manager Aimee Thibodeau. Agenda and Discussion: 1. Order - Airport Public Use Policy Airport Director Tony Caruso asked for Committee approval for an Order authorizing a revision to the airport's public use policy that was established by Council Order 17-232. This Order authorizes a revision to that policy that includes grammatical changes and adding language that prohibits the advertisement for services, products, substances, or other materials that are illegal under either the laws of the State of Maine or of the United States of America. In all other respects, the terms and conditions of the policy remain in full force and effect. Motion made, seconded and approved by unanimous roll call vote. The Order will be presented to the City Council for final approval. 2. Order – Bangor Gas, LLC Temporary Use Agreement Airport Director Caruso asked for Committee approval of an Order authorizing the City Manager to execute a temporary use agreement between the City of Bangor and Bangor Gas, LLC. to use a portion of parcel R24-020, located at 611 Maine Avenue, for temporary storage of up to 5 CNG trailers. This temporary use shall be in effect from June 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021, for a fee of $1,000. This term may be extended for an additional 30 days, by mutual agreement in writing. Motion made, seconded and approved by unanimous roll call vote. The Order will be presented to the City Council for final approval. 3. Order – Authorization to apply for the Coronavirus Response & Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) Airport Director Caruso presented an Order that will authorize the Airport to apply for a $2,581,294 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA). This grant funding may be used for operating and capital expenses that are defined permitted uses of airport revenue (i.e. aeronautical purposes). Airports must submit payment reimbursement requests similar to the Airport Improvement Plan (AIP) program administration. Motion made, seconded and approved by unanimous roll call vote. The Order will be presented to the City Council for final approval. 4. Resolve – To accept and appropriate CRRSAA relief funds. Airport Director Caruso presented a Resolve authorizing the Airport t o accept and appropriate a grant in the amount of $2,581,294 from the Federal Aviation Administration under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) as outlined in the agenda item above. Motion made, seconded and approved by unanimous roll call vote. The Resolve will be presented to the City Council for final approval. 5. Order – Authorization to apply for PFC project – Replacement of three (3) passenger boarding bridges Airport Director Caruso requested Committee approval of an Order authorizing the Airport to apply to the FAA for the replacement of (3) passenger boarding bridges (PBB's). A PFC is a fee paid by passengers that is used to make improvements to an airport’s infrastructure that benefits the passengers. The fee is $4.50 per passenger and is collected by the airlines when a ticket is purchased. The fee is then remitted to the airport to be used for FAA-approved projects. This project consists of planning, data collection, design, inspection, testing, project management, all labor, materials, equipment, services and incidentals in connection with furnishing and installing passenger boarding bridges at Gates 4, 5, and 6. The current PBB's are over 30 years old and are obsolete. The total project cost is estimated at $5,449,075 which includes applying the carry-over of unused PFC's from previous projects of $971,423. Motion made, seconded and approved by unanimous roll call vote. The Order will be presented to the City Council for final approval. 6. Resolve – To appropriate unused PFC funds Airport Director Caruso presented a Resolve to authorize appropriation of unused PFC's in the amount of $971,423 to be applied to the replacement of (3) passenger boarding bridges (PBB's) project at the airport outlined in the above agenda item. The airport previously received FAA approval to apply for four separate PFC applications and four amendments dating back to 1995, all of which have been completed and closed. The airport currently has a balance of $971,423 (collections and interest) in its PFC account. Motion made, seconded and approved by unanimous roll call vote. The Resolve will be presented to the City Council for final approval. 7. Airport Advertising and Marketing a. Airport Statistics – January, 2021 Marketing Director Thibodeau reported that our January passenger counts were consistent with earlier months. Delta resumed service today. We continue to see a 60% year-over-year decline which is consistent with national trends. We are beginning to see a slight rebound in leisure travel as more people get fully vaccinated. Industry experts continue to forecast a slow, but steady, growth pattern, and project it will take 3 years or longer to return to 2018-2019 passenger levels. Military traffic and DOD fuel sales remain strong. Due to FBO client requests, we are now providing Rapid Antigen Covid tests for sale at the FBO. These self-tests meet a need for aircraft occupants, primarily international travelers, who need test results when entering foreign countries. The Airport is participating in two virtual events: the BRLI Transportation day th March 4 and an upcoming Brewer High School Career Fair. b. Social Media Update Marketing Director Thibodeau shared our February statistics. Our Facebook following continues to grow. We will continue our posts highlighting employees and ‘Throwback Thursday”, our most popular postings. Our LinkedIn presence is growing. The focus on this site is different than other social media platforms. Our posts are targeted to enhance professional development and connections. Meeting Adjourned