Berlin Airport Authority
April 1, 2010
Present were: Chair Grenier, Commissioners Landry, Rozek, Cayer, Pozzuto, and Brady; absent were Commissioners Danderson, and Cayer
Others present: John Hertz
Chair Grenier called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
Chair Grenier introduced Tom Brady who is the County representative to the BAA.
Minutes
Commissioner Pozzuto asked for clarification on the location of the building stating that the minutes state that it is not in the State’s right of way and he concurs with that; however the Milan zoning ordinance has a 25 foot set back from the edge of the road and it was not complied with. He went on to say that Milan is not looking to push the issue but in the future, the Milan Zoning Ordinance and property building permits need to be acquired prior to the start of the project. Mr. Kaminsky acknowledged that it is a fact and he doesn’t know why it happened. Chair Grenier offered to write a letter to the Town; however Mr. Pozzuto stated that it is preferable that the situation not be repeated and no letter is necessary.
Commissioner Rozek moved to accept the minutes; Commissioner Landry seconded and the motion carried.
Financials
Mr. Kaminsky reported that he meets with the City Comptroller at least monthly to stay abreast of the financial situation. He had made a projection that the airport would have a $30,000 deficit by year end and as of now it is at $21,797. Chair Grenier confirmed that the Water Works is buying sand and the revenue of $17,000 budgeted will likely be exceeded.
Commissioner Landry asked if some of the numbers shown represent fuel bought but not sold and Mr. Kaminsky replied that there is an inventory done at year end where unsold fuel is calculated into the final number.
There was some discussion about the price of sand and it was determined that the airport is getting a fair price since the Water Works is loading its own and will contribute to reclamation of the pit.
Commissioner Landry questioned the credit card processing fees and asked if there is a company that would charge less. He affirmed that the profit margin is about $1.00 per gallon for jet fuel; however to stay competitive with 100 low lead, we make under .50 per gallon. Commissioner Brady commented that credit card fees are less if we were to accept only Visa and Master Card. The higher the sale is, the lower the rate should be; he advised to check into other companies.
Commissioner Landry moved to accept the financial reports through February of 2010; Commissioner Pozzuto seconded and the motion carried.
Election of Officers
Chair Grenier called for the election of officers saying that statutorily the Mayor is the Chairman and there needs to be a Vice Chair. The financials are done by the Finance Department at City Hall. Commissioner Rozek nominated Commissioner Landry to be Vice President. Commissioner Rozek moved to have Commissioner Landry as Vice President; Commissioner Pozzuto seconded and the motion carried.
Commissioner Landry nominated Commissioner Rozek to be Treasurer. Commissioner Landry moved to have Commissioner Rozek as Treasurer; Commissioner Pozzuto seconded and the motion carried.
Proposed Sale of Airport Dump/Plow Truck
Mr. Kaminsky gave a brief explanation of the current grant cycle with the FAA. It started out that the snowblower was slated to be replaces; however the self contained version of the equipment costs about $700,000. The State agreed to finance $400,000 and instead of a self contained unit, a snowblower attachment for the new loader will be purchased at approximately $130,000; the airport’s 1999 truck with automatic dump will be replaced at a cost of approximately $160,000; and the paving around the snow removal equipment building will be completed; and finally the airport will get a sander as well.
Chair Grenier noted that the International six wheel dump truck is in almost new condition and the School Department could use the truck to replace a dump truck that they use to haul garbage that was given to them in 1995 and is at the end of its useful life. Seeing that the BAA is running a deficit, Chair Grenier proposed that the schools get truck for $22,000 which would work for both departments.
Commissioner Rozek stated that he would need an estimate of the truck’s value before moving forward. Mr. Kaminsky reported that he checked with Liberty Trucks of Manchester and found that the trade in value would be $17,500; however the truck would retail for $22,000-$24,000.
Commissioner Rozek moved to sell the truck to the schools for $22,000 upon receipt of the replacement truck; Commissioner Landry seconded and the motion carried.
Mr. Kaminsky acknowledged that there is a grant process and we won’t know until the Governor and Council sign off in August. Once the grant is established, the airport’s truck is ordered.
Lease Status Report
Mr. Kaminksy reported that all leases have been paid with the exception of the one for land on which the Wausau building sits. Chair Grenier clarified that this has come to the Authority before and the BAA agreed to lease the land to Mr. Drobney under the same lease as Wausau. If the lease is not paid, the building will have to be removed.
Commissioner Rozek moved to invite Mr. Drobney to come to next meeting and if he does not avail himself of the opportunity, then the next step is to go to the sheriff; Commissioner Landry seconded and the motion carried.
Commissioner Pozzuto questioned whether this is the type of business that we ought to have at the airport? Commissioner Landry added that when hangars are being used by someone with an active plane, it is reasonable that they will be buying fuel. If we had pilots in the buildings, they would be flying.
Airport Manager’s Report
At the suggestion of a pilot from out of state, a Facebook page is being created that will showcase the airport. The Authority will be notified when the page is up.
The airport’s 1962 grader sold for $3,875.
With regard to the MacKinnon land sale, we have done everything that can be done and it is in the hands of the FAA.
Mr. Kaminsky indicated that he wants to get the airport involved in Old Home Days in Milan. He thought perhaps that hayrides could come to the airport where there would be static displays of aircraft. He will try to work with military, DART and State Police.
Mr. Kaminsky stated that he was contacted by Dan Alimandi who is working in this area for the Census. He was looking for a venue for daily meetings and the airport is being requested as a back up to Dummer Town Hall.
Commissioner Landry moved to accept the Manager’s Report; Commissioner Pozzuto seconded and the motion carried.
Other
Commissioner Rozek commented that he was at the Community College and Cathy Eneguess questioned him on the status of electronics at the airport. Chair Grenier speculated that the request was regarding the ILS and he explained that it is a dead issue. Mr. Kaminsky further explained that an instrument landing system would have involved eminent domain issues and due to the topography of the area, it would not have improved the minimums needed to land. In short, it is not going to happen.
Pilot Comments
Mr. Hertz stated that he and Mr. Shute have been supplying the electricity to a security light on each of their hangars and the airport has been paying the same amount for the bill since 2002. He indicated that he will research the actual cost and report back.
Commissioner Rozek moved to adjourn; Commissioner Landry seconded and the motion carried. The meeting ended at 7:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Tremblay
Administrative Assistant
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