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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-04-08 Airport Commission SummaryKIM AIRPORT C01=88IOR April 8, 1993 city Hall Council Chambers Chairman Bill Toppa, Presiding 1. ROLL CALL Commissioners present: Bill Toppa, Teresa Werner-Quade, Bonnie Koerber, Tom Thibodeau Also present: Councilman Measles, Airport Manager Randy Ernst, Loretta Harvey, Transcribing Secretary Welcomed new Commissioner - Tom Thibodeau Toppa - Introduced the new FAA Tower Chief - Jim Krause Jim Krause - Said he was glad to be at the meeting and would try and make it every month. He offered help to the Commission, especially in areas that would effect the FAA. 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA There were two additions to the agenda under item 3. Persons Scheduled to Be Heard: 1. Pam Hansen, No -Smoking at Kenai Airport 2. Dan Pitts and Dan Van Zee 3. PERSONS PRESENT SCHEDULED TO BE HEARD * * *VERBATIx* * * Pam Hansen - Do you want to save this for when you address the Airport Terminal Smoking Survey business, or do you want to do it now? Toppa - Well we thought perhaps you would like to talk to us now. Hansen - Well I do, I do. My name is Pam Hansen, I'm from Soldotna. We have a new Commission member so he was not here when I spoke last, and I have given him one of the books here. I'd like to just kind of review the laws. I'll make it short, because we did this once before. The law, the Alaska Legislature passed the law because numerous studies have shown second hand smoke to be a significant health hazard. Since that time they've even had more. 7 KENAI AIRPORT COMMISSION April 8, 1993 - Meeting Page 2 In that law it states places where smoking is regulated, waiting; baggage; or boarding areas for a vehicle of public transportation, which would include interstate and intrastate aircraft. In this, it states that a person who designates a smoking section, shall make reasonable accommodations to protect the health of non-smokers who use the place or vehicle by separation, partition or ventilation that assures that non-smokers in the place or vehicle are not subject to the active by-products of smoke from smokers in the place or vehicle. Than in the guidelines, they give you guidelines in the beginning, and basically it states in there if you cannot do that, than the non-smoking designation requirement prevails. And that's on page five. I maintain that the City of Kenai is not doing that. And this is an issue about health and law. Once again, I was there Wednesday to put my mother on an airplane. We went there early to check in, so we would not get all the crowds. We left, waited outside till the last possible moment and when I put her on the plane she sounded like a bullfrog, because she has an allergy to cigarette smoke. And it's just ridiculous to me that we have to go through this thing. I've had so many people come up to me since it was in the newspaper that have said that they have a niece or a nephew, or a daughter, or a husband or a� wife, that all have allergies, that all have health problems that make it really tough to use the Kenai Airport. Now, we're talking about All -American City of Kenai. You've got a big sign out there. I can't see All -American City of Kenai who doesn't comply with the law and it's been clearly set forth to protect people from second-hand cigarette smoke. It could be done over there as Randy stated, there are separate ventilation systems. There is already an existing smoking area in the restaurant. The smoking area could be moved strictly to the restaurant and the lounge which have there own separated ventilation areas and than they would have to keep the door closed, so it would not drift into the commons area which is all served by the same ventilation system and has no partitions. You cannot use the airport without going through cigarette smoke, either to go check in, or to get your baggage and leave. I seem to have a problem with the Administration, because they figure if they can't see it, it's not there. Unfortunately, smokers can't smell how bad they smell. They can't smell the smell of cigarettes. I wish we could take every one of them and make them go swim at the highschool for two hours and than put their clothes back on. I think they'd be in for a big shock. To them, if it's not there and it's not visible, it's not there and it doesn't exist. This is not true, it is there and it does exist. Many places, because of the newly recognized hazards of cigarette smoking have put in a designation for the total building. The KENAI AIRPORT COMMISSION April 8, 1993 - Meeting Page 3 courts, the Whitehouse, hospitals, doctor's offices, dentist offices, movie theaters, shopping malls, even the Sterling laundromat. So I think it's probably time for Kenai to kind of address this and I hope you all have a sense of humor. Because I'm going to say, if I were to go in and use your lounge and drink beer the residue of that is urine and you wouldn't let me urinate all over the other patrons. And I'm sure that that's less hazardous than the cigarette smoke. So, maybe we better think seriously about this. Thank you, I appreciate your time. Toppa - Did you want to address the smoking survey? Ernst - As you can see there in the packet, these are the calls that I received. I show 23 that are for the non-smoking in the airport terminal and 14 for smoking. However if you look under airline employees, car rental agencies, restaurant and lounge that entails, oh I'd say, that's probably another minimum ten people, maybe more. So that's really kind of an even ballgame at this time. Mrs. Hansen is the only one that has actually directly talked to me about the non-smoking part. So I guess I would leave it up to the Airport Commission to decide what they would like to do. We had discussed, I haven't talked to the Council or anything about this, but there is a possibility we could put a smoking section in the glassed off area where the musk ox is. And put a ventilation system in there and that would allow the smokers to 'see when the plane is ready to go and that type of thing. That is a possibility. The smoking for the employees, as far as the airline ticket counter people, they could smoke in their offices and in the back there, because the back area is served by a separate ventilation system. It doesn't effect the ventilation system in the terminal. The car rental agency people would be a problem. They're on the wrong side of the building, they'd have to find one of the places, either the glassed in area there, or whatever. Toppa - The airport has the venting systems but it's not set up as partitioned? Ernst - Right. Toppa - Do you have any questions for Randy on that? I don't know if the City is in compliance or not with the Code. If the vent systems are there but there are no partitions to separate them, than perhaps they're not. Thibodeau - I don't know enough about it, but are we within, the way we are right now, within compliance? KENAI AIRPORT COMMISSION April 8, 1993 - Meeting Page 4 Toppa - According to the DEC we are in compliance. Quade - I received a call from Pam Hansen, I talked to her Wednesday the day she put her mom on the flight. After I spoke with her I called Mrs. Pat Porter, she's the Director of the Kenai Senior Center. Recently they changed from a smoking environment for the seniors to a smoke -free zone and I think it came about because of some complaints that they had. Pat said she was really nervous about changing it to a smoke -free zone. She had a lot of anxiety about it but she realized that the Senior Citizen's Center was not in compliance with the law and you'll find that under page 4, non-smoker rights, it's very clearly written. That a non-smoker had to pass through an area that was polluted by smoke to be able to participate in Senior activities and it's the same way with the airline passenger. In order to purchase a ticket they have to pass through a smoking zone and so according to this manual the non- smoker's rights supersede the rights of the smokers. And it's the exact same thing that was happening at the Senior Center. Anyway Pat made it basically a smoke -free zone she thought she was going to get a lot of basically flake for doing that. And she told me on the phone that really she had really heard hardly anything after she did that. She made it much more, in her mind a much larger thing than it actually turned out to be. It inconvenienced some people but for the most part she didn't even get very many complaints at all I'm not really coming from any personal angle I'm just reading page four and can see that we really are not in compliance. Koerber - What would it take, Randy to do that little glass cage? Ernst - We were looking at it today and it wouldn't be too much for the ventilation system. We checked the width and we can get one of those six chair modules against that one wall. Toppa - And what would that accommodate? Six people at a time? Ernst - Yea, you aren't going to find more than that smoking at one time anyway. You know when you're waiting for the plane. We looked at dismantling another module to put three on either side there. But if we do that we're going to have to get more furniture in the terminal. Toppa - All right, do we have any more questions? Thibodeau - I'd rather see something like that, than you know, we have more tourists coming in here all the time. Rather than having an area where nobody can smoke I'd rather have something where they could go in and they wouldn't be turned off in the winter by being able, coming in and having no place to go to have a cigarette. I KENAI AIRPORT COMMISSION April 8, 1993 - Meeting Page 5 think we're going to see, as time goes on, that problem will go away. I think we're seeing throughout the nation less and less people smoking and I think that problem is going to go away but until it does I think we ought to have someplace. And with the environment we have here, we can't expect them to just go outside and smoke. And if the glass partition is a possibility than that might work well. Toppa - Sounds to me like we're halfway in compliance. We've got designated smoking areas and we've got vents, venting systems but no method of separating them. Anyone like to Ernst - I guess the only thing we could do at this point is that I could put together a package on what it would cost to put in the ventilation system in that area. Than we would have to go to Council with your recommendation to make that area a smoking area. Toppa - I'll accept a motion at this time but before we do, Pam do you have a comment? Hansen - I think that it should be brought up that Randy stated last time we were here that that ventilation system that serves the common area is all one ventilation system the others are separate. The other area is a common area, with common circulation system. If you don't pass through the smoking area to purchase a ticker you stand in the smoking area to purchase a ticket. Dan Van Zee - I had a completely different understanding of the last meeting. I understood that there were two separate ventilation systems in the building. One by the gift shop and one over, closer to the glassed in area. I think, personally, as a smoker the area next to the gift shop, between the windows and the gift shop and the restaurant would be a more suitable smoking area. As I understand the ventilation system it is drawing air out of the building through the ventilation system and bringing in fresh air from other parts of the building. So I don't see that we have a problem with smoke moving from that area to other parts of the terminal. It would all be exhausted there and fresh air would come in through the doors at all times. I think that would be much more suitable area, a much more pleasant area for smokers than stuck in a glass case. Besides, the last booth could conceivably be a source of revenue for the airport. Toppa - Anyone have any questions from our guests? Thibodeau - What would you have to do there? Just a couple of doorways maybe between the giftshop and the outside wall. And than another one going to the back? Ernst - I assume that if they're going to go with the partition off r KENAI AIRPORT COMMISSION April 8, 1993 - Meeting Page 6 the area than it seems like that would have to be done. Thibodeau - Would that be less expensive, do you think? Ernst - Oh no, it would be much more expensive. It just didn't seem feasible to put in partitions and everything there. That glassed in area we haven't had since Penny's Travel in 185, 186 maybe. It's just been used for special events. Werner-Quade - I'm think that perhaps if we could even come up with something that we can use even as a temporary place for the cigarette smokers to be until we can come up with an actual solution their own room or area. you know, even if we could just get some temporary housing for them in order to be in compliance. That's maybe what we should move towards tonight. Ed Wehrstein - That glassed in area I would have to be six inches from that all day long. Dealing with business and the noise level through that wall would be impossible. Toppa - I can't really visualize where this is, where's your . . .? Wehrstein - Budget Rent a Car. Ernst - That's one of the walls. The other alternative is we have an employee's lounge between South Central and ERA and we've talked about maybe making that a smoking area. It's a little bit larger. Toppa - But a little bit inconvenient to the public. Ernst - A little bit inconvenient. They would have to seek it out. There's some things we could do of course. We could make a walkway through the ticket counter area there, we'd have to put a sub -wall on the South Central side. But there again, at some point in time, whoever used the ticket space that would have to be taken out. Toppa - Well we've heard several suggestions, would anyone like to make a motion and describe a solution. You had an idea for a temporary solution and Randy trying to at least come up with some kind of an offer or idea we can use. First of all we need to know what it's going to cost. Koerber - Well you've come up with two or three suggestions. I think we ought to find out what the cost is going to be on all of them. Toppa - I agree on that we need top know what's gonna cost us. Koerber - You can't make a decision on one until you know what it's �-. KENAI AIRPORT COMMISSION April 8, 1993 - Meeting Page 7 gonna cost on all of them. Toppa - The way I see it, if we're not in compliance with the law as stated like it is, we are going to have to come into compliance. It's happening everywhere in the country as far as smoker's rights. I think we should try to acc mmodate it at least a stew at a time. I don't think this discussion is going to go away unless we take some type of action. Werner -Quads - So for the time being we can address it by attempting to assign temporary housing or quarters to the smokers. And since Randy is the Airport Manager he probably knows better than anyone which little area is going to be able to work. At least for temporary so that we can come into compliance. Ernst - I think as far as a temporary solution is either the glassed in area or the office that I was talking about. Hansen - Is that glassed in area on its own ventilation system? Ernst - We would put one in. Hansen - I mean for temporary. Ernst - Even if it were for temporary we would put in the ventilation system. Van Zee - If the area next to the gift shop already has a ventilation system, if the City is currently in compliance why is it not an alternative to simply move some chairs into that area, let the smokers use it. Move the smokers away from the entrance and the exit. I think that you could probably bring more people over to the gift shop than currently go over there. I watch it all day long and nobody goes over there. At least this way the smokers would go over there and they'd like that too. Toppa - What was it, you said the other place would be better than that, sounds like that would get people out of the terminal. Ernst - Well it would. And i agree it probably would be a better place if we didn't have to partition either side of that area off. Van Zee - The way i understand it you wouldn't have to do that now that you're in compliance now. I'm just saying that this has its own ventilation system, move the people there temporarily until to determine whether to do the partitions. This would resolve the situation and move the smokers from the entrance and exit. Ernst - Another thing that we thought about is that generally speaking the people that are smoking are the ones that are waiting KENAI AIRPORT COMMISSION April 8, 1993 - Meeting Page 8 for their flights and that seems to be located around that area there. We were just trying to make it a little more convenient but if we say that there is no smoking there and than point to an area it's just a matter of getting acclimated to where it is. It just seems it would be more handy to have it in the glassed in area where they can see the traffic and see when the flights are leaving. Thibodeau - I think the problem would be there is that you're kind of being caged in to have a cigarette. I think to be nicer to the smoker about it I think what Dan is saying would work. I don't know about the flow on air flow as far as exhausting goes. And I don't know if there is any, if we knew the volume, or if there is someone locally we could ask about the volume of smoke that would be removed because of that area and the way it's situated, one partial partition would guarantee the flow of air coming in the doors going that way than out. I don't know it might be something to look into. If it would put us more in compliance, or if we're in compliance than that would work just to move the chairs there. That would be the least expensive option. Hansen - This was discussed at the last meeting and I brought it up. There doesn't seem to be being brought up for discussion. There already exists a smoking area, in the restaurant. They already advertise flights in the restaurant. It's glassed off all you have to do is close the door and it has its own ventilation system. A gentleman stated that someone I think from their committee, last time when we were all here, stated that he was not opposed to that. Ernst - Well I take exception to that. I think he would be opposed to that. Just having people come in there sit down and smoke and not eat or drink coffee. It's a restaurant after all, that's his business and he's not going to want all the smokers to come in there and just fill up his tables. Werner-Quade - It's really not an option to turn the restaurant into a smoking area. It just isn't. Hansen - He had stated that it was alright with him. Werner-Quade - But I'm inclined to agree with Dan that maybe the designated smoking area needs to be changed so that it's over there, away, not in the doorways. We could see if that would work. See if redesignating the non-smoking area is an option. Koerber - It seems to me that the eliminate now is a time element and whether we pick the glass cage or whatever it's still going to take time to put that air vent in and get air system going. Wouldn't it be better to put it where Dan said in that area where KENAI AIRPORT COMMISSION April 8, 1993 - Meeting Page 9 we could put the table and chairs at least until we get something else fixed that would get them away from the people coming in and out. Toppa - Well it sounds reasonable to me, would you like to make the motion to that? ***End Verbatim*** MOTION AND VOTE: Werner-Quade moved to reappropriate the smoking area over behind the restaurant near the glass windows where there is a separate ventilation system as a temporary means to attempt to come into compliance. Thibodeau seconded. Passed unanimously. b. Dan Pitts - dan Van Zee Dan Pitts - I just, one thing of old business that was tabled here. Well last meeting it was discussed and the meeting before that was the issue of the access road on the taxiway. And I don't believe, it's not on the agenda today, but I'd like to bring it back up. Dean Eicholz, who originally brought this topic of conflict that's a continuous happening on the airport ramp brought this up. He couldn't be here tonight but he asked me to bring this up. That road, I think you're all aware of it, I know Dean, myself and other airport users would like to see the road simply abolished. Either that or moved out farther on the taxi ramp for service of vehicles. Right now, the fuel business that I do represent, we worked out something with the City to block out the road, but it's still a safety issue there, a blocked road. Toppa - Have you done that process yet? Pitts - Yes, yes, we're back in operation. We're have f or the past twelve years in the same spot $500 a year more for access to utilize it. But it haven't addressed the basic issues. It's not covered in snow and ice, you don't even see it. of pictures here that have been taken. One shows jet that was instructed by the tower to park. Once and shut down they were asked to start their jets u three or four feet out, to not be on the road. "what road?" They said well there is a road here. picture of the front of the terminal, course it is in front of the terminal the commercial aircraft parked over it. And it just seems like people on the ramp are singled out a little bit more to ge than people are in front of the terminal. The obi fueling like we and we just pay still, we still necessary it's I have a couple a large private they had parked p again and move And they said, This is another snow and ice and are continually the north end of t off the road, iious commercial KENAI AIRPORT COMMISSION April 8, 1993 - Meeting Page 10 aircraft, airline people. And it's an unnecessary item. We've discussed it before you know, anyone who is on that ramp know where to drive, knows how to stay out of the taxi -ways, they are all trained, they're supposed to be trained, they're required to be trained. We would just like you to revisit the issue and since you've got a quorum tonight maybe suggest to the City Council that they agree to do something to get rid of this conflict we're continuing to have out there. Toppa - Everyone here is familiar with this. I think, Tom you haven't heard much about this although maybe you have. Thibodeau - Somewhat. Toppa - We had a work session last meeting, we had a few people here and the conclusion was that the road was going to stay, but they were going to block it off when they fuel. Which isn't the easiest procedure for them to go through. But I've looked at it and I can't personally see why it's there, because I have talked to the Airport Division about it it's not a required by any Federal requirement. I know that Jim has worked in the Anchorage Tower. Have you ever seen any controlled roadway on the Anchorage airport? Krause (reply inaudible) Toppa - This line that goes parallel to the fence goes out, I don't know how many feet that is. Werner-Quade - Just "X" amount of feet. Originally they had requested to move the line, or remove the line. And than this second time they wanted to move, the first time remove it, the second time move it. So there is some sort of quandary about the positioning of this line because the planes always seem to inadvertently park over this line and then they are where they are not supposed to be so it's causing alot of hassle for these business people to go and tell the pilots to fire up there planes. So it's bad for them but than on the side of the Airport Manager and the City it's an existing road that they don't want to get rid of. Toppa - Yes, you can look at the . . . Thibodeau - Anchorage, I believe has some of these lines sitting quit a ways away from the terminal building. Ernst - Just as a point of interest, most every airport has a roadway designation for vehicular traffic. Alot of large airports have jetways and you can't run the road right next to the terminal building which is where they would like to have it I'm sure. To keep it out of that area that combines vehicular traffic with KENAI AIRPORT COMMISSION April 8, 1993 - Meeting Page 11 aircraft traffic. So subsequently they have all these arms hanging out from their terminal building which they can't put a roadway there so it does have to go out beyond that. It wouldbe ludicrous for us to have that system to go all the way out tot her middle. We'd be driving out there and then figuring out a way to got back to each FBO, you know. So this roadway girves access to every FBO along the roadway. Mr. Pitts signed an agreement that he was going to , he agreed that fueling the aircraft and we agreed that he can block that road for the period of time "that he fuel* it. And he puts out a little barrier, I think he has a little triangular thing, there that he puts out when it's fueling. I just don't believe that it's that big of,deal. He says that they are always blocking the roadway in front of the terminal and that's just not true. It's just not true. This particular jet that he showed a picture of is not the jet that I moved. That particular jet was right at the corner where the freight people come out of the freight building. His freight building and come to the terminal and he was just in a very precarious place. He could have very easily gotten hit and he was going to be there several days. So I would be glad to go through this whole thing with you again. I don't think it's necessary. ' The road should stay there. it's a safety issue. We can train people to use that road and at least stay on the east side of the ramp whether there's snow there are not. Seems to me it's a dead issue that keeps being brought up and we keep agreeing that it's gonna be there. You signed an agreement saying that it's gonna be there. Toppa - Well it looks like it's not a dead issue, because it does come up. The business people that are operating there have a problem with it and I think maybe we should take the initiative. You've heard all the information. Tom you haven't been involved with it clot, but we've all been listening to it, it's been ongoing. It's up to you what you want to do with it. We will make a recommendation to Council whether it stays or goes. We have not had a chance, we were not able to vote on it the last time we had a quorum we were told there were some legal actions going on so we tabled it. We didn't vote on it. The motion was brought up but due to those legal problems we weren't able to take any action. Now that wasn't a factor we found out later that whatever legal things were going on didn't relate to that. Ernst - That's not true. Legal action was being taken on the fueling system which had to do with the roadway. I tell you what if the Airport Commission wants to make a recommendation to remove the road to the City Council I'll be more than glad to take my case to the City Council. Thibodeau - Just my background on this whole thing and what I' m KENAI AIRPORT COMMISSION April 8, 1993 - Meeting Page 12 hoping to bring to the Council is a background in aviation. And what ,I see is that if a jet,of that size had to start up again to move from away from a line, one of the things is that couldn't make whoever owned the jet very happy. We're talking 400-500 dollars, or something like that, just to cycle the engines. That's a real consideration, one thing that we really have to keep in mind is that.the Airport Commission and the Administration is here to go along with -and to help out, whenever we can the airport users. They are the people that we're here to serve and to make the people that come through the airport have an enjoyable experience. And having the people that work her have an enjoyable experience and so that it all works real well. So everybody is happy in what they're doing and so it's just a lot better situation. if that line is not an absolutely, if the road is not necessary, and I don't really know that it is, from what I've seen. I think I'd be for eliminating it. toppa - Does anybody else have any comment on that. Koerber - It doesn't seem to be a dead issue because it keeps coming up every time. Pitts - This has nothing to do with the fuel. We don't, personally we don't like to have to block the road off to fuel aircraft. i mean we'd rather not have a road leading right into our fueling area. I mean that doesn't make alot of sense to us. It is a safety issue. And number two, this was all brought up, not, our fueling facility has been there forever, we've always fueled there. Anybody that's been running up and down that road has always gone around when they've seen an aircraft there. It's obvious, someone is going to drive around it, if there's an aircraft sitting there. Our whole thing, is not from the fueling standpoint, I mean let me clarify this. It's not from the fueling standpoint. It's conflict on the airport. It's people from out of town that come in, they pull in, they may be going to ERA to drop off some freight, they may be going to Alaska Flying Network to get a checkrite, they may be going to somewhere and they park and they don't know they're on the road because there's snow on it. Or they don't know that blocking the road is going to be a violation. And out comes somebody in the airport Manager's vehicle with the lights flashing, and they tell them to get off the road. Start up your aircraft and move it. That's conflict. Now someone from out of town, they don't know where they're at, and someone comes out there and harasses them like that in a whatever manner it's done, hm, we're just trying to get rid of conflict here. That's all, it's not, from the fueling standpoint. Hey we're back in business, we're happy. My whole thing is let's reduce some conflict down here. You know why should we have �^KENAI AIRPORT COMMISSION April 8, 1993 - Meeting Page 13 someone coming out with their lights flashing saying, move your aircraft and having to start it up all over again. And when that road is not necessary. Toppa - thank you Dan. Does anyone want to make any more comments on that. Okay, would anyone like to offer up a motion? Thibodeau - I would make a motion, does this have to go to Council? Toppa - At this point we can only make recommendations to the City Council on Airport issues. But we'd have to make a motion to bring that to them. We have a quorum so we can do that. MOTION: Thibodeau MOVED to recommend to Council that the line be removed. Koerber SECONDED. VOTE: Koerber - Yes, Thibodeau - Yes, Toppa - Yes, Werner Quade - Abstain ***END VERBATIM*** c. Kenai Airport Alliance Dan Van Zee Introduced himself and handed out a list of ideas from that group (attached). He said the Alliance had been waiting for new Commissioners to be assigned before presenting their ideas to the Commission. He asked to be placed on the May agenda and for the Commission to review the packet for the next meeting. March 11, 1993 - (no meeting due to lack of quorum) a. Float Plane Facility Advertising Campaign Ernst - reported that the Council had passed the resolution for the initial advertising fees. Werner-Quade - presented a copy of the advertising logo and the proposed budget. The ads will run in the Daily News with a number to call or write for a free pass to use the float plane. She noted that part of the expenses will be a fly -in breakfast promotion. The budget has been slashed from $21,000 to $4,906.78. KENAI AIRPORT COMMISSION April 8, 1993 - Meeting Page 14 Toppa - thanked Werner -Quads for the wonderful job she had done working on this project. b. Airport Terminal Smoking Survey (As discussed under item 3.) a. Proposed Airport Budgets Ernst - gave a brief report on the proposed Budget. b. Advertising Office and Ticket Counter Space Ernst - reported that Mark Air had expressed interest in leasing the SCA space vacated when SCA went to non -commuter flights. The Council felt the space should go out to bid. Mark Air will stay in the same location until their current lease expires. c. Discuss Minimum Landing Fee and User Fee Ernst - referred to the memo which was in the packet (attached). Ernst had received a letter from Lake Country Lodge regarding the Use Fee of $25.00 per aircraft under 4,000 lbs. This fee was originally established to encourage use of the airport. Ernst felt that a flat fee of $25.00 per month for commercial operators with aircraft under 4,000 lbs. instead of a per -aircraft fee. Pitts - Asked permission to read a letter from Warren johnson, a registered guide and also typical of responses that Kenai Airport Fuel Service has gotten, because it effects them quite a bit: I an writing because of my dissatisfaction with the land fee being charged to small air -taxi operators at the Kenai Airport. i own and operated Kenai Float Plane Service, a small air taxi service. i have found it convenient and economical to purchase fuel and pick up passengers at the Kenai Airport in the past. Now with your $25 landing fee it is no longer economical for me. i pay taxes to the City of Kenai through the services I use at the Airport. I think that those taxes are enough of a fee for the time my plane is on the airport. How is it that the City can lease a building to the Federal Aviation Administration for a $1 a year for the benefit for aviation all over the State of Alaska than turn around and charge exorbitant fees to the people who use the airport. Are we paying the rent for a Federal Agency that is KENAI AIRPORT COMMISSION April 8, 1993 - Meeting Page 15 regulating many of us out of business? (I may not agree with that personally this is Warren's words). The City of Kenai is not only going to be collecting the landing fee but you are losing the taxes that would be generated by the use of the services available at the airport. And the people who provide those services are losing my business because of this. I got the same letter from Security Aviation. The way its written right now if an instructor and student come down and stop in Kenai they have to add $25 to their expenses and they'll go elsewhere. Ernst - It says right at the bottom of the monthly reports "this report and fee to not reply to the landing for testing or aircraft or training of personal of aircraft operated by a firm for the Municipal Airport." It does not apply to training flights. MOTION AND VOTE: Thibodeau - MOVED to eliminate the use fee for aircraft under 4,000 lbs and for over 4,000 lbs $25 per month. Werner Quade SECONDED. PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. Ernst - reported items included in his report (attached). C Thibodeau - suggested that picnic tables be installed at the Float Plane Basin. Some basins have these and even camping areas. This seems to be a draw to people flying around the state. Toppa - Asked if the Commission could take a tour of the facilities in the near future. 9. INFORMATION ITEMS 10, ADJOURNMENT There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Loretta Harvey, Transcribing Secretary