Airport Authority

Athens Airport Authority Meeting May 25, 2021 3:00 p.m. Live Stream on ACCGOV YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/AUmAlGgCsBs Authority: Diane Napier, Chair Les Shindelman, Keith Sanders, Grant Tribble, Robert Miles, David Asman Airport: Mike Mathews, Airport Director Josh Edwards, ACC Assistant Manager Angela Dalton, Airport Business Coordinator A. Chair Update a. Airport Authority Appointments: Mr. Mathews noted that Mr. Asman has been confirmed for another 4 year term. In addition, there is a newly appointed member, Craig Westwood, and he will begin his term at the July meeting. B. Mead & Hunt Consulting, Doug Blissit, Presentation “Industry Overview & AHN Update”: Mr. Blissit gave a presentation and discussion concerning the current state of the airline industry and the status of conversations with airlines on behalf of AHN. C. Approval April Authority Minutes: Approved as submitted with grammatical changes presented by Mrs. Napier. D. Airport Manager Reports a. Financial & Operations Report: Mr. Mathews reviewed the monthly report as of 4/30/21, including the operations report. b. Capital Improvement Project Updates: Mr. Mathews noted that construction has begun and is progressing on schedule. He further noted that funding for Schedule B, parallel taxiway, has been secured and will be added to the contractor’s contract. c. Marketing & Outreach Activities 1) Site Visit to GMU Runway Park: Mrs. Napier and Mr. Mathews visited the Greenville Downtown Airport to view their playground and park area. During their visit, they met with Lara Kaufmann, Associate Director, and discussed the concept, funding and construction of the project. Mrs. Napier noted that Athens could follow their model in bringing a park/playground area to the Airport. d. ClearPoint Data System Update: Staff continues to work to update the program and a quarterly report will be given at the June meeting. e. COVID-19 Update: Athens-Clarke County is working on an update to the current policy. As of now, staff continues to follow all safety protocols. E. Old Business a. Lexington Hwy & Atlanta Hwy TSPLOST Projects: Mrs. Napier noted that both committees are reviewing the results of the public input phase to assist them in presenting a prioritized list of projects to the Mayor & Commission for review at their August meeting. b. Micro Park Update: Mrs. Napier noted that staff is working to order the picnic table, bench and other accessories for this area. F. New Business a. AHN as a Destination 1) Diagram: AHN as a Destination – Dimensions: Mrs. Napier shared a diagram outlining how AHN could become a destination airport and how the airport serves the community. 2) Report: UGA Aviation Club Event (May 1, 2021): Mr. Asman noted that this was a successful event which raised enough funds to present scholarships to two members to assist with their flight training. b. AHN Fact Sheet: Mrs. Napier presented and reviewed a draft fact sheet that could be used to assist Authority members and staff in educating the community and flying public on the importance of the Athens Airport. c. ACC Proposal Review: 250 Dublin Street Parcels: Mr. Asman noted that this request was never formally presented to the Authority prior to being approved as a Planned Development under ACC’s current zoning ordinance. According to the current ordinance, a Planned Development does not have to be reviewed by the Authority. Discussion was held concerning reviewing this caveat with the Planning Department and making changes to the ordinance to include the Airport in all developments presented in the Airport’s overlay zone. Mr. Asman made the following motion with Keith Sanders 2nd. Motion passed with unanimous vote: On behalf of the Operations Committee, I move for Mike to make the following recommendation in his staff report regarding the planned development reconsideration at 250 Dublin: “Recognizing that there already exists a zoning amendment that allowed for a 13 unit development at the subject property, the airport prefers that the property be instead developed following the newly proposed 8 unit plan. It is worth noting that either plan exceeds the airport overlay ordinance with respect to minimum lot size and the original PD rezoning was approved without airport commentary. As the airport, its staff, and the airport authority are uniquely qualified to consider the technicalities presented by development within the airport overlay, it is our collective recommendation that for the safety of the ACC community, pilots and passengers traveling to and from our airport, as well as for the future growth and development of the airport itself, our consideration is requested in regards to any future PD proposals within the airport overlay.” G. Standing Committees, Issues & Updates a. Business/Finance: No update at this time. b. Operating: No update at this time. c. Air Service Development/Marketing: This item was discussed in the ASD presentation by Mr. Blissit. H. Other Business: N/A I. Adjourn: 5:27 p.m. Respectfully Submitted ____________________________ Angela Dalton, Secretary