Airport Authority

Athens Ben Epps Airport Authority Meeting September 27, 2022, 3:00PM Minutes Live Stream on ACCGOV YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/rtaSMCSZY2M In attendance: Mike Mathews, Diane Napier, Keith Sanders, Craig Westwood, Jeff Benjamin, Davin Welter, Jim Duguay (MBI), Andrew Bolin (RS&H), Casey Marbutt (Smith Planning Group), Frank Henning (MBI) Apologies: -- David Asman, Grant Tribble Note-taker: Davin Welter 1) Chair Update and announcements: Dr. Napier welcomed the participants and previewed the agenda. Dr. Napier asked everyone attending the meeting to introduce themselves and then she introduced Marvin Nunnally to talk about his program at Athens Tech. 2) Visiting Speaker: Mr. Marvin Nunnally, Athens Tech Economic Development Coordinator, gave a presentation entitled "Workforce and Training, Partnership Opportunities." Mr. Nunnally said that the Economic Development area of Athens Tech (AT) is providing noncredit business training and workforce development, supporting the needs of businesses in NE GA. Mr. Nunnally discussed his work with Rivian, S&K Batteries, and other businesses in the area. Mr. Nunnally explained that one of their main programs is "Manufactuready" which is a four-week training program that prepares unemployed individuals for a job in manufacturing. Mr. Sanders asked if AT provides training to government entities like ACC or UGA. Mr. Nunnally replied yes and used their hazmat training that is free and opened to all entities as an example. AT has four campuses in the area - Athens, Monroe, Greensboro, and Elberton. Mr. Nunnally is willing to speak to any organization to share the work that AT is providing to the region to train workers to impact its economic development. Mr. Mathews asked about the hazmat training and would it be beneficial to airport employees? Mr. Nunnally responded yes that it would be helpful. Mr. Mathews asked about customer service training and Mr. Nunnally responded yes, they can provide that. Mr. Benjamin asked about the Pest Control and expressed his need for training in this area for his workers at UGA. Dr. Napier asked about certification of construction workers like HVAC and is AT helping with that training? Mr. Nunnally said that they do not regulate who is certified but they provide certification. Dr. Napier thanked Mr. Nunnally for his visit to the Authority and expressed her appreciation for his help as AHN seeks new and viable partnerships. ACC Planning Staff Visit: Max Doty from ACC Planning presented an overview of the development at 450 Baldwin Street/199 Stone Mill Run. The developer is planning to redevelop and is requesting to rezone the parcel from an apartment complex to a commercial downtown development. The old complex was built in the riparian buffer and was part of the old mill where the School of Social Work is now. The proposal is for a new building with 900 to 970 bedrooms for students only. Right now, there are about 400 current beds in the existing complex that is to be demolished. The development will be two buildings – one is 10 stories and the other will be 5 stories. The entire site will be overhauled and will move the buildings away from river with a commercial face in front of Baldwin Street. Parking will only be for those living in the complex. A park of sorts, planned along the river will be open to the public and will contain a kayak launching feature. Two waivers are required: one for first floor housing and the other being able to do some work in the buffer. Mr. Marbutt mentioned that while the proposal is 10 stories, it comes in under the average height limit for Athens. The roofline is 2 feet lower than the end of the airport runway. Mr. Mathews said that the height is fine. He added that lighting needs to be pointing downward and the roofing material to be used must not be reflective. Density is a concern but this area already has quite a bit of density. Mr. Mathews also mentioned that the proposed project is on the approach zone for airplanes landing--that residents need to be aware of this and the noise that may come with that fact. Mr. Benjamin asked about possible use of mirror-coatings on the windows. The construction company will need to make sure they fill out the appropriate crane form for the FAA. "Mr. Benjamin requested that for future proposals we review, the Committee Chair provide a three-dimensional representation of the Overlay Zone relative to the project area in question. Dr. Napier agreed, since the 3D nature of the Overlay Zone is crucial to understand as we review any proposals, and since nearly every proposal we review entails some consideration of the Overlay Zone." October 6 is the planning meeting for voting on this proposal. Mr. Asman, Chair of the Committee, was not able to attend the meeting. Dr. Napier suggested that Mr. Westwood use language from Mr. Asman’s email discussing this project to formulate the motion wording, as follows: Motion: "To recommend approval for the proposed development provided the developer make use of the prescribed § 9-13-3(E)(1)&(3) non-glare roofing materials & fully shielded amber lighting systems for the entire subject property, rather than merely the (major) portion that falls underneath the overlay". Mr. Benjamin seconded, and the board voted unanimously to approve. 3) August Meeting Minutes: The August minutes were approved as submitted, per unanimous vote. Mr. Benjamin moved and Mr. Westwood seconded to approve the minutes. 4) Airport Manager Reports a) Financial & Operations Report: Mr. Mathews reported that we are still waiting on a final report on financials for this year because of the transition from Eden to Munis. Mr. Mathews addressed tenant issues such as lack of signed leases for a few tenants and some tenants who are behind on their lease payments. We are addressing these issues. We have a Request for Proposals (RFP) for 990 Ben Epps, and we are currently receiving some interest. We will have a walk-through of the hanger on Oct. 4. We will then have the Operating Committee help determine which proposal is the best one. b) Capital Improvement Project Updates: Mr. Mathews said that there were several things to report. i) The Flight Check was performed on the localizer last week and it passed. The Distance Measurement Equipment (DME) approach works in conjunction with localizer. Unfortunately, the DME had an antenna issue, and it is not allowing the localizer to work. The FAA maintains and is responsible for the DME controller. ii) The runway 2-20 project was planned to start in August but because of supply chain issues the contractor wanted to wait until October and is now requesting a start date in April. We are fine with that because it is more in line with our other projects and with the football schedule. iii) A notice to proceed has been issued for Taxiway Alpha and we have a meeting on Friday September 30 to discuss next steps. iv) Runway Obstruction Free Area (ROFA) project is proceeding, and we were able to find a contractor on call with ACC and we will be able to use this company. This project should move forward with the tree and kudzu removal in November. c) Marketing & Outreach: Mr. Mathews reported that we have had a couple of tours for students and other interested parties. d) COVID: Mr. Mathews stated that for the October meeting, we will plan to meet in person in the conference room in the Flight Center. 5) Old Business a) Lexington Highway Corridor Update: Dr. Napier reported that Mayor and Commission had previously approved all of the preliminary plans on the Lexington Corridor. The plans have now been submitted to GDOT for their review and approval. 6) New Business a) There was no new business. 7) Standing Committees: Issues & Updates a) Business/Finance: Mr. Sanders reported that we need to review the strategic goals that are in Clearpoint on a quarterly basis. Mr. Sanders also suggested a monthly check in to see if there are action items that need to be taken. Dr. Napier mentioned that we need to inform new members of the history and need to provide the previous strategic plan. Dr. Napier will send the previous strategic plan to all members. Mr. Mathews said Clearpoint was an ACC initiative to provide stakeholders with information. We had to simplify our strategic plan to fit into Clearpoint framework. Clearpoint is meant for external audiences within the county but we may be able to have more detail for internal assessment. It was mentioned that the AHN strategic plan needs to mesh with the new ACC strategic plan. Mr. Sanders asked when we need to have the new plans completed. Mr. Mathews replied that we need to begin to plan with the help of our consultants for the next five years and at some point we need to update the master plan. Dr. Napier asked members of the Authority to examine the current goals and other details in the various versions of the Strategic Plans in preparation for a detailed discussion in the October meeting. Mr. Mathews will update the Clearpoint and will forward it to Authority. Mr. Mathews also said that we need to consider more cargo flights in our future plans. Action Item: Authority Members to examine the current goals and other details in the various versions of the Strategic Plans in preparation for a detailed discussion in the October meeting. b) Operating: Mr. Asman was unable to attend the meeting and therefore there was no report other than the zoning reports previously addressed in the meeting. c) Air Service Development/Marketing: Mr. Mathews stated that they had no new business to report. 8) Other Business: a) Next meeting: Tuesday October 25, 2022, 3-5 p.m., in the conference room in the Flight Center Building. 9) Adjourn: 4:51 PM – Mr. Sanders moved and Mr. Benjamin seconded to adjourn the meeting, with unanimous agreement. Minutes Approved, DATE: Diane Napier, Authority Chair Davin Welter________________________