Airport Authority

Athens Ben Epps Airport Authority Meeting December 6, 2022, 3:00PM Minutes Live Stream on ACCGOV YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/X99gF9sDBgs In attendance: Mike Mathews, Diane Napier, Keith Sanders, Jeff Benjamin, Craig Westwood, Grant Tribble, David Asman, Blaine Williams, Davin Welter, Frank Henning (MBI), Andrew Bolin (RS&H), Chris Lowery (Holt Consulting) Apologies: Note-taker: Davin Welter 1) Chair Update and announcements: Dr. Napier welcomed the participants, previewed the agenda and had everyone go around the room and introduce themselves. 2) October Meeting Minutes: The October minutes were approved as submitted with one change (Removal of Mr. Benjamin’s name from the 990 Hanger Committee), per unanimous vote. Mr. Sanders moved and Mr. Westwood seconded to approve the minutes. 3) Airport Manager Reports a) Financial & Operations Report: Unfortunately, there was no financial report again this month but Mr. Mathews reported that he has reviewed some preliminary numbers and it looks like AHN could be up 25% in revenues for FY23. The UGA/TN game was the busiest weekend that we have seen in a while and it contributed greatly to the increase in revenue. The airport staff did a terrific job in preparing for this challenging event. Mr. Mathews communicated with area airports to let them know that they could see additional traffic that would be overflow from AHN. Mr. Matthews explained the ground stops that occurred that day because of weather and significant traffic. Mr. Tribble asked about ground transportation and if the airport provided any busses. Mr. Matthews responded that we provided information about transportation but did not provide any buses. Mr. Mathews also reported that currently, AHN is seeing increased charters from UGA Athletics winter sports. b) Capital Improvement Project Updates: Mr. Mathews reported that the Alpha taxiway project is ongoing. There is a meeting tomorrow with the contractor about the project and he should have more information after that meeting. The localizer project is almost 100% complete except for an issue with the DME and is being worked on by the FAA. We are waiting for this project to be completed before we do the final flight check. The 2-20 project is still slated for April. Andrew Bolin reported that long term order items are being completed and the project is on track. ROFA (Runway Obstruction Free Area) GDOT project grant will be voted on by Mayor and Commission later tonight. c) Marketing & Outreach: Mr. Mathews mentioned that he attended a GDOT reception in Athens and visited with several legislators, GDOT board members and the GDOT commissioner. d) COVID: Mr. Mathews stated unless the situation changes (with ACC directives, as advised by the CDC), the Authority will continue to meet in person. 4) Old Business a) Lexington Highway Corridor Update: Dr. Napier reported that Derrick Doster continues to keep the committee in the loop and is waiting on GDOT to give the green light to move forward. 5) New Business a) There was no new business. 6) Standing Committees: Issues & Updates a) Business/Finance: Mr. Sanders led the discussion on updates to the Strategic Plan document. He has reviewed the Clearpoint data and other plans including the new ACC Strategic Plan. Mr. Sanders then highlighted the key points about the updated plan. Dr. Napier expressed concerns about the number of TBDs on the plan and asked that we either remove the item or put a date on each of these TBD items. Mr. Sanders said that we will quarterly review this document and update items as necessary. Mr. Williams applauded the work of the Authority and their focus on this plan. He said that this is important work to keep the community informed about the goals and directions of the Athens Airport. Mr. Mathews responded to a question about printing the strategic plan from Mr. Sanders and said that we could do that or we could incorporate it into the Annual Report. Mr. Sanders suggested that the strategic plan would replace the section about the future in the Annual Report. There was consensus on the board to combine the Annual Report and the Strategic Plan Report. We will also put the combined report on the website. The CIP (Capital Investment Plan) was then reviewed by the Authority. Mr. Mathews said that the CIP is like a wish list for the airport and priority is determined by FAA and need of the airport. Mr. Mathews reported that AHN is in need of additional parking (especially for when commercial service comes back online) and in need of appropriate fencing around the entire airport. Action Item: Finalization of the Strategic Plan document and make sure that it is current in Clearpoint and include it in the Annual Report. b) Operating: Mr. Asman had no report. c) Air Service Development/Marketing: Mr. Tribble stated there was no new business to report. 7) Other Business: a) The next meeting will be held on January 24, 2022, 3-5 p.m., in the conference room in the Flight Center Building. In addition, Dr. Napier stated that in keeping with the By-laws, the January meeting will include the election of a Chair and Vice Chair, for which she will be sending out a call for nominations early in January with a response deadline of January 15th. 8) Adjourn: 4:14 PM – Mr. Sanders moved and Mr. Benjamin seconded to adjourn the meeting, with unanimous agreement. Minutes Approved, DATE: Diane Napier, Authority Chair Davin Welter________________________