Airport Authority

Athens Ben Epps Airport Authority Meeting September 26, 2023, 3:00PM Minutes Live Stream on ACCGOV YouTube Channel https://youtube.com/live/G5NA2GBX6BI?feature=share In attendance: Mike Mathews, Jeff Benjamin, Grant Tribble, Diane Napier, David Asman, Keith Sanders, Niki Jones, Davin Welter, Doug Blissit (Mead and Hunt) Apologies: Craig Westwood Note-taker: Davin Welter 1) Chair Update and announcements: Mr. Tribble welcomed the participants and previewed the agenda. He announced that we are going to change around the items on the agenda so that Doug Blissit from Mead and Hunt can make a presentation on the overall airline industry and the recent passenger demand analysis. Mr. Mathews introduced Mr. Blissit and he made a presentation that included a current review of the airline industry, specifics about the Athens catchment area, and the air service development activities of AHN. (See 6 c below) 2) July Meeting Minutes: Mr. Tribble called for a vote on the August minutes. The August minutes were approved as submitted, per unanimous vote. Mr. Sanders moved and Mr. Asman seconded to approve the minutes. 3) Airport Manager Reports a) Financial & Operations Report: Mr. Mathews reported that our financials continue to be strong. Airport maintenance was high because of the replacement of an HVAC unit. Also, airport fees/services are down because of few athletic charters which now have started during September. b) Capital Improvement Project Updates: Mr. Mathews said the fencing project has begun (phase 1) and will be finished in 2 months. The 2-20 Runway project is essentially complete except for the grass seeding on the end of the runway. With no rain the past couple of weeks, the project area is still bare dirt. Mr. Mathews reported that fortunately, we have a year warranty on this work. E.R. Snell is also working on a concrete drainage that was damaged during the process. AHN will close the project out with GDOT in a couple of weeks. The redesigning and rebidding the Taxiway Alpha project is moving forward and has gone out to bid today. It will take 30 days before the bid period closes. Mr. Mathews said that the project will begin again at the first of the year. The tower project has not had any movement but is still in good standing. The self-serve unit project has passed through the ACC Risk Department and should be put out to bid this week by ACC Purchasing. c) Marketing & Outreach: Mr. Mathews said that LEAD Athens will visit the airport on October 12. 4) Old Business None 5) New Business a) Discussion of Authority Leadership – Because the Authority typically combines the December and November meetings, there needs to be some discussion about leadership of the Authority. Mr. Tribble and Mr. Sanders are up for reelection in July of 2024. Mr. Tribble said that because of that fact, the Authority needs to think about the leadership of the group for 2024 at the October meeting.  b) Events – Dr. Napier asked the Authority to review the events document that was included with the board materials. She said it was several years old and the authority needs to evaluate what is still relevant. This document could help us meet the items on our strategic plan (goal four). A possible air show was mentioned and Mr. Mathews reported that Peachtree City puts on an airshow which is a smaller show. A turnkey organization would handle doing the preparation for the show and would take the revenue from the event and the fuel sales. Mr. Asman suggested that it might be a good idea to have an event surrounding the opening of the self-serve unit and possibly a walk/run event on the new runway. 6) Standing Committees: Issues & Updates a) Business/Finance: Mr. Sanders said that we will have the quarterly strategic planning review at the October meeting. b) Operating: Mr. Asman reported that the Operation Committee met on September 12 with Marc Beechuk from the ACC Planning Department about the Little Oak Street zoning request. The committee has no objections to the request. Mr. Asman made a motion to recommend the project at 437 Little Oak Street. Mr. Benjamin seconded the motion. It was passed unanimously. Dr. Napier asked if there were any objections raised from the Authority Operations Subcommitte. Mr. Asman responded that there were no objections. c) Air Service Development/Marketing: Mead and Hunt Market Study Presentation. Mr. Blissit started with an overview of the health of the airline industry. He showed charts that visualize the dramatic impact that COVID-19 that had on the industry and then how the industry has recovered significantly from that event. While number of flights are down, the number of seat capacity is up as are fare prices. The industry is currently profitable but not all is rosy. Ultra low-cost carriers are leading capacity growth. Labor and jet fuel costs are up. Corporate travel is not back to previous levels. Mr. Blissit then covered the new market study about the AHN passenger demand potential. The study continues to show that AHN is an excellent candidate to reinstate commercial passenger service. Mr. Blissit then review the air service development activities that he and Mr. Mathews have engaged in over the last year. Dr. Napier asked that a note of thanks be sent to Mr. Blissit. 7) Other Business: a) The next meeting will be held on October 24, 2023, 3-5 p.m., in the conference room in the Flight Center Building. Mr. Asman motioned and Mr. Sanders seconded to adjorn. The motion passed unanimously. 8) Adjourn: 4:59 PM Minutes Approved, DATE: Grant Tribble, Authority Chair Davin Welter________________________