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Meeting Minutes Airport Commission Regular Meeting March 9, 2022, | 6:30 p.m. Chandler Airport Terminal 2380 S. Stinson Way, Chandler, AZ Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Chairman Hawley at 6:39 p.m. Roll Call Commission Attendance Staff Attendance Chairman Christopher Hawley Andy Bass, Deputy City Manager Vice Chairman Charles McCorkle Ryan Reeves, Airport Manager Commissioner David Sperling Chris Andres, Airport Planner Commissioner Alicia Kruse Diana Alonzo, Management Assistant Commissioner Robert Bozelli Commissioner Chad Wakefield Absent Others in Attendance Alex Hays, Attorney at Withey Morris PLC Harley Mehlhorn, City Planner Mark Klinger, Director of Architecture Steven Smith, Chandler Air Service Scheduled and Unscheduled Public Appearances CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked if there were any members of the public that would like to address the committee on any items not on the agenda. None. Approval of Minutes and Discussion Page 2 of 11 1. January 12, 2022, Minutes Study Session Minutes of Wednesday, January 12, 2022, and Regular Meeting Minutes of Wednesday, January 12, 2022. Consent Agenda Motion and Vote COMMISSIONER KRUSE moved to approve the Study Session and Regular Meeting Minutes of the January 12, 2022, Seconded by COMMISSIONER WAKEFIELD. Motion carried unanimously (6-0) with recommended changes. COMMISSIONER SPERLING stated that there was an error on the Study Session Minutes, under item 6, Calendar. It should be Chairman Hawley instead of Chairman Sperling. Action Agenda Item No. 2 and Discussion 2. Airport Conflict Evaluation (ACE) report Move to present an Airport Conflict Evaluation (ACE) report to the Zoning Administrator and the City Council with a finding of "no conflict with airport uses" for the proposed Andretti Indoor Karting and Games. VICE CHAIRMAN MCCORKLE asked the applicant when they were expecting to break ground. MR. KLINGER responded that they expecting to break ground by July 2022 and then it will be 9 to 10 months of construction. Action Agenda Item No. 2 Motion and Vote COMMISSIONER KRUSE moved to approve Action Agenda Item No. 2 of the March 9, 2022, Regular Airport Commission Meeting; Seconded by COMMISSIONER SPERLING. Motion carried unanimously (6-0). Action Agenda Item No. 3 and Discussion 3. Move Airport Commission Approve the Chandler Airport Commission Bylaws. COMMISSIONER SPERLING requested for this item to be tabled and moved to next month’s agenda. The information received on the packet during the meeting was different than the packet emailed to the Commissioners. The information about to be discussed was not included in the packet. Action Agenda Item No. 3 Motion and Vote Page 3 of 11 COMMISSIONER SPERLING moved to table the Chandler Airport Commission Bylaws until the next AIRPORT COMMISSION MEETING; Seconded by COMMISSIONER BOZELLI. Briefing 4. Monthly Construction Report Mr. Andres gave an overview of the Construction Report. Design Projects: The Secondary Windcone installation: The windcone is to be installed between the thresholds of runways 4R and 4L by the end of the month. This is a City funded project. The Wildlife Hazard Perimeter Fence: There is an item going to Council late on this month for a Design Contract to do the environmental phase design for this project. There is also an item to accept 100% funding from ADOT for this project. Construction Projects: The Terminal Plumbing Renovation: There is a change order request that has been approved. As of today, there is no timeline for the project to begin. This is a City funded project. Heliport Lighting Replacement: Later this month, there is a construction contract for the Heliport Lighting Replacement going to Council. This will change the light poles to ground mounted lighting, as well as upgrade the wiring. This is a City funded project. COMMISSIONER SPERLING asked MR. ANDRES if he was revising his ACIP for this year’s funding. MR. ANDRES responded that the FAA is providing funding opportunities for existing projects, allowing resources to open up. The recent Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)_has set aside $295,000 for Chandler each year for 5 years, which is in addition to any additional Federal funding that Chandler may get. Staff submitted the Airport Improvement Capital Plan with funding sources. The FAA wants to see how funding is applied. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked MR. ANDRES to further explain the heliport lighting change to ground- mounted lighting. MR. ANDRES responded that there are currently several light poles that are on the perimeter of the heliport. It is preferred to have these light poles ground mounted. Once complete, there will be enough lighting from the perimeter to illuminate the heliport at night. There will be approximately 3-4 less poles. Page 4 of 11 CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked if the lights were mounted on a pedestal. MR. ANDRES responded that the lights will be approximately 18 inches off the ground. There will be plenty of clearance for the helicopters and emphasized that this is not a safety issue. 5. Monthly Noise Report MR. REEVES gave an overview of the monthly noise reports. For January 2022, nine (9) households made ten (10) reports. Five (5) households were concerned with noise in the traffic pattern and along arrival and departure corridors. There was one exception (star #2 on the map); the aircraft was traced back to a Cessna 206 operating out of Scottsdale Airport. The aircraft was flying for survey work at Intel. They were flying relatively low, early in the morning doing grid work, both east to west and north to south. Two (2) households reported low-flying aircraft. One (1) household reported a concern with increased traffic activity. One (1) household reported noise, low-flying aircraft, and increased traffic. Staff confirmed aircraft reported were at or above normal approach and departure altitudes during the flights in question, as verified through flight tracking software and air traffic control. Six (6) households were a first-time contact. VICE CHAIRMAN MCCORKLE stated that the report shows a reduction in complaints. COMMISSIONER KRUSE stated that she was going to look in the final report because it appears that there are more operations this year with less noise complaints. MR. REEVES stated that he has been here since August 2019, staff has seen a reduction in the variety of residents that calling staff. Most of the residents calling in are more well informed and are advised to look at https://www.flightradar24.com/ and are communicating this with one another. For February 2022, six (6) households made seven (7) reports. Two (2) households were concerned with noise in the traffic pattern and along arrival and departure corridors. One (1) household reported low-flying aircraft. Two (2) households reported both noise and low-flying aircraft. One (1) household had a concern about falling debris. A gentleman was stopped at his car on Queen Creek Rd. and McQueen. The resident claims that a rock from an aircraft struck his windshield. The Risk Department from the City has been in contact with the resident. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked about Risk. Page 5 of 11 MR. REEVES responded that since the gentleman made a claim of car damage against the City, the Risk Department made contact with him. Several residents made reports of multiple Vietnam Era helicopters flying low over their houses. MR. REEVES communicated to the resident that the aircraft belonged to Marine Corps and were in route back to the east coast. Staff confirmed aircraft reported were at or above normal approach and departure altitudes during the flights in question as verified through flight tracking software and air traffic control. Five (5) households were a first-time contact. There was also a non-traditional noise report, as the resident was from Maricopa. Chandler Air Service received this noise complaint. It was one of their aircraft. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked if there was an airport in Maricopa that should be receiving these complaints. MR. REEVES responded that in this case, the aircraft that was tracked was from Chandler Air Service. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked if they called Chandler Air Service. MR. REEVES responded that they emailed Chandler Air Service. The resident did not call Chandler Airport, but the complaint was still logged. MR. SMITH, from Chandler Air Service, stated they received an email. Their aircraft at times go to Ak-chin Airport for practice, touch and go, or emergency simulator training. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY stated he did not want activities outside of Chandler to inflate CHD’s noise reports. MR. REEVES responded that the complaint is marked as “other” on the log, and the location is shown on the map. If the location is unknown, staff marks it as unknown. 6. Monthly Operations Report MR. REEVES gave an overview of the Monthly Operations Report for the month of January 2022 with 15,655 operations for the month. January 2021 had a total of 15,927 operations. CHD is currently ranked as 38th in the nation and 13th in the GA rankings. The total 12-month operations for January 2021 were 210,025 while for January 2022, the total number of operations are 225,105. For the month of February 2022, CHD had 17,759, as compared to 23,551 operations for February 2021. There was a decrease in flights for this month, but it was expected. There are nearly 6,000 Page 6 of 11 fewer operations than last February. Most industry analysts estimated a drop in nationwide traffic. In Europe, they had leaps and bounds, with approximately 40% increases in charter operations over the year, but not in February. 7. Monthly Origins and Destinations Report The data provided the “Top 20” filed IFR Flightplans for commercial operators into and from the Chandler Municipal Airport in January 2022. These flights represent business travel utilizing CHD; 240 such flights took place in January 2022. There were no repositioning flights of concern to other airports in the area. All flights represent 42,498 gallons of fuel burn enroute. VICE CHAIRMAN MCCORKLE asked what aircraft came in from Puerto Rico. MR. REEVES responded that it was a Citation Latitude. The data provided the “Top 20” filed IFR Flightplans for commercial operators into and from the Chandler Municipal Airport in February 2022. These flights represent business travel utilizing CHD; 250 such flights took place in December 2021. There was one (1) repositioning flights of concern to other airports in the area (depicted on the following map with yellow stars) to Chicago Midway. All flights represent 45,037 gallons of fuel burn enroute. VICE CHAIRMAN MCCORKLE asked what was going on in Monterey, CA. MR. REEVES responded that there were not any real events drawing people there. There are tenants that travel there often for business. VICE CHAIRMAN MCCORKLE asked if it could have been for Government purposes since that is where the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center is located. MR. REEVES responded that he would look into it. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked if the helicopters were based at Chandler. MR. REEVES responded no; they were coming out of Twentynine Palms. He also ran a report for the month of March and the numbers are showing to be higher. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked how many months had passed since the change in FBO (Fixed-base Operator) ownership. MR. SMITH, from Chandler Air Service, responded that the deal was closed on June 25, 2021. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked if staff has seen an increase in turbine aircraft. MR. REEVES responded staff has seen an increase in turbine activity. This is one of the reasons staff does the top ten aircraft as part of the long-term study. With the data collection, staff is looking at the types of aircraft and design categories that are utilizing the airports around the region. Page 7 of 11 CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked MR. REEVES if he thinks the increases are due to the changes in the FBO. MR. REEVES responded that it is in part a result of increase in customer service in the FBO. When contract fuel was opened, turbine activity increased. Contract fuel becomes an open door for most charter operators and owner operators. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked what contract fuel means. MR. REEVES responded that for example, the FBO has a branded fuel deal with one of the fuel providers in the industry. That provider acts as an intermediary between operators and service providers. It is a simple transaction As an FBO operator, they receive a fuel release that says “You may give this aircraft or any aircraft in this operator’s fleet up to 1,000 gallons or captain’s request.” The captain signs the fuel slip, the FBO sends it to the fuel provider, and within 48-72 business hours the FBO receives the payment. The fuel is sold at a discount by volume. This is efficient and has many safeguards for FBOs and operators. The fuel provider is guaranteeing the payment. MR. SMITH stated that the majority are captain’s request. Member Comments/Announcements COMMISSIONER WAKEFIELD shared that he likes the direction the Airport Commercial parks tend to be bland and boring, and it is not going that way. COMMISSIONER BOZELLI asked if the online Agenda was available. MR. REEVES responded yes, the Airport is one of the last departments transitioning and there have been some challenges that staff is working with the City Clerk’s Office. Calendar The next regular Airport Commission meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, at 6:30 p.m., in the Chandler Airport Terminal, 2380 S. Stinson Way. Informational Items MR. REEVES introduced MR. ANDY BASS, the Deputy City Manager. MR. BASS thanked the commissioners for allowing him to sit in. MR. BASS shared that he has been with the City since July of 2019. He was initially hired as the Community Services director, which includes Parks, Recreation, and the Library. In January 2022, he was promoted to Deputy City Manager, and under that role is the Airport. He has learned so much in the past two months. He wanted to introduce himself to the Airport Commission, and he is excited to learn and be part of the Airport. Page 8 of 11 VICE CHARMAN MCCORKLE asked MR. BASS where he worked prior to joining the City of Chandler. MR. BASS responded that he came from Reno, NV. He was there for 7 ½ years. Prior to that he was in Denver, CO. MR. REEVES shared an update on the fuel self-service fuel pump. After being struck by lightning, staff has decided to replace the entire point-of-sale device. Three quotes have been secured and were taken to the Purchasing Department. IT is currently reviewing the PCI (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) and the new processing contract. Law is reviewing the processing agreement. Once they receive approval from them, the replacement will be ordered. The manufacturer states it will take between 30-60 days for the parts to arrive and about 1-2 business days to install. One of the Capital Improvement Projects was to improve the landscape around the Airport, especially along Aviation Blvd. where it joins Queen Creek. Staff is hoping to begin this project within the month. The contracts have been approved; staff is only waiting for the rock. MR. REEVES is working with the FSDO (Flight Standards District Office) to pioneer a program along with other local Airports to allow the FSDO to park up to four vehicles in a secure location on the airport. If there is an incident that they need to be dispatched to, the officers that live nearby will get the car closest to them. This will result in a faster response for FSDO personnel. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked where the vehicles will be parked. MR. REEVES responded that as of now, they will be parked next to the Tower. Each vehicle will have their own discreet electronic key code lock on it. The four individuals will go through the same badging process as all Airport users. A memorandum of understanding will be established, which is currently under legal review. COMMISSIONER SPERLING asked if these cars are being used more than he imagines that they do and if the FAA purchased vehicles for their fleet. MR. REEVES responded no; these are cars in their system already. MR. REEVES shared that for the Wildlife mitigation efforts, there used to be approximately 4-6 coyotes in the Airport. For the past two months mountain lion scat has been strategically applied around the airport’s perimeter fence. There is only one coyote left and he is not leaving due to being injured. Our wildlife contractor will either on capture or tranquilize the coyote for non-lethal removal and release. The coyote would then be taken to the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center to recuperate. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked where staff obtained the mountain lion scat from. Page 9 of 11 MR. REEVES responded that the wildlife expert has a mountain lion which was injured and cannot be released to the wild. It now lives in Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center. Staff has also been applying wolf urine as a further deterrent. MR. REEVES also shared that through the previous year Capital Improvement Program, staff was granted a new tractor-mower. Due to supply issues, staff has not received it, but were able to borrow a mower through the dealership. Staff is currently using it to mow around the airport A new OPS member will be staring on Monday, March 14, transferring from the Parks department. The former Airport Business Coordinator is being updated and is in the process of being approved to be posted. Staff received the grant documents for the Arizona Pavement Management System Projects. Taxiway A, Taxiway B, the connectors out to the hold-short lines for the southern runway, the run- up pads and infield, and Runway 4L 22R will all receive surface treatment and crack seal. The cost will be $617,574 This will be an ADOT grant and will cost the city close to $62,000. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked about changes to design on the runup areas and how the taxiways meet in certain areas and if this is contemplated with this project. MR. REEVES responded it is not. That would be a more substantive reconstruction project, this simply surface treatment. Those projects, per the Master Plan, are on a 10-year ACIP. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked how long the self-service fuel pump has been out of commission. MR. REEVES responded since August 17, 2021. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked if the fuel in the tank has evaporated. MR. REEVES responded, no they have partnered with the FBO to rotate product in and out of the storage tank. Covid has had an impact on the fuel industry, and fuel deliveries are taking longer. When the FBO runs into these supply chain issues, the pump still functions so they help rotate inventory in and out of the tank. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked if the Airport is selling fuel to the FBO. MR. REEVES responded no; they are only exchanging inventory to keep it in rotation. Staff is still doing daily quality assurance checks. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked if they are losing fuel and if staff is going to have to check for water in the fuel. Page 10 of 11 MR. REEVES responded no; those inspections are being done daily. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked if once the self-service fuel pump is operating, will the tank need to be filled. MR. REEVES responded there are about 2,300 gallons of useable fuel. Once there is an estimated time for reopening sales, a new load of fuel can be ordered. CHAIRMAN HAWLEY asked if the email that went out to the tenants was prompted by some grumbling and how do the tenants feel about it. MR. REEVES responded that tenants had expressed interest in the process, but when the email was sent out it was due to the update from the manufacturer. MR. REEVES continued in describing the city program called “I am the City”, where City employees can go to another City department for a tour. This gives them an insight into other areas of the city other than their department. This helps City employees provide better customer service to the residents. The main areas for the tour have been the downtown and the Public Safety Training Center. MS. ALONZO was given the task to find ways to do outreach, both publicly and within the City. The Airport is now included in “I am the City” tours, with the first tour scheduled for April 14th. The goal is to educate other employees on the airport, what we do here and the economic impact it has on the community. The Airport is also part of the Civic Program. This is Mayoral initiative that aims at the same goal for the citizens. The Airport was part of this program the previous year and was so well received that the Airport gets their own night with the citizens. VICE CHAIRMAN MCCORKLE asked if this is part of the Citizen’s Academy. MR. REEVES responded that it was the same concept. VICE CHAIRMAN MCCORKLE asked how much the cost for the self-service fuel is to be operating again. MR. REEVES responded that the device itself is just under $18,000, the installation will cost between $2k and $3k. VICE CHAIRMAN MCCORKLE asked where the funding for that was coming from. MR. REEVES responded that it will be coming out of equipment repair. Page 11 of 11 VICE CHAIRMAN MCCORKLE asked if they could receive a summary on the Arizona Aviation Economic Impact Study from ADOT for the next meeting. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 7:47 p.m. ______________________________ ______________________________ Diana Alonzo, Secretary Christopher Hawley, Chairman