January 23, 2008
1. The meeting was called to order at 1900 hours on 23 Jan 2008,
by the BAA President, Wayne Eleazer.
2. Wayne distributed minutes of the 28 Nov 2007 meeting of the
BAA.
3. Wayne explained that Tony Yaccono had expressed
considerable concern over the inadequacy of the compensation
package for the Tico Director, Mike Powell, and as a result
a letter had been written for the purpose of raising this concern to the Tico
Board.
4. Wayne explained that the
primary objective of the meeting was to review a proposed list of BAA Action Items and add to them if appropriate. The Action Items
would then be discussed with Mr. Powell in order to advise
him of the BAA’s current concerns. A copy of the draft
Action Items list is attached.
5. The proposed Action
Items were accepted after some discussion. Two new Action Items were proposed.
6. It was reported that a
flight school, currently based at Kissimmee Airport, was planning to take over the FBO operation at Merritt Island Airport from
its current operator, Atlas Aviation. The discussion that
followed indicated considerable concern over the impact of
the flight school, which reportedly would bring 10 training aircraft to Merritt Island Airport, ramping up to a total of 50 by the
end of 2008. It was feared that such an activity would
exceed the capabilities of the airport to handle the traffic
flow, as well as virtually eliminate FBO type services.
7. Dawn Haun suggested that the BAA consider sponsoring an “Aviation Flea
Market” at Merritt Island Airport. Additional suggestions
came from other members about what could be included in such
an event, such as holding it in association with a Young
Eagles Day, inviting local aircraft manufacturers, a Servant Air Ministries
display, and educational opportunities with local schools.
There appeared to be considerable enthusiasm for such an
event, and it was added to the list of proposed BAA Action
Items.
8. Plans are for the BAA Action Items to be
presented and discussed with Mr. Powell of the Authority
once they have been reviewed by the BAA Membership.
9.
The meeting was adjourned at 2206 hours EST. The next regular meeting will be in
late March 2008.
Wayne Eleazer
2008
President,
BAA
==================================================
Brevard Aviation Association Action Items
4 March 2008
1. New Merritt Island Airport Hangars: Continue to pursue the
construction of additional hangars at Merritt Island Airport. Status: The BAA
and the Tico Airport Authority have agreed on a preferred approach but grant
money has not been forthcoming.
a. Issue:
Preferential treatment for current tenants?
b.
Issue: BAA advocacy at the political level?
c.
STATUS: Unchanged
2. Merritt Island Airport Self-Service Fueling
Facility: Continue to advocate the establishment of a self-service fueling
facility at Merritt Island Airport. Status: The Authority has agreed to
the concept but details have to be worked out.
a.
Issue: Does the BAA have a preferred approach to operating the
facility?
b. Issue: Does the BAA have a preferred
location and features for the facility?
c. STATUS:
Unchanged
3. Merritt Island Airport Master Plan: Review the current
Merritt Island Airport Master Plan and make recommendations for changes to the
Authority.
a. Status: A copy of the previous Master
Plan has been obtained and the BAA has defined the composition of the committee
that will review it.
4. May 2008 Hangar Inspection at Merritt Island
Airport: The Authority has announced that it plans to inspect the hangars at
Merritt Island Airport in the May 2008 time frame.
a.
Issue: What standards will be used for the inspection and what types of things
will the Authority be looking for?
b. Issue: Should the
BAA establish a position on these inspections?
5. Express BAA concerns to the Tico Airport Authority over the
proposed new flight school at COI.
a. STATUS: The
information to the effect that 50 additional training aircraft will be arriving
with the
flight school was found
to be significantly in error. The actual number is 6 aircraft, which
does not generate any real
concerns.
This item is
CLOSED.
6. Make plans to hold an “Airport Day” at Merritt Island
Airport
a. First step will be to discuss the concept with
the Authority.
b. STATUS: Meeting with the Authority is
TBD.
7. NEW ITEM: The Tico Airport Authority has indicated that a monthly
rent increase for hangars on the order of $20/month will be enacted. The BAA
needs to express its concerns.
a. STATUS: This will be
discussed at the next Tico Board meeting in March 2008.
Wayne Eleazer
2007 Secretary,
BAA
======================================================
30 May 2007 Board Meeting
1. A special meeting of the BAA Board was called by
the BAA President, Tony Yacono on 30 May 2007 at 1900 hours
for the purpose of discussing a course of action related to the planned new
Spacecoast Executive Airport terminal building.
2. Tony reviewed the available documentation relative to
the Tico Board’s approval of the proposed new terminal and
the associated disbursing of funds to the contractor as well as the return of a
portion of those funds to the Tico Airport Authority.
3. Ken Renard explained the background of the terminal
effort, beginning with abortive efforts begin in 2002,
followed by a new competitive procurement effort thereafter.
4. A summary of events as we understand them:
a. The Tico Airport Authority (henceforth
referred to as the Authority) as received a grant from
the State of Florida in 2002 for the purpose of constructing a new terminal
at Spacecoast
Executive
Airport. After initially selecting a contractor and paying
for the required design effort,
that contractor chose to default on the contract and return the unspent
portion of the funds.
b. The
Authority subsequently requested two extensions to the original allowed life of
the grant
funds, enabling the funding to be available through 2006, and sought out
other contractors.
After
reviewing the available proposals, the Authority chose the
Haskell Company for the project,
which was to be a two-story building of approximately 15,000 sq
ft.
c. Additional
delays ensued, and the situation is most unclear, but it is a fact that on 28
Oct 2005
the Authority issued a check to Haskell in the amount of $195,000.00.
d. It appears that Haskell
requested additional funds commensurate with its progress and expenditures
on the
project and the Authority responded with yet another check in the amount of
$1,580,000.00
on 6 Jan 2006. This was
followed by another check issued to Haskell in the amount of
$225,000
on 17 Feb
2006.
e. To date
there appears to be a nearly complete lack of any visible progress on the
project. This,
despite the fact that the Haskell company provided a schedule of work
completed through 12/30/2005
that
reflected the status of the project as 48% complete and a total of $2,000,000.00
work completed
and payable. Of course,
$2,000,000 represents the total amount of funding provided
to Haskell by
the
Authority in 2005 and 2006. While design work and ordering of materials may well have taken
place, today – over 17
months after Haskell’s assertion that the project was 48%
complete – no
construction
of any kind has been accomplished at the site of the terminal. Indeed, it is not apparent
that as much as one
shovelful of dirt has been disturbed.
f. Apparently as a result of concerns
raised by a very few members of the Authority Board, it appears
that the
Authority requested that Haskell return the majority of the funds provided. We
do know that
Haskell sent a check in the
amount of $1,350,375 to the Authority on 7 May 2007, a partial refund
of
the earlier funds dispensed to the company.
5. After
extensive discussions the BAA Board agreed that these facts should be presented
to the appropriate authorities, chief among them Mr. Randy
J. Means, Director of Investigations and Administration
Office of The State Attorney. Further actions, if any, will be decided following
Mr. Means findings and recommendations.
6. The meeting was adjourned at 2000 hours.
Wayne
Eleazer
Secretary, Brevard Aviation Association,
2007
===============================
28
Mar 2007
2. Tony pointed out that the minutes of the 29 Nov 2006 meeting had been distributed earlier and thanked the BAA secretary, Wayne Eleazer, for writing the document.
3. Tony also said that two County Commissioners had requested copies of the previous meeting’s minutes and he had transmitted them to him.
4. The topics covered in minutes of the last meeting were reviewed.
5. Tony said that he discussed with one of the Tico Board Members the loss of the Brevard County Ad Valorum tax funding. They had replied that they knew the funding loss would occur, but that the only action taken had been to direct the then-Director, Scott Carr, to develop a new budget reflecting the reduced funding. No actions appear to have been taken to prevent the loss of the funding.
6. Tony stated that Mike Powell had taken over the Tico Airport Authority Director’s position and. seemed to be doing a good job so far.
7. The issue of identifying Part 139-related costs of the airports is being dropped by the BAA for the time being. Satisfactory answers to questions related to the topic have not been forthcoming. Ken Regard reported that the Tico Authority had surveyed airport users and as a result concluded that the Part 139 requirements were still needed. Ken said that his own analysis did not agree with that of the Tico Board.
8. The Merritt Island Airport lighting project is proceeding and transition to the new Unicom frequency will be dependant on completion of that project.
9. The treasurer, Carl May, reported that the BAA had about $1800 in the bank.
10. The possibility of the creation of an issues status list was discussed and it was agreed this would be compiled.
11. Tico Budget issues discussed:
a. Tony reported that he is still attempting to seek information on the logic behind the usual 3% increase in rents each year.
12. The most recent Tico Board meeting was described.
13. Ken asked if there was any concern over switching the Merritt Island Airport Unicom frequency from 123.05 MHZ to 122.975 MHZ. The limiting factor on this is the completion of the revised airport lighting project. There seemed to be no concern.
14. The issue of priority assignment of any new hangars was brought up. It was agreed that this should be a topic in any inputs to the Airport Authority.
15. Ted Yon brought up the issue of airport vehicular access improvements, including automobile gates and signage. This should be another comment to be provided relative to hangar construction plans.
16. Tony said that there would be a new policy relative to “Taxi into position and hold” orders at Space Coast Executive. The “Taxi into position and hold” direction will not be issued unless there are at least 3 people in the tower. A meeting will be held to explain this policy.
17. A question was raised as to continued use of the Merritt Island COI beacon, given the deactivation of numerous NDBs around the country. Ken reported that the beacon at Merritt Island is paid for by the Airport Authority and there are no plans to shut it down.
18. Bobbie Lasher reported that the Toys for Tots Breakfast had netted 252 toys and $300 for the program.
19. A vote was taken and it was agreed that the audio recordings of the BAA meetings would be made available for the membership as requested but would not be posted on the BAA website to allow general access.
20. Audio recordings of the Tico Board meetings are available as well as a video recording of the workshop with the county commissioners; Tony has copies and can provide them to those interested.
21. BAA meetings will continue to be held every other month.
2. The BAA President, Tony Yacono, opened the meeting by reminding everyone to pay their dues. Dues forms were e-mailed to everyone and also were handed out at the meeting.
3. Tony stated that he had written some letters to the Brevard County Commissioners relative to the October 2006 Workshop but had not received any replies. Thus, he said that he was not aware if the County Commissioners had done anything relative to the issues and concerns raised at the Workshop. Also, the Tico Airport Authority had not submitted a program or any proposals or requests to the County relative to ideas voiced at the workshop.
4. Tony stated that at the most recent meeting of the Tico Board there appeared to be some reduction in tensions as compared to past meetings but that this was not accompanied by a real change in attitudes.
5. Tony stated that he had met with some of the new slate of County Commissioners and had come away from those discussions with a feeling of some hope but that as yet there was no indication that such feelings were justified. In one case the discussion had lasted two hours but it was yet to be determined what these discussions would yield. The Commissioners seemed to believe that the change in the Tico Airport Authority Director would by itself improve matters. The response from the BAA members was that the Commissioners need to realize that the October Workshop was spurred merely by conflicts with a specific individual in the Authority management structure but was prompted by broader issues such as apparently frivolous spending by the Authority.
6. Tony stated that while the Tico Board seemed to be very pleased with the concept of the Authority ceasing to receive funding from the Ad Valorum taxes, it appeared that no plans were made for such an eventuality. The result was that the Authority had cut back manpower significantly, including three Authority staff personnel, including one of the maintenance managers and one of the office personnel.
7. Sites for additional hangar construction had been discussed at the Board meeting and Ken Revard had recommended that the first sites to be used be those that required the least amount of approvals and preparation. Some of the sites considered would require upwards of $250K worth of approval analyses and another $250K of site preparation work before any construction could even begin.
8. Also related to hangar construction, discussions centered around the dichotomy between inadequate income to support the Airport Authority and a large backlog of individuals and companies on the waiting list for hangars. Upwards of 200 such potential renters have been identified, but there appears to be little inclination to place fulfilling such requirements for either the purposes of community service or increasing income for the airports.
9. Tony briefly described the process underway for the selection of a new Airport Authority Director. Three candidates were selected for interviews from those who submitted applications. Tony will be allowed to sit in on the interviews but will not be allowed to ask questions. Tony also talked to each of the three applicants on the phone and asked them if they would mind inquires being made to the AOPA, the FAA, and the tenants on the airfields where they presently work relative to their work performance. Tony also mentioned that he had recommended Mike Powell for the position of Director but that Mr. Powell had not chosen to apply for the job.
10. A concern that Tony identified was that the current Board and Authority staff tend to focus on Part 139 Air Transport operations and that Merritt Island is considered to be a “reliever” airport for Titusville Executive Airport rather than a facility with its own purpose and priorities. This bias was reflected in the applicants for the Director position as well.
11. The BAA is seeking documentation on the items being discussed by the Board as well as the agenda items for the meetings and is making some progress in doing so. Also, Tony is planning to request that the BAA representative at the Board meetings be allowed to speak as a part of the normal meeting procedures and not be limited to a mere 5 minutes at the end.
12. A possible applicant for the Director position, Frank Gallagher, was allowed to describe his qualifications of the job.
13. There were discussions concerning the relative positions of the Tico Board and the Brevard County Commissioners and the need to have the Board report to the County Commissioners. The County Commissioners expected an answer from the Tico Board in January 2007 relative to the issues identified at the Workshop, but it is not clear that the Commissioners can enforce that request.
14. Tony pointed out that the certification of the fire extinguishers provided in the hangars likely had expired and that the Airport Authority did not intend to pay to have the units recertified. This will be the responsibility of the hangar tenants.
15. The lighting project at Merritt Island Airport will proceed again, now that the required permits for the electrical vault have been issued. One more runway closure will likely be required to accomplish this.
16. Everyone was reminded that the Toys for Tots Pancake Breakfast would be held on 9 Dec 2006. Tony asked the treasurer to confirm that there were sufficient funds to pay for the Toys for Tots Breakfast raw material and that was confirmed.
17. The election of officers for 2007 was discussed. It was agreed
that Tony would continue as President and that Wayne Eleazer would serve as
Secretary and would audio record and document the meetings. The remainder of the
officers (the two Vice Presidents and Treasurer) would continue from 2006.
The 2007 officers are:
a. President: Tony Yacono
b. Vice President: Ted Yon
c. Vice President: Don Runass
d. Secretary: Wayne Eleazer
e. Treasurer: Carl May
f. Board: Gilbert Patton
g. Board: Bryan Brotheridge
h. Board: Don Stiver
18. Tony stated that in order for him to continue as President of the BAA that he would need increased involvement from the members in order to be effective.
19. The meeting was adjourned at 2000.
