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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1987-07-31 Special Meeting 78 MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING, JULY 31, 1987 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of conunissioners met in Special Session on Friday, July 31, 1987, at 8:00 o'clock A.M. in the Assembly Room of the County Administration Building, 320 Chestnut Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present were: Conunissioners Jonathan Barfield, Sr.; W. Albert Corbett, Jr.; Fred Retchin; Vice-Chairman John Dolan; Chairman Nolan O'Neal; County Manager, G. Felix Cooper; County Attorney, Robert W. Pope; and Clerk to the Board, Lucie F. Harrell. r- '-- Chairman O'Neal called the meeting to order stating the Special Session had been scheduled to hear reconunendations from the Airport Ad Hoc Study Conunittee and presentations from consultant firms for development of the Airport Master Plan. RECOMMENDATION BY AIRPORT AD HOC STUDY COMMITTEE Chairman O'Neal conunented on the original charge given to the Airport Ad Hoc Study conunittee which was to study and review the various legal and/or functional differences between a conunission or an Authority. Mr. John G. Ashby, Chairman of the Airport Ad Hoc Study Conunittee, stated the purpose of the conunittee was to study and reconunend a structure to efficiently operate the New Hanover County Airport. He stated after months of study, it was the unanimous opinion of the conunittee to reconunend establishment of an Authority. He read the following report and resolution: The Airport Ad Hoc Study Committee was created by New Hanover County Board of Commissioners for purpose of studying and presenting to Commissioners an organizational structure for the County Airport. the the the New r- L Members of the Airport Ad Hoc Study Committee are: John G. Ashby, Chairman; Lisbon C. Berry, Jr,; Dan W. Eller; Tom W. Knight; Rick Petelinkar; Thomas G. Reich; William Schwartz; Fries Shaffner; and Sandy D. Wood. The first organizational meeting of the Study Committee was held elected decided speakers Airports March 25, 1987, at which the Chairman was and future plans were discussed. It was that in the coming weeks, knowledgeable would be invited to discuss aspects of and their governing structures. The following is a list of the speakers the Committee heard: April 15, 1987 - R. C. Shackelford, Jr., then Manager of the New Hanover County Airport. April 29, 1987 - Bruce E. Matthews, Jr., Manager of Aviation Development, N. C. Department of Transportation Division of Aviation. r- May 13, 1987 - Shirley Ybarra, Special Assistant to Elizabeth Dole, Secretary of Department of Transportation. L May 27, 1987 - Ed Mitchell, Executive Director of the Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority. ,- MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING, JULY 31, 1987 (CONTINUED) 5 June 10, 1987- J. E. Richardson, Jr., Properties Manager, Piedmont Airlines, Winston-Salem, N. C. June 24, 1987 - Thomas H. Davis, Jr., Assistant Attorney General, N. C. Department of Justice; Frank H. Bowen, Jr., Aviation Planner, N. C. Department of Transportation; William V. Maslyk, Airport Development Specialist, N. C. Department of Transportation. I' , I U June 24, 1987 and July 8, 1987 - Andrew J. Atkinson, Finance Director of New Hanover County. Additionally, the Committee studied the Charters of the Asheville Regional Airport Authority, Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority, Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority, the Airport Commission of Forsyth County, Charleston County Aviation Authority, Richland-Lexington Airport Commission, Greensboro-High Point Authority, pitt County-City of Greenville Airport Authority, and the County of Guilford Airport Authority. RESOLUTION The members of the Airport Ad Hoc Study Commi ttee recommend that the New Hanover County Airport be operated by an Authority and request that the Board of County Commissioners proceed with the steps necessary for the creation of an Authority. The Airport Ad Hoc Study Committee further recommends that this Committee be continued and authorized to draft the Charter for the Authority. r L Discussion was held on the time element involved with establishing an Authority, which would require passage of a local act by the General Assembly. Mr. Ashby stated the process of establishing an Authority should begin inunediately with drafting of a Charter to be completed for adoption by the General Assembly during the Short Session in June 1988. A lengthy discussion was held on the economic benefits of the airport to New Hanover County. Conunissioner Retchin conunented on present County employees and benefits they receive asking what would happen to these employees if an Authority is established. He asked if this issue had been addressed and if so, would additional costs be involved. Mr. William Schwartz conunented on remarks by a representative of the N. C. Attorney General's office who stated personnel could be transferred with no change in tenure or benefits. County Manager Cooper stated money would have to be contributed in order to protect these benefits. " I I Li Chairman 0' Neal stated many services are provided by the County such as maintenance, engineering assistance, personnel, and finance conunenting on the amount of money saved by utilization of County staff and personnel. Mr. Ashby stated the County would have to continue funding of $400,000 for a number of years, but through an Authority operating as a business, profits would increase and eventually alleviate County funding. Mr. William Schwartz conunented on the Raleigh/Durham Airport Authority and annual contributions of $50,000 by the ci ty of Raleigh, Wake County, City of Durham, and Durham County stating this funding requirement was written in the Charter. He stated this Airport Authority has accumulated a surplus of $22 million by being allowed to operate as an --, _ __ _-.J 80 MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING, JULY 31, 1987 (CONTINUED) Authority stressing the importance of the New Hanover County Airport becoming a profit making structure which will become self-supporting and not require County funding. Vice-Chairman Dolan expressed concern for not receiving a written report from the Ad Hoc Study conunittee listing the pros and cons of various forms of management for operating the Airport whether an authority or conunission. He emphasized the importance of a complete study being made on various methods of management in order to provide the Board of conunissioners factual data in selecting the best method of operation for the Airport. Mr. Ashby stated after discussion with the Board of conunissioners on June 1, 1987, defining the charge of the Ad Hoc Study Conunittee, which was to present pros and cons on both a conunission or Authority, the Study Conunittee discussed and decided at the next meeting to present only one alternative since they so strongly felt a conunission form of management was not in the best interest of the New Hanover County Airport. r-] L-J Conunissioner Barfield expressed concern for the poor manner in which the Airport has been operated, whether by an Airport Conunission or by the County. He conunented on enhancement of economic development, particularly promotion of the Airport Industrial Park. Mr. Fries Shaffner stated an Authority would provide the mechanism for economic development of the Airport and remove the financial burden from the taxpayers of New Hanover County. He conunented on current County funding and the power of an Authority to issue bonds to the investing public. Mr. Shaffner stated after months of study, he felt an Authority was the best form of management for the Airport. r- A lengthy discussion was held on presentation of a written report by the Airport Ad Hoc Study Conunittee in order to provide background information on an Authority form of management. Conunissioner Barfield and conunissioner Corbett stressed the importance of keeping the public informed stating a written document would be of assistance to the Conunissioners as well as other interested citizens. '-- conunissioner Corbett expressed appreciation to each member of the Study Conunittee for an excellent jOb in studying and reviewing methods of operation for the Airport stating New Hanover County was fortunate to have citizens with this type of expertise that are willing to give of their time and effort. Conunissioner Retchin stressed the importance of selecting a strong form of management for the Airport whether a conunission or an Authority. He reconunended the Study Conunittee to develop a charter forming a body to operate the Airport, defining the powers of that body, how the body would be funded, and the relationship of that body to the voting public and Board of County conunissioners. He stated upon receipt of such a document, the Conunissioners could then more clearly see the differences between an Authority and a strong Conunission and then proceed to a final conclusion. r- '-- A lengthy discussion was held on the original charge of the Airport Ad Hoc Study Conunittee. Vice-Chairman Dolan expressed concern for only one alternative being presented asking if other forms of management were studied and if so, why were they not presented for consideration. Chairman Ashby stated all forms of management were studied; however, after review and study of other operational structures the Study conunittee strongly felt an Authority was the best and MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING, JULY 31, 1987 (CONTINUED) 5~ fl I i L.J most efficient form of management for the New Hanover County Airport. Mr. Rick petelinkar conunented on keeping the public informed and the recent articles published in the local newspaper. He expressed concern for the newspaper being the only mechanism for informing the public stating many statements published need further expansion for clarification. He conunented on a report prepared in 1985 by UNC-Wilmington projecting the value of the Airport to this area, asking how do you inform the public of availability of such a document. After further discussion, conunissioner Barfield MOVED, SECONDED by conunissioner Corbett to accept the Study Conunittee's presentation as information and request the Airport Ad Hoc Study Conunittee to prepare a written report to be presented to the Board on August 17, 1987, at which time the Board will follow through with a reconunendation. The floor was opened for discussion. Chairman O'Neal requested the County Manager to conunent on financial aspects of running and operating an Airport. fl L County Manager Cooper conunented on the difficulty of issuing bonds with an operating deficit. He also conunented on a dramatic increase in operating costs within the next few years with construction of the new terminal and emphasized the many services now provided by the County such as personnel, legal, data processing, engineering, management and housekeeping stating these services represent money. He cautioned rushing into an autonomous authority conunenting on the many unknowns, such as capital needs, the amount of operating costs once the terminal is completed, the cost of maintenance on existing facilities, the cost involved in rehabilitating Runway *1634, stating these issues need to be addressed. He stated once a new Airport Master Plan is developed and in place, many questions can be answered. Vice-Chairman Dolan requested a written report addressing pros and cons of various management structures, whether an Authority, Conunission, or County operation. He complimented the Study Conunittee for their hard work stating there was a misunderstanding of the original charge. Chairman O'Neal expressed concern for asking the Study Conunittee to prepare a report that will address all forms of management when they have so clearly indicated support for establishing an Authority. Vice-Chairman Session to further was scheduled. Dolan reconunended scheduling a Work discuss airport issues. No definite date After further discussion, Chairman O'Neal called for a vote on the MOTION made by conunissioner Barfield. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. fl I I BREAK Chairman 0' Neal recessed the Special Session for a break from 9:20 o'clock A.M. to 9:30 o'clock A.M. Li PRESENTATION BY CONSULTANT FIRMS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF AIRPORT MASTER PLAN Director of Engineering and Facilities, Ed Hilton, conunented on the time frame involved for selection of a consultant firm to develop the Airport Master Plan stating five firms will be making presentations. He requested the conunissioners to rank the firms 1, 2, and 3 to be submitted at the August 3, 1987, meeting in order to negotiate with the top three firms and comply with deadline set by FAA. 8L' MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING, JULY 31, 1987 (CONTINUED) 3. Financial Planning a. System of Projected Financial Statements b. Determination of Specific Requirements to support Long-Range Planning c. Financial Sources d. Establish and Maintain a System of Controls Governing use of Funds Mr. Noel expressed appreciation to the conunissioners for being given an opportunity to make a presentation and emphasized the importance of developing a long-range Master Plan that is functional and adjustable to the needs of the County Airport. r- L. Presentation by Wilbur Smith & Associates, Columbia, South Carolina Mr. Gary A. Varga, Senior Aviation Specialist, gave background information on his company and introduced Mr. Gerald M. Zubic, Mr. Robert M. Williams of Wilmington, N. C.; and Mr. William E. Broadwater, Project Director; who discussed the following issues: 1. Adequacy of Facilities a. Ground Transportation Facilities b. Parallel Runway c. Aircraft Noise 3. Environmental Issues a. Impact on Residential Areas b. Impact on Wetlands 4. Economic Issues a. Operation and Maintenance Costs b. Revenues ,- 5. Social Aspects Development of Economic Worth Analysis to inform the General Public of all positive aspects of Airport. L. 6. Products Provide a Master Plan that is easily updated. - Looseleaf Format - Computer Aid and Graphic Design - Computerized Data Forecasts - Colored Drawings - One-page Brochure - Briefs 7. Pavement Analysis a. Rehabilitation of Runway 16/34 b. Evaluation of Payment Condition c. Impact during Rehabilitation d. Developing Design Alternatives Mr. Varga expressed appreciation to the conunissioners for being given an opportunity to make a presentation and emphasized the importance of developing an Airport Master Plan with an innovative approach designed especially for New Hanover County. ,- L. BREAK Chairman O'Neal recessed the meeting for a break from 11:01 o'clock A.M. to 11:12 o'clock A.M. Presentation by Howard Needles Tammen & Bergendoff, Atlanta Georgia Mr. Robert W. Richards, P.E., Associate of HNTB, conunented on the present relationship with the New Hanover County Airport as Consulting Engineers for design and construction of the new terminal complex. He stated HNTB -~...-- MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING, JULY 31, 1987 (CONTINUED) 5[; would like to be given an opportunity to develop the Airport Master Plan which will influence the growth and development of the Airport for years to come. Mr. Richards introduced Mr. John Culpepper, designated Project Manager; Mr. Andy Bell, Airport Planner; and Mr. Steve Reiss, Terminal Planner; who presented and discussed the following key issues: l. Project Approach a. Project Coordination and Public Involvement " Program b. Assemble Data Base L.J c. Aviation Forecasts d. Evaluate Airport Development Alternatives e. Runway 16/34 Reconstruction Alternatives f. Update Airport Plans g. Financial Plan 2. Manhours and Schedule 3. MBE Participation BREAK Chairman O'Neal recessed the meeting for a break from 11:45 o'clock A.M. to 11:49 o'clock A.M. Presentation by Talbert, Cox & Associates, Inc., Wilmington, North Carolina Mr. John T. Talbert, Jr., President of Talbert, Cox & Associates, expressed appreciation to the conunissioners for an opportunity to make a presentation and introduced Mr. W. Stephen Bright, the Project Manager, who introduced other members of the team, Mr. William Cox, Mr. Glenn Kay, Mr. F. Dale Holland, Mr. Ken Weeden who discussed the following issues: r ~ 1. Master Plan General Scope of Work a. Master Plan b. Inventory of Existing Conditions c. Forecasts d. Demand/Capacity Analysis e. Facility Requirements f. Airport Plans g. Development Schedules and Costs 2. Study of Runway 16/34 - Reconstruction Alternatives 3. Master Plan specific Issue Areas 4. Preliminary Schedule and Estimated Man-hours Mr. Talbert stressed the importance of selecting a firm which can provide a functional Master Plan for the Airport stating Talbert, Cox & Associates would like an opportunity to develop such a plan. " , ADJOURNMENT Conunissioner Retchin MOVED, SECONDED by Conunissioner Corbett to adjourn. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ~ Chairman O'Neal adjourned the meeting at 12:15 o'clock P.M. ~P~ctfUll1 submitted, ~V;((~ Lucie F. Harrell Clerk