02-02-2023 Airport Authority Board Meeting

Welcome. We're glad to have you here. We have a time crunch because there is a ethics training class that starts at 09:00, and everybody still in the room will have to stay till we get to the tenth. We'll begin by asking for a motion to approve the minutes as have been provided. I'll make that motion. Is there a second?

Oh, it's on here, so I can't second. Second.

It's been moved and second that we approved, and it's from the January meeting that's provided. I'll just say aye. Aye. And you should both.

K. I was trying to be quick today, and a lot of the stuff has kind of been a a preview or a a keep up from the last couple meetings. Snow removal, obviously, is a a challenge we've been dealing with. Sunday was interesting, and it's a Groundhog Day and Groundhog Shadow Sought of Shadows. We have six more weeks to keep going with this stuff. So but we're plugging through. Hopefully, it's through the season. We have a couple things in the work for next year that I hope to have presentable to everybody probably by next meeting or so. So we keep plugging away on that. The other thing that I wanted to keep everyone up to date on is the Union Pacific Lease. I've worked with Taylor on getting them a payment, so we are up to date on on that for the previous lease agreement. It's not been a new lease agreement agreed upon yet, but we are keeping up to date on the last lease agreement amount. And so we're making those payments right now, so we're at least up to date on previous lease amount.

We're pretending that we're not having a new one?

Yeah. Maybe. No. I'm gonna say we're pretending that it's not a new one. I think we're we're in the process of getting a new one or creating a new one. And so I think we just wanna stay up to date and look and and and Participate. Yes. I understand. Yeah. So so so the new lease is in process, and and so we hope to have that resolved. We're continuing to pay on the old lease agreement. Yes. Thank you. So yeah. So that's the update on that. The CIP and the master plan, nothing really new there. The fuel farm, we have some meeting planned for that and kind of the development of the new fuel farms that's moving forward. And just the other two things, the science of the taxiway and the taxiway India project, we're having meetings with the FAA and Armstrong, and those are moving forward smoothly, I believe. So I think the only other thing I wanna talk about is I wanna put them on the spot, but I have two special guests sitting in the back corner back there. Two young ladies that came out and visited the airport yesterday for a high school project. And so I think what I like about that is maybe speaking with Groundhog Day is sometimes we get in a rut of kinda doing the same thing over and over again, especially, like, at an airport. When I'm doing my inspections, I go up another runway every day. So one of my supervisors in the past talked about complacency. So you always try to change your inspection up, do something different. And so having them out yesterday, it was good for me because they asked questions that I forget about it or leave behind. What's the airport good for for the community? Who uses the airport? Things like that. And so to be able to answer those questions to them, like, really brought me back to why I love the aviation industry and what the airport's good for and for the community and things like that. And so I just think it's good to have young kids, you know, female kids too being excited about the aviation industry and just be able to share with them the the possibilities and everything like that with the growth in the community, emergency services, the mechanic abilities, and just the possibilities of the aviation industry and things that they do for the community, I think, are really awesome. And so I think what I'm trying to get to is not only the future of aviation, but I'm gonna open this up to I think our next topic is kind of the history and the past of aviation and trying to tie all that together. And so that's all I have for today. So hopefully that kinda leads us into our next topic. Any questions for Jason?

He's doing a good job. Thank you. In in my haste to make the agenda taken care of, I failed to recognize the presence of Lyle Snow. Why don't you take two and a half minutes and tell us about your expertise and experience in Firefox. Okay. Thank you.

So I'm Ryan Snow. I I am currently the city manager in Providence. But prior to that, I was the city manager in Roosevelt where I oversaw the Roosevelt at Fort 74 Victor. We we did a construction project there and we did the runway and taxiway and actually added the taxiway. So it was a $9,000,000 project there that oversee. The I I prior to that assignment, I was I was actually on the construction site. So on their documents of the Roosevelt Airport, I was the I was signed as the construction manager for the painting company to do the work, and then actually got the chance to accept it as the city manager when it was done. So Wow. Kind of a kind of a realm of of possibilities on that matter for night. I started with the construction side and then actually was able to accept it, which is which is a rare position to be in. But I do have ten years in heavy highway construction experience and including a couple of airports. Have grand experience. Have been to the UAOA a number of times. I know several of these years. I I knew your predecessors. And I and and most importantly, I had a plane here at the Logan Airport, so I'm a happy pilot. On a day like this, it would be really nice to be flying rather than than in the meetings, but I'm I'm happy to be here too. So We'll get you out early.

Well, it's has been appointed to take Bill Francis's position on the board. So he'll be the county appointee. Weather events created an opportunity for the university to delegate to divest themselves of the historic World War two tower. And there's a lot of interest in express from patrons of the airport that the board adopt that tower as a means of allowing donations to be channeled to restoring that tower to its historic condition. Is there anyone here that's prepared to speak to that? I've got a a couple of letters here that I'll read. If someone wants to speak now, come forward. Otherwise, I'll introduce these letters while you're thinking about it. From Bill Francis, the tower is a symbol of cash value. Judd found a picture in his research for the master plan. That picture is from about 1945. It's in pictures published of patenting at the airport such as flights to remote parts of the state by USU back when they were doing their distance learning via flights out of. The tower served as a manager's office from the fifties to the seventies. This is a possibility that it could be considered again. It could be combined with the USU building that was the airline terminal in the sixties. That goes back almost to the brink stop, doesn't it? It would make a great observatory or small museum for historical photos and memorabilia. It is it is one of the only towers left for the civilian pilot training program. Then he suggests some grand opportunities we might pursue. We need to act quickly before it falls deeper into disrepair. Then his closing remark, we need to remember our history to preserve our future. I reached out to a friend that some of you may know, Jim Peterson. He was airport manager of Wendover and is now the director of the Wendover Air Corps Museum. White phone color. Most of you will know that Wendover was the training site for the bombers who also we dropped the atomic bombs on the jetpack. All of that took place in Glendover. Our tower is a four four tower structure with usable space on the three lower levels, and that I think is where the office may have. And the upper level is a 60 by 60 birth cage with glass all the way around. This is Jim Pearson's comments about their tower because they had undergone a restoration of it. We only have metal stairs leading up to the top, which is 14 by 14. The tower is 60 feet tall. We allow people to climb the the control tower that keep the interior locked unless one of the museum staff are present. We spend about $40,000 on restoration. A good chunk of rework from the windows of the control box. We're in the process of getting a quote to replace those windows. If we do it with tempered glass, it's about $40 a foot, which would be about $16,000. Just give you an idea of the magnitude of what we're dealing with. The original modification was five windows per side. We put it back into the World War two configuration. Personally, I think it would be a great idea to restore it and have artifacts in the photos he's making of our tower. Artifacts in photos period in in the various levels. We also found some chariot rain deals to finance in the birdcage. We're not quite finished with our ultimate plans, but as you said, someone has to step up to the funding. Then he goes on to ask more questions about what we're doing. Okay. And the time that I think Brent can tell me this. It's time that Great Western was flying their commuter service out of Florida. The tower that was when the tower was manager's office. Is that correct?

Yeah. Yep. It was also the manager's office when I opened it.

Okay. So

before

Was that before it's very western or after very western? After. Okay. After. Yeah.

We've remodeled the bottom four, and that's where the that's where they're going.

You're one of the few laps living that really know that history. Appreciate that. Other comments, questions? Do we own the do we own the building? No. That's I don't know when it was acquired. That a problem about the time of Great Western was here when they were building that terminal. They acquired over ship of the tower at that time. And the owner of the terminal building has been paying lease making lease payments on the ground on which the tower sits. That is a 16 kind of six team, kind of, 100%. It probably cost about $75 a year.

Is it a version visionary lease or a year? It'll come back to us at some point. Not without

them. Just transferring. They can fix my accent. And at this point, they have the option of removing them, which is probably but it's disconcerting some people.

You know, I wanted to work with the manager having has an access to that?

We have the key. I understand. They've got a connection with Utah State University.

So so, John, you said the university wants it to come down. Yes. Because But they're not owners. Yeah. They are owned. Oh, I know you said great restaurants.

Great restaurants. Great restaurants sold it to Utah Jet. Utah Jet sold it to the university. Okay. You have both for us? No. Just the slogan. Historically.

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So on on that so that's entirely we've been talking about it, and financially, it's not the flight program responsibility to repair the building. The university has showed no interest in trying to repair or save that building because we've gone up to the university if they got anything to do there. They said the liability of it's too great for students to even go in there with the circular staircase in there being the only access up or down if they're getting fired or whatever. And so that was their decision. They said, well, if we can't give it to some historic city place that wants it, then we're gonna take it down. That that's where we're at at this point. And so we brought it to the port and David Zook and others and said, does it do you guys want this building? We hate to tear it down. Our intention is not to do that, but I can't use flight fees to repair a building. So then raise the rates by who knows how much

for the students to repair that? When the we'll call it the microburst. Get it. Don't know how long the glass has been there. If those glass shards were spread at least 200 feet downwind, when most of the glass up in the cupola shattered. Yeah. So I think no one had ever considered the liability risk of that glass and felt it took the better part of three days to get it cleaned up. Well, I I think it's definitely worth working to preserve that and restore it and to find I I'm sure we'll be able to find grants and and other sources funding to do that. There's a lot of interest in history and preserving history, and not only grants from entities, like, even donations and things like that can probably be solicited and and found to to help in that. You said the university is willing to give it to Yes.

This week, we should be transferring all of our stuff off, the signage, the lights, the Internet, and the cameras that are currently on. They should all be moved off that building at the end. I'll say to you, I agree. Unless cold sticks out with them, who knows how long. So do we need to create

some sort of need to create, I think, some kind of a historical committee or something. You know, like, I mean, even

I know that we spent a lot of time this summer, my grandkids and I, climbing lighthouse towers, and they're just as dicey as airplane tower aviation tower in terms of, you know, curvy stairs. But they were all historic societies so that Right. You know, they were all part of a a you know, some sort of an entity that is responsible for reserving and

The main issue is liability. The university doesn't have that liability. Right. So they're willing to donate the tower to the county or the airport or the historical entity can be created to preserve that tower.

Well, can we accept it as the airport authority board?

I know it's already required. It is on the airport. At one time, it belonged to the airport.

And could we incorporate a plan for that structure into the master plan?

Just as a as a question. How many of the recipes have been in iPhone? Because I haven't been in it. I'd like to go with it before I I I decide whether we want it or not. And and we're not here and so on. Can I can I maybe have a final time, but if anybody else would like to go in if you've already been in, I'd I'd like to catch up

before we go I'm the only one?

Yeah. How if we need to have again, the risk managers look at it, which is, you know, the same issue, but we've got safe place.

I I think it'd be interesting to have a exploratory group before we get to the committee to accept it and redo it. Maybe it's purgatory to see what conditions it's in. May I ask that again? I I see those

as two separate actions. Receiving it is well agreed doing something

with it. But he's saying look at it before we even decide if we want to receive it. And and and I think the third is an exploratory of understanding its conditions whether we wanna receive it or or restore it. I think those two would come after. But you're right. I I assume those are different. Well, I think yeah. I think that the challenge becomes the university would like to move on it.

So if we want any opportunity to

Universities had it for decades. Yeah. I think I think they can give us at least a point of time. They they can't they can't not give it to us one. It's on our property. So I have to tell them whether they don't have to be able to give it to without our permission. So I don't think they can move without us. But we got some time. We got some time. Okay. And I think and we've got about six minutes left with their in that presentation.

The the drum starts pounding on the door. Okay. They're

out there talking about whatever.

We will we will arrange the signs. Either you take the lead and arrange the time, and then we will notify any other interesting party to meet that. Any other item of business? Anyone want to add any more input on the top?

Can I can add one small bit? During research for the airport master plan, it is not listed on the national registry of historic places

right now.

However, there are case numbers going back to 1997 for the application of this specific tower as registered on the national registry of historic places. Obviously, if it's there, can't just put there now. So it's one of those considerations that needs to be added. It is not currently listed, but there's definitely lots of precedents for towers such as these ending up on that list, and the work was started on twenty six years ago. So add another twenty six years of history on to that.

So it's been people have applied?

There is a registration case number. It's the most I've been all defined so far. Oh, okay. Really wasn't I was more just including it, so here is a piece of the history. I wasn't addressing this particular problem. It's just one of the many aspects of the airport. Okay. Thank you.

I would just vote to my add my vote to I think we should seriously consider wage conservage. Even if it's just a symbol, if we're not able to do people inside for liability or have them downstairs and separate times even if this looks like any other towers. I think there's value because it's an icon structure.

With with that, there the glass and things still need to be prepared. The glass is halfway in there, halfway broken. So I don't think she has bleeding at it. No. It's it's new structure out here. It needs to be So We need to move quickly. Yeah. Can we can we try to revisit this next month?

Narmini? Yes. I did, sir. But we'll try to get everybody in into tomorrow or weekends or early next week or something like that. There are a a couple of things over the and the FAA does not offer any funding for historical privilege. There are other government institutes that do, and certainly, they would be available for us to seek funding. Personally, I'm not comfortable using authority for money or expenditures that don't directly relate to the operation.