City Meeting Updates

Logan-Cache Airport Authority Board Meeting -- 03/05/2026

2026-03-06

George

Listen

Speaker 2

to

Speaker 3

Yeah. There we check. Yep. Yep. You're right on. Yeah.

John

We're glad to have you here today. We're yeah.

George

Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 3

Yeah. Yeah. I think I think it's better to flex with fewer. Look how much we got going. Oh, yeah. So yeah.

John

Not used to that. Glad to have you here. Appreciate your enthusiasm. We'll begin by a couple of things. A welcome to Dave Galli who's been appointed to serve on the board. We'll hold the elections now for the board chair and vice chair and open it to nominations for the board chair.

George

I nominate John Kerr, the board chair.

John

Are there any other nominations?

Brett Hughey

You win. Is

John

it? I think the word is acclimation. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Nominees for vice chair.

Brett Hughey

I would like to nominate Brett but he's not here.

John

That's generally the way it happens. You don't show up, you get I would second that. Yeah. I would second that too. Okay. Are there any other nominations for vice chair? Brett Hughey has been nominated. Being none, is there a set of votes of acclamation? All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? George, tell us what's happening with the county.

George

Well, let me just kind of explain what changes are coming and and why there are changes. Historically, the Airport Authority Board had been composed of Logan City and Cache County. There were and it worked well. There had been no problems in that relationship. But Logan City and Cache County decided that it was better for one of the other entities to be the lead, so that we weren't constantly having to run things by both groups. And the decision was made that the county would become the owner of the airport. Now as a part of that agreement, it was agreed that Logan City because we are in Logan City, Logan's the largest city, and Logan has significant expertise in the issues we're dealing with, that we would allocate two seats on the governing board or the board. Anticipate is the Logan mayor will continue to serve, and the Logan mayor will pick one additional person to serve. We really haven't paid too much attention to whether people live in the county or the city, and that's our intent. We we don't think that's important, but Mayor Anderson asked that his appointment, the second appointment that he had be Brett Hughey. So Brett Hughey and Mayor Anderson represent the two Logan appointments. Over the next period of time, we're going to have to develop a little bit more, structure in how the county is going to interact with the airport. Had some real good comments about that from Keegan Garrity. Had some comments about that from Ryan Snow, and we've discussed it. We're not ready to make a recommendation the board system with a new set of guidelines for the operation of the airport, including the airport board. That will need to be approved by Cash County now. And we'll we'll make sure Logan gets a copy and Logan participates in that, mayor, but it is Logan's slides out of of being one of the signing parties of that agreement. Some of the issues involve what kind of decisions are made at the county council level, What decisions are made at the airport board level? What decisions are administrative decisions? How do we get input from the public? How do we get input from technical people? Pilots, users of the airport, Utah State University, all of that. So we're gonna be working on that. And I just tell you, it's it's something we're trying to do a good job of looking forward for the next thirty, forty years as to how we want to set this up so the airport can grow and be run smoothly and efficiently. I don't know. Any comments about that at this point? Keegan, any comment?

Keegan Garrity

I think you covered it in more info forthcoming. Yeah.

Brett Hughey

So, George, George, are you looking at other airport authority boards across the state? We are. Okay. We are. There there's

George

different methods of organizing it. Mhmm. And we're looking at that. We're trying to be a little creative, Jamie, in in terms of of how do we best run that in a way that the administrative side is is clean, but there is much opportunity for input. The county council range of responsibility is so broad that it really doesn't work for them to be focused exclusively on the airport. I I agree with you there. Yeah. So For sure. So I think the concept of having your that is is part of it. We also talk about having an operations committee where we might gather the expertise. Mhmm. And and and also what things should be public and discussed in this kind of a meeting, and what things are best done just administratively. So, frankly, we we you and Ryan to continue to serve on the board as we work through this because we'd like your input, and no decision has really been made as to the backup of this board. The only thing we've done at this point is add Dave Cali to it.

Brett Hughey

Well, that was a good ad. I think

Speaker 3

we understand this is a moving target, and we're trying to figure it out as we go. A lot of changes in the last couple months. So Yeah.

John

K. Okay. Let's ask for a motion to no. One correction on page four, first paragraph. I think that should read, add an additional hanger on taxi Lane Lima. The way it's written, it's adding another taxi lane to Taxi Lane Lima. So No one, two, Texas? But any any other changes is or or motion to approve them as provided.

Brett Hughey

I will move to approve the minutes as corrected by John.

John

Second. It's been moved in second. We approve the minutes from the February 5 meeting. All in favor, say aye. Aye. K. Bob?

Dave Galli

Good morning, Janine, if you got that PowerPoint. So I've got some exciting news. As discussed before, I I talked about the Electrification of Utah grant that we applied for, which is $2,000,000 worth of funds that we could apply for to put in a charging station, a rapid charging station for the beta aircraft that could transport folks from Logan to Salt Lake and other airports. Go ahead and just click through here. Let's see where we are. So this was we were granted we were granted $550,000 and then our contribution on top of that will will be enough to complete this project. But the we we were given a conditional grant approval. And the reason we were given the grant was because of those items I have listed. There are infrastructure readiness, our geographic network fit, economic relevance, program scalability, and the flight training that we have here in Logan. Can you click to the next one? So there's a couple of things I have to do between now and May 1. And first is confirm capacity. I have to verify that our electrical infrastructure will handle the load. I've already verbally confirmed this, and I can respond I can respond to u dot, but I'm trying to gather, documentation to support what I'm gonna tell them. I I could tell them, yeah, we can confirm that, but I wanna have a supporting document with it. The next one. And the next one is determine if, we need another transformer or switch gear upgrades. We do. We've built that into the budget, when we, submitted our grant application. So we know that we need a new trans a new transformer out there. There's a a matrix that Logan City is giving me has given me that'll tell us how much that is. Go ahead. And then I have to provide provide the documentation for those things, by May 1. Go ahead. So this is where we're looking to put it. So that blue half circle is where the airplanes will pull up to charge. Just to the just to the left of that is the historic tower and and Utah State's dispatch area. That you that spot on the ramp there is largely unused and vacant. So that's that's where we're gonna we're planning to put it. That green little square there is is where we would hook up the electricity. The red line is the current well, the without the line going towards the charger, that's not currently there, but that will be there. That will be bored underground and then pop up where we need it to. The existing red line that that's the 90 degree turn to the left. That is our phase three power that that is in place. It it will will connect there on the corner. Right? And that's about where our rotating beacon is, our our vault for our, light system. So we've got power there, and we'll just bore scope underneath and shoot the line out out to where it needs to go. One more, please.

George

Dave, have you checked with Utah State with respect to that location to see if they have any difficulty with that locating it in that place? In that place. I have not, but I will. Sure. That's something to follow through, Dave. Your your hangar is is just west of that. Yep.

Dave Galli

Okay. Sure. This is a a timeline. So we're looking at at the longest eighteen months to have this all done from start to finish. My understanding is, they wanna have this in place long before the Olympics get here, so we're not figuring out how this works during the Olympics. We want to have all the squirrels figured out and all the all the how tos and what not to dos and how this is gonna work, what kind of scale we can use it at before the Olympics get here. And go ahead. This is the airplane that has flown into Logan twice now, at least twice. This is an electric airplane, a 100% electric. It costs about $30.30, $35 for a full charge versus, you know, putting couple 100 gallons of jet fuel in at $5 a gallon.

George

We'll go back to your previous

Dave Galli

drawing. Okay.

George

Where you no. The previous one to that. Yep. So so the plane is gonna be in that location to get charged. Yes. How long does it take to charge the airplane?

Dave Galli

Under an hour.

George

Okay. That's no problem. So so, Dave, I think the thing we need to make sure is having an airplane parked there periodically, whether that interferes with with what you're doing with your hangar.

Speaker 3

Same thing.

Brett Hughey

Where it's at yeah. It doesn't face the runway. I mean, it's there's plenty of room to Yeah. I would assume that they would go around the parked airplanes anyway and go out toward the runway and come out. So this out.

Dave Galli

So this this location, the airplanes to the on the left side, there are those white ones. That is typically where Utah State Flight School parks their airplanes. The airplanes on the right is the general the general ramp, and, generally, that's where leading edge parks theirs and the public at large parks theirs. In between there is where we've where we've picked because there isn't usually any traffic in that spot. We, of of course, will verify and clarify what people's opinions are, but that's that's what we've planned so far. Is that

George

consistent with our master plan and all?

Dave Galli

This is something new. The this this was not considered when the master plan was was written. This this popped up after the master

George

plan. And let's it's not something we can just move. We if we're gonna put it there, it's it's more or less permanent location. Correct? Yes. Let's put that power in there. I think we probably ought to make sure that Utah State fought through that. It is a small plane that coming in there now, but it it's a facility that could handle larger planes as well. Correct, Paul? It is.

Dave Galli

I will note that just just to the east of that or behind there is where a lot of corporate airplanes come in and land that you know, for example, when Utah State flies in and out that plane will park there on that ramp. That ramp is already used for charter aircraft for commercial, private commercial aircraft. It's used for this purpose already. So it's not that much of a stretch to have a smaller electric aircraft in that area because it is a transient area where large airplanes come and go from.

George

We're still in the site selection. Let's let's make sure we get all the stakeholders involved in in double checking that location because we could put it in a different location. And it is something that within our master plan, I think we need to make sure it's consistent with our master plan of having an aircraft coming in parking there. I suppose if it works as well, we hope we might have a line waiting to put

Dave Galli

charges in their plane. Yeah. I will I will absolutely follow your your guidance and and check with people. Another another positive part of having it that close to the FBO is when the FBO is expanded and renewed, it will be a short walking distance instead of longer. It's anticipated

George

that the plane would load while upcharging?

Dave Galli

I don't know the answer to that. I don't know the answer to that.

Brett Hughey

So it does seem, based on the underground infrastructure that already exists, that's not a bad location in terms of it's a very good location. In terms of cost and everything. But I agree with you to to look through, you know, just to check with the neighboring

George

users. Yeah. Yeah. Of course. Let's check with Utah State. Let's check with our master plan, or let make sure that we all agree. I'm driving a Tesla now, Bob, and I really like it. Yeah. And had to move my electricity in the garage, though. I I don't think you're gonna be in a situation where you have to move it in a year because of some configuration

Dave Galli

problem. Yeah. I understand. Over to the dark side. You'll have to chat with John on how his how his Tesla truck

George

treated him the other day. Get in and I say take me home, and it takes me home.

Dave Galli

Safely. And I

George

I can just see somebody getting in a plane at the airport and saying, take me to Saint Louis.

Brett Hughey

And, oh, by the way, you have to get charged in the middle. Are we installing I noticed that you have have a car charger there. Is that part of the project as well? The intent the intent of this grant

Dave Galli

was to put in infrastructure for the charging of the airplane. K. That being said, once everything's in place, we will have a place where we can connect our rapid charger to because we will have infrastructure in place. And on the outside of the or the land side of the parking side of the fence, we'll be able to install our rapid charger as well. Okay. This is not part of the project, but once the project is completed because the intention is to support the aviation Right. Once that is done, we will have infrastructure in place to then connect our rapid charger to. Okay.

Brett Hughey

Great.

Dave Galli

Bob? Yes. You know, I would hope USU would fully support that as others has there has there been a look at another location? Or There has been. There has been. There there's been locations down by the run up area where that that's not an ideal spot, but there has been other places looked at which would necessitate either long walks or shuttles or these things. There it's not it's not that we can't do those things. This is when myself and beta and some of the other stakeholders, looked at where a great location would be. This was the best one we could come up with. But there have been other locations looked at and we can relook at them. I will say the grant, the conditional grant approval was based on this location. Not that we can't change it, but their understanding is this is where we're putting it. So I will follow through and check with USU and the FBO and and get their concerns.

Speaker 2

Would the plane be stationed here or it's only coming in and leaving? Is it is this would it be its home base here and is that would that turn into a permanent parking spot?

Dave Galli

I have we haven't gotten that far. Okay. We haven't gotten that far.

Speaker 2

Because that would make a difference if this is transient. If it's where, like, self serve fuel or or whatever. When I pull in and and I pull in, I I have a spot that I can fill up, but but I don't. I drop my passengers off. I drive down and fuel up. Yeah. I I

Dave Galli

anticipate if it is based here that they would find some hangar space, that it wouldn't be Out there. You know, brand new technology, you know, electrical components that they don't want it out in the rain or the heat or these kind of things just sitting overnight getting, you know, collect and do. Seems like aircraft that sit for that are that run great when you park them and then they sit for a couple days. The the first time you start them is when, you have trouble from my experience.

Speaker 2

So we have in the plan a what was the port that we had on the end of Charlie?

Paul

There's two locations for Verticorp or one for Verticorp and one for a larger

Speaker 2

And those are down on on Charlie. Right? Oh, there.

Paul

One is off of Charlie. One is across. It basically be the top of this picture out of frame

Speaker 2

k. With But those are vertical lift and not not plain like this. This is silk plain, although electric. The one off of Charlie is for the

Paul

EV toll for the vertical. Okay. The one off frame from the top of this picture, it requires significant infrastructure or pavement as well, but for six locations that are a combination of parking and charging.

Speaker 2

So we do have a spot that we did anticipate charging to be in the master plan. Right? But and and right. And those are set up for or the ones permanent tie down spot with a charger. Charge. Yeah. So this would just be Self serve. A temporary self serve kind of a thing. But when we get to when we get to this being stationed here, this is not the spot. Right? From our master plan, that's that's what we anticipated.

Paul

There would be the potential for multiple locations that would be permanent. Yes. I mean, master plan.

Brett Hughey

Well, that's a lot of electricity.

Dave Galli

Yeah. So

Brett Hughey

This is the come and go place. Right? That's right.

Dave Galli

Yep. It's the best work. To to add on to that, you know, we in January in the month of January, we had almost 11,000 operations just in the month of January. And we are if that continues, we'll have our busiest year on record at Logan Cash Airport. Our economic impact just from the airport is about $16,000,000 a year to the to the local area. So this is an airport that we would like to keep in good shape, continue to develop, and take advantage of opportunities as they come our way. So with that, I'll follow-up with with the FBO, with Utah State Flight School. And would you like me to report to you,

George

in person, or would you like me to come back? I think you could just generate a report to John and and circulate it. Okay. He'll he'll take care of circulating it. Okay.

Brett Hughey

The grants are very nice. Very

Dave Galli

job well done. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Just just submitted I've submitted it three times now because I keep thinking of things to add and and and update. But yesterday, I finished my final version of the wraps grant to to purchase a fuel tank. Our current Avgas fuel tank was built and installed in 1980 with an expected life expectancy of twenty years. It's good. It didn't take long to do that math, does it? The tank is situated about 20 feet away from a canal that if we had a spill, that's where it would go. If we had a leak, It would end up in the Cutler Cutler Waterway and then the Great Salt Lake. And we're trying to avoid that by buying a new tank, double walled, new technology, larger capacity, self serving, capable, but something that the FBO could also pull their truck up fuel from, and then the serve you know, the the full service up and down the ramp. So, we're waiting to hear on how we score on that grand as well. So with that, that's my report for the month.

John

Any other questions? Thank you, Paul. Over the last several months, we've been discussing how to address the issue of the FAA no longer funding taxi lanes to private hangars. We've had several conversations here. We've talked to our sister airports to see how they're handling it. We've done some research nationally to see what is happening. And as a result of these, a proposal has been put together along the lines that we talked about at our previous meeting. Perhaps, I could read it to you. A replacement fee for hangar to be built on an existing paved taxi lane based on front foot of hangar. The funds received will be used to create taxi lanes on the airport. Taxi lanes developed by private parties may be excluded. Payment options, total at time of initiating the lease or 25% at time of initiating the lease and annual payments at each at the time of each lease payment amortized over the life of the lease accruing 6% annual interest. Based on current cost estimates, taxi lane echo as a group one taxi lane, $5 $500 a foot. Taxi Lane Kilo, a group two Taxi Lane, a thousand dollars a foot. For the the new people on the board, group one is your typically your typical Piper or Cessna. A group two is your corporate jet. They're more expensive because of the extra weight and the extra width involved with those aircraft. As future improved tax lanes become available, the fee schedule will be updated to reflect anticipated development costs. And these these funds will be earmarked and will not be available for any other use other than further expansion of taxi lanes on the airport. Any questions from the board?

Brett Hughey

Can I just I I thought about this quite a bit, and I wondered if there was an opportunity for us because our lease system is so rent you know, we only we're only charging this proposal really only charges a new builder? And is it appropriate for us to create an assessment over the entire airport that helps to create this fund so that we have money to rebuild taxi lanes in the older sections of the airport as well as in the newer sections. And I also think we need to be fair to all and not when we we put in there that people who build a taxi lane may be exempt, that might I mean, that taxi lane will become ours when it's finished, and there's gonna come a day when we have to repair it and replace and recover, you know, redo it. And would it be a more Agree. Fairway to create some assessment structure that builds that fund and then that fund can be used going forward. So that's just what I thought about. Yep. Thank you.

Speaker 3

Your assessment.

John

Other questions or comments?

Dave Galli

What about maintenance too? Yeah. Future maintenance.

Brett Hughey

Well, that's what I hope that that's what I would hope that fund would Exactly. Just building on what you just said. Yeah. Or

John

Yeah.

George

Our our maintenance now is really a a draw on our general operating funds Yeah. And our our lease. Sure. If if if we want to follow Jeanne's suggestion, we could add a supplemental to that. But but this is really designed simply to get the money to build the new taxi lane as as the airport fills out. Our long term maintenance is tied to our our lease rate. We could put a lease rate on.

Brett Hughey

But I was thinking, you know, in terms of our long term goals of building up the airport, perhaps some sort of an assessment would grow enough to be able to do some of that annually.

George

That that would be a more generalized maintenance fund. This this is designed to actually be a targeted reserve having to do only with taxi lanes. Well, that's what I was thinking as well. I understand. Yeah. If you if you mingle the two and we start using money from this fund for maintenance, it won't furnish the purpose that we get by having this build the taxi lane to begin with. This this fund is would be restricted to building taxi lanes. It wouldn't be a maintenance fund. Is that right, John? That's correct.

John

Yes.

Keegan Garrity

Go ahead. I was gonna say, how often would the fees, those dollar amounts, and the interest rate be reassessed?

John

The the fee would be based on the most recent project and what that cost to make sure that that is is current. This is it's going to be a a dynamic or a live kind of thing. But, for example, as what could happen, as Lima was completed, we've indicated to them that we would like to know what their costs are. We know what our costs are going into to kilo, and we'll get the same information from the people on the extension of Delta for that type one or group one taxiculate. And then when we have that information, we can then evaluate whether or not these figures are appropriate.

Keegan Garrity

Okay.

John

The other question that Jeanne raised was a question about not including those who are developing the tax lanes privately. They're paying it. This represents essentially the same cost that those developers are having to incur putting in those tax lates. And so it's an effort to level the playing field going forward. There's no attempt to go back and reassess, for those fees that were paid for, on FAA grants. Further questions from the board?

George

I would move that we adopt this replacement fee system as stated. I believe that it's clear that this is for the purpose of new construction.

John

Yes.

George

And and the fee schedule, will be updated as needed. Meaning, if we learn the cost are up 10%, this will automatically be adjusted to reflect those costs from time to time. With with that understanding, I would move for its adoption.

Paul

Do we need to have language for

Keegan Garrity

if there if the developer is building it, that they're exempt from having to pay the fee. Okay. So I'll second that then.

John

Okay. And the title, the change, we're not gonna use the term perpetual. We're gonna use revolving infrastructure account. It's been moved and seconded that we institute a revolving infrastructure account and funded by fees to developers of new hangers on existing tax lates. All in favor, say aye.

George

Aye.

John

Any opposed?

Brett Hughey

Nay.

John

That passes.

George

Any other items from the board? John, the one thing I would say is just so we can keep titles straight. I wonder if we ought to add in the title to this, and I don't think that part of the motion is is the word taxi lane, so it's clear what this is for. That it maybe we call it realize the title gets longer and longer, but revolving taxi lane infrastructure account. Can you make an acronym out of it, George? Pardon me? Can you make an acronym out of it? Let's see. I didn't I didn't test that, but the it would seem appropriate since it's an airport that it'd be given an acronym.

Brett Hughey

Yeah. E R G I A. What? R T I A.

George

R

Brett Hughey

C I A. T. R T. R T. Revolving taxi lane in R T. Yeah. That one works.

George

Thank you.

John

Any other items from the board? Any items from the public that you'd like to bring forward at this time? Questions that we can answer for you?

George

I would appreciate, John, any of you that have comments about the structure or suggestion based upon your experience about how the county ought to approach the organization that you funnel those either to John or myself, because we're gonna be working on that over the next month or two.

John

One of the things that makes this particularly challenging, airport authority board. Every other one, every other airport is either owned by a city or a county and figuring out how to make that transition without sacrificing the benefits that we've enjoyed as an independent authority board. We're somewhat looked upon with some jealousy because we do have a great deal of autonomy, and we just have to send the bill to the city or the county. We're we're losing that, but some of us are campaigning to maintain as much of it as we can.

Keegan Garrity

I will say that it'd probably be good to give reconsideration to doctor Jones' report that came out a couple years ago that recommended expertise in certain industries on the board. There was a recommendation as well to meet at the airport, which that is something I think we could consider as well as part of all this discussion. But if you haven't reviewed that report in lately, that might be something worth spending some time on.

John

Nothing else? We will plan on meeting April 2 at 09:00 here. And, again, we do appreciate your enthusiastic