The Plymouth Airport Commission held their regular Commission Meeting on Thursday, May 7, 2015. Present were Chairman Kenneth E. Fosdick, Vice Chairman Douglas R. Crociati and Commissioners William D. Burke, Kenneth L. Laytin, Walter E. Morrison, Jr., Dennis R. Smith and Paul G. Worcester. Also present was Consulting Engineer Jeff Adler and Airport Manager Thomas Maher.

Approve Minutes of April 7, 2015 regular meeting – Commissioner Worcester made the motion to approve to minutes as written. Commissioner Burke seconded the motion. Vote was unanimous.

John Young, Proposed hangar - Mr. Young has two aircraft at two different airports and is looking to consolidate to one location. His proposal is for an 80’ x 80’ building with a 60’ door and a location with combined air side and commercial side access. Chairman Fosdick suggested that Mr. Young work with Manager Maher and Mr. Adler to determine a location and develop a plan. Mr. Young is considering the commercial aspect for restoration of automobiles.

Nex Air open house fly in – Mike Rearick, Nex Air Avionics, requested permission to hold an Open House event at their hangar on June 13 to introduce themselves to the airport and aviation community. They plan to have a community event and barbeque from 9 AM to 3 PM to explain their operation and show off their facility. Vice Chairman Crociati made a motion to approve the Open House. Commissioner Worcester seconded the motion. Vote was unanimous.

Steve Hall request for music festival gate 6 area –Mr. Hall, Owner of HopHead Events, is requesting to use the grass area at Gate 6 for a small festival with a food truck, craft beer and easy listening music. He is proposing Saturday, August 22 from noon to 6:30 P.M. Mr. Hall intends to sell tickets for the event through local businesses that will be represented at the event. In the event that ticket sales exceed 500 he will split the event into two sessions leaving enough time in between for one session to clear out before the next session arrives. Advertising will specifically state that pre-purchased tickets are required and that there will not be any tickets sold on the day of the event. He will have approx. 12 staff members at the event that will handle all aspects of the event including controlling parking and flowage. Mr. Hall requested conditional approval as soon as possible so that he could apply for a permit and begin advertising. Commissioner Smith wants the Commission to consider the precedent that this may be setting. Commissioner Burke suggested polling the tenants in this area first and if necessary having a workshop in two weeks to work out the details. The Commission will get input from the tenants and aviation community prior to making a determination.

Hank Wiltshire Dedication: Chairman Fosdick presented Mr. Wiltshire with a plaque for his dedication and years of service to Plymouth Airport. He went on to commend Mr. Wiltshire for being a very big and important part of the airport team during all his years at Plymouth.

Johnson Property, State Grant approval – Manager Maher briefed the Commission that the Mass DOT Aeronautics had issued a Grant to the Airport relative the Johnson Land Purchase in August of 2012 and equested that the Commission authorize the Chairman to sign the grant. Commissioner Smith made the motion to approve the Chairman to sign the grant. Commissioner Worcester seconded the motion. Vote was unanimous.

Dubois & King, Inc.

EA/EIR, update – Mr. Adler advised that Variance was being written and reviewed by the attorneys at the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Land Acquisition Beaton Bog, update – Manager Maher advised that The Wildlands Trust had voted to accept the Management of the Property and the Conservation Restriction. As part of the grant, in perpetuity, they receive a one-time payment of $12,506.

Runway project final design: Mr. Adler advised that the Bid Opening was delayed until May 21st at 11 A.M. Mr. Adler discussed the situation with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and there was enough discomfort with the lack of a Variance that warranted the postponement. With the deadline for filing the Grant Application approaching Mr. Adler suggested the Commission vote to approve the Chairman to sign the Grant Application if the bid opening occurs and the Variance is in hand. Commissioner Burke made the motion. Commission Worcester seconded the motion. Vote was unanimous.

Contract addendum, environmental review during construction – A contract addendum is being developed to include the environmental review requirement that Epsilon will conduct during construction.

Administration building, update – Mansfield Airport has officially gone out to bid for their administration building. Mr. Adler and Manager Maher will continue to follow up with Tom Mahoney @ MassDot regarding this project.

New Hangar Construction, update

Driftway Realty (Mike Orla), update - Manager Maher advised that he has had the most input from Mr. Orla but feels all three projects have been stalled and all 3 need to be at the next meeting. The Commission wants to inform them that this delay has risks and that the Commission is prepared to rescind the approval if necessary.

Rick Ellis/Richard Carrera, update – See above.

Rick Stefani, update – See above.

Noise/Safety Complaints, monthly review – There was one complaint regarding the mosquito control plane.

Airport Infrastructure update – Manager Maher indicated that repairs to the air conditioning system may need to be done sooner than expected. Also there were an unusually higher number of runway lights that needed replacing and the cost was more than expected. Chairman Fosdick received a letter from Air Jet Services thanking the staff for their diligence in keeping the airport open during the harsh winter.

Airport leases uses and rates, status – Manager Maher briefed the Commission that Attorney Gilmore was not supportive of adding a clause in the lease for the airport to move t-hangars but instead suggested that the lease length be shortened so the airport could decide not to renew the lease. Also regarding the rate structure for non-aviation leases Attorney Gilmore indicated that the FAA requires that non-aviation leases be at current market rate for the entire lot that they are using. Attorney Gilmore recommends that the non-aviation leases only be amended. Manager Maher suggested that DeCastro Appraisers do a survey of non-aviation lots to determine the actual area being used and the current market rate for that area.

State police Hangar update – Manager Maher advised that he had a meeting with the Department of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) to negotiate a new lease with the State Police and he received word today that they would remain at the airport. Attorney Gilmore has reviewed the State's standard lease, which is not negotiable, and indicated that it is straight forward. The Airport Commission would assume the remainder of the current lease and obtain a new 10 year lease effective thereafter.

Other Business

Mr. Chris Willenborg, Mass DOT Aeronautics Director, announced that he is resigning June 30, 2015 and there will be an event on June 17th in Norton.

The Spanish FAA visited and toured the Plymouth Airport. They were interested to see how air taxi and general aviation operations integrated with the airport. The visit was well received.

Mrs. Jeannie Phillips will be leaving Plymouth Airport on May 9 to begin working at Boston Logan airport. The Commission wished her well at her new job.

As there was no further business at this time the meeting adjourned at 8:35 P.M.

Approved

Kenneth E. Fosdick

Chairman