Minnesota Council of Airports (MCOA)

Transcription

1 Minnesota Council of Airports (MCOA) 644 Bayfield Street, Suite #120 St. Paul, MN Monthly News Update (MNU) for May 2013 The MCOA Board... met at the Arrowwood Conference Center April 17 th during the Minnesota Airports conference and conducted the annual membership meeting. The agenda was completed as presented and the following Directors were re elected to serve: Dave Beaver, Owatonna; Dave Konshok, Park Rapids; and Mark Hagen, Detroit Lakes. The Board also met on April 18 th in the AM and re elected the following officers to serve: Shaun Germolus, Chairman; Joe Harris, Vice Chairman; and Mark Hagen, Secretary/Treasurer. Joe Hedrick, Thief River Falls, was appointed to fill a Board Director vacancy created when Brian Ryks left; Tom Werner, Duluth Intl and Jeff Wig, Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport were appointed to fill the two vacant Director At Large positions. The next MCOA Board meeting will be at 9:30 AM, May 10 th at the MNDOT Office of Aeronautics. MNDOT Update... New Director for Minnesota Aeronautics Tim Henkel, Assistant Commissioner of Modal Planning and Program Management for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), announced recently that Cassandra Isackson, a fifteen year veteran with MnDOT, has been chosen as the new Director of Aeronautics. She began her new position officially on Wednesday, April 24th. Cassandra Isackson began her career working for the Alabama Department of Transportation and received her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Alabama. Isackson is a registered professional engineer in the state of Minnesota. She has worked for the Minnesota Department of Transportation for 15 years with her most recent position as Director of the Office of Transportation Data and Analysis (TDA). She has served in various roles throughout MnDOT including the Office of Traffic, Safety and Technology, the MnDOT Metropolitan District Traffic office, the Office of Project Management and Technical Support, and Materials and Road Research.

2 Conference Report... If you were unable to attend, you missed a great opportunity to share your ideas and concerns with fellow airport members. The food was excellent and Arrowwood staff did an outstanding job supporting the conference. The selection of sessions covered a broad spectrum of subject matter of importance to all airport managers, elected officials and other attendees. Our vendors provided an update on new equipment and methods of airport planning and supported the conference with sponsored meals and evening activities. A great time was had by all in a casual learning environment. Thank you all for supporting the annual event and we look forward to seeing you at next year s conference in Bemidji, MN, April 16 18, 2014, at the Sanford Center. MCOA Award Winners for Each year, MCOA recognizes airports, individuals and completed projects which are above and beyond the call of normal. This year s MCOA Award winners were: Project of the Year Key Airports, Commercial Service Airport The Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport was selected to receive this award for their extensive remodeling of their main terminal building. The project took over two years to complete and included a 7,100 sq ft expansion of existing facilities. The project included a new boarding bridge, expanded passenger seating, additional restrooms and vending machines in addition to a complete exterior and interior redesign and refurbishment. The design team included Short Elliott Hendrickson, Dunham and Associates, Structural Design Associates and Architectural Alliance with an overall project cost of $6,411,500.

3 Project of the Year Key Airports, Non Commercial Service Airport There were two projects nominated for an award in this category and the Albert Lea Municipal Airport was selected for their runway 17/35 and parallel taxiway relocation project. The project included reconstruction of the infrastructure, new runway lighting, LED taxiway lighting, signage, NAVAID s and an approach lighting system that spans Interstate 90. The Design Engineering firm was Mead & Hunt, Matt Wagner P.E., principal contractors were Sorenson Bros, and Ulland Bros.

4 Project of the Year Intermediate Airport The selection process in this category was very difficult because there were four airports with excellent projects which made significant improvements to their airports. The Blue Earth Municipal Airport was selected for their reconstruction of the existing 3,400 ft runway, connecting taxiway and apron expansion, a new full length connecting parallel taxiway B, new runway lighting and NAVAID system. The design engineering firm was Bolton & Menk and contractor was Southern Minnesota Construction. The three phased project was started in 2010 and completed last year at a total cost of $4.8 million dollars. Outstanding Service Award This award was presented to an individual who has dedicated his time and effort over 35 years serving as Assistant Airport manager and then as Airport Director of the Rochester Intl Airport. Steve Leqve, Airport Director, will be retiring this month and leaves a legacy of accomplishments during his tenure. Steve has served on the MCOA Board of Director s in all positions and as Chairman several times. He also established Rochester as a Point of Entry (POE) for foreign aircraft, added the cargo business to the facility, completed 31 projects as Assistant manager and over 200 individual projects with a total cost of $85 million dollars supporting over 2,900 jobs creating an economic impact on the Rochester community of more than $161.5 million dollars annually. His greatest forte was the way he treated the airport as a business and also successfully managing the bottom line. MCOA wishes you all the best Steve in your future adventures and wants to say thanks for your many contributions to MCOA and the Minnesota aviation community!

5 MCOA Scholarship Awards MCOA also selected two outstanding students each to receive a $1, scholarship and they were both students from the University of North Dakota (UND) enrolled in the Aviation Management program. They were Stephen Tex Hanson from Maplewood, MN and Danyelle Fuhrmann from Webster, MN. Both their GPA s were 3.5 plus, on the Dean s list and their extensive involvement with their community, volunteer work and leadership in aviation related extracurricular activities made them outstanding candidates for the scholarship awards. The scholarship program is financially supported by our many vendors. The FAA/Governor s Award... was also jointly presented by FAA and the Governor s Office in partnership with the MNDOT Office of Aeronautics and is awarded to an airport and community who have worked hard together to overcome challenges which result in a positive manner. The award recognizes excellence in the areas of airport planning, airport development, airport maintenance and public relations. This year s award was presented to the St Cloud Regional Airport for their extensive effort in revitalizing the airport and restoring commercial service to their important regional population center. The MCOA Web Site... has been updated and launched to better meet the needs of the membership. The site features live graphics, special sections for airport alerts, pending and approved legislative actions, news addressing the GA community on specific issues and news regarding aviation in general. Check it out at and let us know what you like or dislike so we can keep you better informed to make it a better product. The MCOA Membership Drive... for 2013 is coming to a close. A number of airports and vendors were contacted at the conference but if you have not sent in your check, please do so as soon as possible. If you have any questions, contact genavcon@charter.net MCOA Seeks Input... from you each month for articles about you, your airport or airport projects recently completed for the MCOA Monthly News update. All aviation enthusiasts, airports, air shows, communities, and aviation purveyors of service are encouraged to send in news of their airport, community or services to GENAVCON genavcon@charter.net for publication. If you have news of importance to MN and the MCOA membership about your events or accomplishments, submit your articles, including pictures, to GenAvCon not later than the last day of each month for consideration.

6 In Other News... AirSpace Minnesota... Join AirSpace Minnesota on Saturday, May 18 th from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Fort Snelling, 5100 Leavenworth Ave. (corner of Leavenworth & Taylor) to celebrate Minnesota s aviation and aerospace legacy past, present & future. Learn about plans to build the first replication of the Museum of Flight s Aviation Learning Center in Minnesota. For more info, contact invite@eventbrite.com FAA Suspends Furloughs... after Congress passes bill. The Federal Aviation Administration announced that the agency has suspended furloughs of air traffic controllers after Congress approved a bill to allow the FAA to shift funding within its budget. On Sunday, flight delays and cancellations returned to pre furlough levels, according to FlightStats. AirTAP Hosts Wildlife Control Workshop.... On May 23 rd, 2013, AirTAP will host a workshop on wildlife control strategies with John Ostrom of the MAC. The workshop is open to all airport staff interested in hearing best practices and sharing ideas and includes classroom and field training, as well as hands on demonstrations. The workshop will held at the MAC Driving Training Center, rd Ave. So., Minneapolis, and meets the FAR Part requirements for wild life control staff training. Contact Ann Johnson at johns421@umn.edu or for more information. It is impossible to live pleasurably without living prudently, and honorably, and justly or to live prudently, and honorably and justly, without living pleasurably Epicurus, Greek philosopher