Gunnison Crested Butte Airport Master Plan Planning Advisory Committee (PAC) Meeting #1 - Minutes Date: Location: AIP Project: Subject: September 23, 2014-8:30am to 10:30am Emergency Operations Center, Gunnison, CO Airport Master Plan Study Project Kick-off, Master Plan Overview In Attendance: Russ Forrest Todd Crossett Joe Fitzpatrick John Sale Pamela Loughman Scott Truex Pat Lazerus Tammy Scott Rob Santilli Dick Bratton David Leinsdorf Ben Cowan Airport Staff Rick Lamport Scott Spitzmiller Sarah Hooks Gunnison County Town of Crested Butte Town of Mt. Crested Butte CBMR Tourist Authority RTA GVA Gunnison Chamber of Commerce GVH Adjacent Prop. Gunnison Rising Past County Commissioner W Mountain Ranch Subdivision HOA Jviation Hilary Fletcher Steve Berardo Visitors/Guests Dick Hayes, GVA FBO The meeting agenda is attached. 1. Welcome/Opening Comments Russ Forrest, Director of Community Development, and Rick Lamport, Airport Manager, welcomed the PAC members. Hilary Fletcher, Jviation, began the meeting by reviewing meeting expectations, ground rules, and the master planning process. 2. Airport Perception Check Hilary asked the PAC members to rank GUC Airport from 1 to 5 (1 being the worst to 5 being the best). The average (mean) ranking of all of the attendees was 3.75. Comments from the Committee members about the airport and their perception included: 1 P age
General appearance needs improvement the terminal building, grounds, area around the airport Need new commercial and GA terminal buildings Need more airline service - in particular more frequency of flights to Denver Need additional air service year-round Would like non-stop service to Phoenix and Los Angeles The airport buildings and grounds do not present the best picture of Gunnison to arriving and departing passengers. The terminal building and area around the terminal are both the first and last things that visitors see of Gunnison when they fly in. Need more ramp for GA aircraft Need to reduce air fares Need more food concessions a restaurant, and more passenger services in the terminal building. 3. Master Plan Overview Hilary described: Why we do master plan airports The role and responsibilities of Planning Advisory Committee (PAC) She emphasized that each PAC member represents an organization or entity, and they are encouraged to spread the word about the Master Plan and what is discussed in the meetings, and also solicit input about the airport. 4. Airport Systems and GUC s Role within the System Rick described the national system of airports: Total number of airports in the U.S. Total number of airports within the FAA s national plan (NPIAS) The number of Commercial Service Airports (i.e. those with airline service) The number of passengers enplaned at Commercial Service Airports The role and classification of GUC Airport The number of passenger enplanements at GUC in relation to the total U.S. passengers Gunnison enplaned passengers represent 0.0043% of total U.S. passenger enplanements Changes in the airline industry Hilary noted: That IFR flight plans provided origin and destination data to/from Gunnison, which shows that aircraft operate across the U.S. and internationally. GUC is an important airport within the Colorado airport system plan, as well as FAA s NPIAS. 5. Relationships Among Key Players Hilary continued with a discussion about the roles and relationships between GUC, the FAA, and Colorado DOT (CDOT). In general, airports are highly regulated and must comply with a variety of federal, state, and local regulations. FAA and State roles overseeing airports FAA FAR Part 139 Airport Operating Certificate Role and responsibilities of Gunnison County as the airport sponsor (owner) 2 P age
6. Funding the Airport Program Stephen Berardo talked about funding for airports: GUC must be financially self sufficient (Enterprise Fund) FAA grant assurances are legally binding and govern how GUC operates Population growth of 2½% was questioned as seemed to high. The FAA s Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and Congressional authorizations CDOT funding requirements Local airport funding sources e.g. PFC program Funding priorities set by FAA and CDOT Key funding limitations and conditions 7. FAA Sponsor Grant Assurances Hilary and Steve talked about FAA s sponsor grant assurances, and highlighted some of the key assurances that govern airport operations. 8. Airport Master Plan Overview Planning Process Hilary presented an overview of the planning process, including: FAA s role in approving the forecasts and Airport Layout Plan (ALP). Noted that FAA does not approve the Master Plan the BOCC approves the Master Plan. FAA has limits on what can be funded in a master plan. For example, FAA will not fund air service marketing or promotion. The public outreach process is extensive: the PAC, public meetings, tours of the airport ( Go Where Your Bags Go ), open houses, stakeholder meetings (targeted audiences), civic group briefings, working sessions with the BOCC and public hearing. A master plan web site, media outreach, brochures, and information video. The Master Plan Team organization chart 9. Project Timeline Hilary provided a brief overview of the project schedule and upcoming milestones. The Master Plan officially began in September 2014, and is scheduled to be completed by late 2015. There are review periods by FAA, the BOCC, CDOT, and the PAC. The next deliverables will be Working Paper 1 that will include: The inventory of the airport, surrounding community, and aviation activity The forecasts of aviation demand, as well as the air service analysis. A question was asked about the air service analysis and what will be provided. It was noted that the air service analysis will provide a detailed explanation of the airline industry, including recent trends, and what impact those trends may have on GUC. The air service analysis will also identify where GUC may best fit current and anticipated airline route networks and service patterns. The analysis will serve as the basis for the forecasts of aviation demand (i.e. scheduled service). The forecasts and air service analysis will be prepared by Mead & Hunt. 3 P age
10. Next Steps Hilary closed the meeting by thanking the PAC members for their participation and emphasizing the PAC s role in representing the community, as this will be vital to the success of the Master Plan. She said the next PAC meeting will be in December. Discussion followed and PAC comments included: Request for a copy of the PAC meeting ground rules and expectations. The powerpoint presentation used in the PAC meeting will be posted on the Airport Master Plan s web site. 4 P age
ATTACHMENT 1 PAC KICK-OFF MEETING AGENDA TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014 5 P age
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ATTACHMENT 2 PAC KICK-OFF MEETING SIGN-IN SHEET TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014 7 P age
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