RENO-TAHOE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT USERS COMMITTEE BRIEF OF MINUTES May 18, 2015 4:30 p.m. COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT Bill Eck, Chair Bob Larkin, Vice-Chair Lt. Col. Tony Machabee Robert Meurer Tom Hegge Karl Scribner Trent Brownlee Kirk Montero MEMBERS ABSENT/EXCUSED Edvin Mirzakhanian REPRESENTING Trustee Trustee Nevada Air National Guard Reno-Tahoe Aviation Group Reno-Tahoe Aviation Group Federal Aviation Administration Atlantic Aviation (FBO) U.S. Airways Dassault Aircraft Services (SASO) RTAA BOARD MEMBERS/STAFF PRESENT Dean Schultz Tina Iftiger Jamie McCluskie Claire Johnson Mike Scott David Lazo Tony Curatolo Ken Moen Trustee Steve Katzmann The Reno-Tahoe International Airport Users Committee met at the Airport Authority Fire Station, Reno, Nevada. Chair Bill Eck called the meeting to order at 4:35 pm. I. ROLL CALL Roll was called. II. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES January 26, 2015 The Reno-Tahoe International Airport Users Committee unanimously approved the minutes from the January 26, 2015 meeting. III. IV. PUBLIC COMMENT No public comment. AIRPORT CONSTRUCTION UPDATE David Lazo, Manager of Engineering and Construction, provided a brief overview of the 2015 airfield construction projects occurring this summer, with specific focus placed on the roll out of the construction phasing plan for the Taxiway C Reconstruction project at Reno-Tahoe International Airport.
Page 2 of 6 Mr. Lazo began by providing tentative milestone dates for the following projects. a. Taxiway C Reconstruction - The construction contract is going to the Board of Trustees for approval at their next meeting on May 21, 2015. The construction schedule is set for 170 days, taking it from June through December 2015. b. Central Disposal Facility - The upgrade to the Central Disposal Facility includes an expansion of the facility, remodeling of the interior, and change out of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment. Construction will begin right after July 4 th and continue to December 2015. c. Runway 16R 34L Pavement Repairs - This project is on a to-be-determined time schedule, and will be contingent upon and fit into the progress of the Taxiway C reconstruction, since the repairs will require a short runway closure and other airfield impacts. If the project does start this year, it will be in late summer or early fall. Next, Mr. Lazo provided a more detailed overview of the Taxiway C project, which includes the reconstruction of the east section of Taxiway Charlie between Lima and Delta. It involves about 5000 linear feet of asphalt taxiway that will be moved 23 feet to the east, it will be 35 feet wide with asphalt shoulders, and includes the connectors coming off that taxiway to various aprons. In addition, the vehicle service road will be relocated 14 feet to the east. A cost benefit analysis was conducted proposing that the taxiway be reconstructed in concrete. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reviewed the proposal and agreed with the (RTAA). The FAA has expressed their intent to fund the project with a pending Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant. Following Board approval of the contract on May 21, 2015, a notice of award will be issued to the contractor and they will have 10 working days to obtain insurance and bonds, and to execute their copy of the contract. The RTAA will then sign the contract and a preconstruction meeting will be held with a notice to proceed for the contract. Next, Mr. Lazo referred to a graphic of the Phasing Matrix for the project, and discussed in detail the phasing plan for the 170 calendar days of construction, including project milestones, timing and duration of runway closures, aircraft taxiing routes, access to aprons, access to FBOs and vehicle circulation on the airfield. A discussion among the committee members and staff ensued regarding the planned runway closures and concerns about the effects on aircraft taxiing routes, as well as how access to/from the runways, aprons and hangars will be coordinated. Karl
Page 3 of 6 Scribner of the FAA Traffic Control Tower suggested that due to the complexity of the project, weekly progress meetings should be held during construction with Airport users, the FAA tower, and RTAA staff. This will help ensure there are ongoing discussions and awareness of the phases, and the logistics of aircraft movement. Various scenarios of aircraft comings and goings were discussed, and issues that may arise from aircraft traffic congestion were pointed out. Everyone agreed that weekly progress meetings are a good idea. Bob Meurer, President of RTAG, stated that he feels pilots and Airport users will work together to make it all work. Another suggestion was made that a temporary relocation of some east side tenants to west t-hangars may be useful. Ken Moen, Economic Development Specialist, confirmed that there are eight vacant t-hangars on the west side that can be made available. Mr. Lazo continued with his presentation and discussion of the Phasing Plan. Additional concerns were voiced regarding the runway closures and traffic rerouting. Mr. Lazo indicated that staff will try to influence the schedule as much as possible within the limits of the contract to best coordinate the closures. A question was raised regarding the construction company s entrance/exit to the Airport and where they will stage their equipment. Tony Curatolo, Project Manager, pointed to a graphic to show the haul route and location of the staging area. Another question was asked as to if the project will be a 24-hour operation. Mr. Curatolo indicated that it will not be a 24-hour operation, however there may some double-shift work at certain times during the project. Next, Mr. Lazo identified Mr. Curatolo as the point of contact for questions, comments and concerns during the construction. He also indicated that an email distribution list will be set up so that information can be conveyed as it develops. Mr. Schultz also pointed out that tenant bulletins will be distributed as progress is made from one phase to another in order to provide necessary details. Mr. Lazo indicated that additional stakeholder meetings will be scheduled as well. V. FAA PART 139 INSPECTION Mike Scott, Vice President of Operations and Public Safety, discussed the upcoming FAA Part 139 Inspection. The inspection is scheduled to occur from August 3-6, 2015, during which the Airport will be required to demonstrate compliance with 254 items. The RTAA has a very robust Airfield Maintenance program to make sure the airfield is compliant. In addition to the projects described by Mr. Lazo, there is a lot of routine maintenance occurring on the runways and taxiways, i.e. painting, signage, electrical work, rubber removal, etc., in order to make sure everything is in tip top shape. Standardly, on an if needed basis, Wednesdays (16R - 08:30 to 14:00) and Thursdays (16L 08:30 to 14:00) are runway closure days to do routine maintenance; however, that schedule will be modified to coordinate with the Taxiway C reconstruction closures. The FAA inspector is entitled to look at everything inside, up to and including the Air Operations Area (AOA) fence. This includes leaseholds and air carrier activities.
Page 4 of 6 VI. VII. VIII. AIRFIELD MAINTENANCE UPDATE Mr. Scott discussed the airfield maintenance activities as part of item V. above. T-HANGAR MANAGEMENT RFQ UPDATE Ken Moen, Economic Development Specialist, discussed the closure of the T- Hangar Management RFQ that was initiated last August 2014. No submitters were selected as part of the RFQ process, therefore, Atlantic Aviation is continuing to handle the T-Hangar Management responsibilities, on behalf of the RTAA, on a month to month basis. UPDATE ON RTIA GA MINIMUM STANDARDS REVIEW PROCESS Mr. Moen discussed the GA Minimum Standards Review process. He began by saying that the first meeting of the committee was held on April 23, 2015, with a subsequent meeting held on May 7 th, and a third meeting is scheduled for May 21 st. Committee activities to date include: Committee comprised of Airport stakeholders Review of documentation from FAA Advisory Circulars Review of AOPA generated information on minimum standards Research of available literature on best practices Data gathering on minimum standards at other airports The committee is in the information gathering stage right now and going forward details will be fleshed out based on the particular interests of the stakeholders. The schedule of meetings has been extended out to late September/early October. Trustee Larkin asked about the reissuance of an RFQ for T-Hangar Management and if it may develop into something else at the conclusion of the GA Minimum Standards Review process. Mr. Moen responded that during the course of the review process, the Committee and RTAA Management has realized there will be other opportunities identified as part of the GA Minimum Standards update process that may be linked with an aviation service provider. Finally, Mr. Moen mentioned the saw cut and hot patch maintenance work that will begin on May 26, 2015 at GA East. The duration of the work will be about one week and managed by Skip Polak, Special Projects Manager. Mr. Polak will be assisting tenants and coordinating with the contractors for smooth access to/from the taxiway and exit ramps. The work will be closed up at the end of each day, on a daily basis during the project. A tenant bulletin will be released shortly. Trustee Larkin referred to the hangar lease report and asked about the status of the restroom. Mr. Moen responded that the RTAA went out to bid and responses are currently being evaluated with the hope of getting started prior to June 1 st. A brief discussion followed regarding the status of hangar leases.
Page 5 of 6 IX. SB 93 / AB 161 AVIATION TAX ABATEMENT UPDATE Tina Iftiger, Vice President of Airport Economic Development, provided an update on the aviation tax abatement bills, Senate Bill (SB) 93 and the companion Assembly Bill (AB) 161. Initially, there was a difference in the abatement period between the two bills, however that has been reconciled and now the bills are identical, and both have a 20-year abatement. AB 161, which is a democrat sponsored bill, is picking up steam and according to the Governor s Office of Economic Development (GOED), it is the bill that will be moving forward. It will be heard through Assembly Ways and Means on Friday, May 22 nd. Ms. Iftiger indicated she expects it to go quickly as it does not have to go to committee once it passes through the full Assembly, because it was previously heard jointly with SB 93. GOED staff contacted Ms. Iftiger with regard to the finalization of a revised or specialized application which will need to be completed by qualifying businesses to request the incentives. The application is quite detailed from an accounting perspective, but it is an easy process for aviation businesses to qualify for the abatement. RTAA staff have met with Dassault Falcon, Whisperjet and several other companies regarding the application process. X. FIXED BASED OPERATOR (FBO) UPDATE Brandon Leindl of Atlantic Aviation discussed the Gumball 3000 transcontinental car rally and the welcome reception taking place on May 27, 2015 at Atlantic Aviation. Two large aircraft will be arriving, a B-767 with the drivers and their entourages, and a B-747 with the cars. Mr. Schultz mentioned that the passengers will be flying from Amsterdam to Portland OR to clear customs and then on to Reno. The cars will arrive directly from Amsterdam and clear customs at Reno. In response to an inquiry on progress with CBP, a brief discussion followed regarding the issues surrounding Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the lengthy processing of Volaris passengers through customs here at RNO. It was mentioned that there are problems being experienced by international charter flights trying to clear customs in Reno as well. Mr. Schultz indicated that RTAA staff continues to work toward improvements in that regard with support of the congressional delegation. XI. FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) TOWER UPDATE Karl Scribner, FAA Air Traffic Manager at RNO, gave a brief FAA Tower update. These updates included information on the: Notice of Proposed Rule Making eliminates the Very High Frequency Omni-directional Range (VOR) Delta approach that the FAA has petitioned to do away with; Weather observers in the tower and the possible closing of that program at Reno and 56 other sites nationwide; Automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS B) being turned on in Carson City by northern California; Recent laser incident that occurred out of Reno; and First Certificate of Authorization (COA) received for a local area Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) drone.
Page 6 of 6 A discussion followed regarding the UAS drones and the activities surrounding their usage, as well as the impacts related to if the VOR Delta is done away with. The topic of weekly meetings being held regarding the Taxiway C reconstruction was raised again. A discussion followed regarding who should attend the meetings, the timing of the meetings, and the information that will need to be communicated during the meetings. Mr. Schultz announced that the RTAA has been informed by the FAA that grant funding is available to fund Phase 2 of the Taxiway Charlie improvements at Reno-Stead Airport. Subject to Board approval at their May meeting, the reconstruction will be done this summer, with completion anticipated for the end of July. There is a blackout period for the Pylon Racing Seminar being held June 15-18, 2015. Ms. Iftiger announced that Ed Mirzakhanian is leaving Dassault Falcon and going to Clay Lacy Aviation in Van Nuys, CA. His replacement will be announced soon. XII. MEMBER ITEMS FOR FUTURE AGENDAS None. The next meeting of the RTIA Users Committee will be held on Monday, August 10, 2015. XIII. PUBLIC COMMENT None. XIV. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:13 p.m.