The regular meeting of the Chesapeake Airport Authority was held on Wednesday, June 17, 2020 at 7:00 p.m., on Zoom and at the Chesapeake Regional Airport, Chesapeake, Virginia.
| MEMBERS PRESENT: | Paul Chappell, Meredith Kennedy, C. T. Cowling, Wynn Dixon, Richard Cheliras, Steve Morien, Don Britt, Chad Diederich and Richard McMillan |
| AIRPORT MANAGER | Chris Schrantz |
| ACCOUNTING MANAGER | Mary Cover |
| LEGAL COUNSEL | Anita Poston, Vandeventer Black LLP |
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Cowling called the meeting to order at 7:00 with a verbal roll call.
- Mr. Britt
- Mr. Chappell
- Mr. Cheliras
- Mr. Cowling
- Mr. Diederich
- Mr. Dixon
- Ms. Kennedy
- Mr. McMillan
- Mr. Morien
All members present and accounted for.
RESOLUTION FOR ELECTRONIC MEETING
Resolution
Certifying and Approving Meeting Remotely
The Chesapeake Airport Authority Board is meeting at 7:00 PM on June 17, 2020 pursuant to the Operating Policies adopted by the Virginia General Assembly to allow the governing board of a public body to meet by electronic communication means without a quorum of the members physically assembled in one location when the Governor has declared a state of emergency;
Whereas, the Governor has declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic the nature of which makes it impractical and unsafe for the Members and staff of the Authority to assemble in a single location; and
Whereas, the purpose of the meeting is to discuss and transact the business necessary to continue operations of the Authority and the Chesapeake Regional Airport which it owns and operates; and
Whereas, the Authority shall make available a recording or transcript of the meeting following the meeting; and
Whereas, the Authority has given notice to the public of its meeting all as required in accordance with the law; and
Whereas, the public has access to this meeting through electronic means through an audio connection provided by Zoom Meeting Platform; and
Whereas this Resolution shall be filed in the minutes of the meeting.
Now therefore, the Authority hereby finds and certifies that the aforesaid conditions for the holding of this meeting remotely have been satisfied, and the holding of the meeting by electronic means is hereby approved.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and cause the seal of the Chesapeake Airport Authority to be affixed hereto this seventeenth day of June, two thousand and twenty.
CT Cowling
Chairman
A motion to approve certification and approval of meeting remotely was properly made, seconded and passed 9-0.
MINUTES
A motion was duly made, seconded and passed to approve the minutes from the meeting of February 2020, as previously circulated with the revisions noted. (9-0)
TREASURER’S REPORT
Mr. Britt stated that he had reviewed the financial reports for February, March, April and May 2020 and recommended approval. A motion to accept the financial statements as presented for February through May 2020 was duly seconded and passed unanimously.
INVOICES
Mr. Schrantz reviewed the following invoices for the month of February through May 2020:
Operating invoices over $1,000 covered by the annual check signing resolution or previously approved and paid are listed below:
Atlantech Mech $8,790 (HVAC); Austin Electrical $1,200, 1200 (AWOS); CMT $2,500 (Independent Fee); City of Chesapeake $13,500 (Note); $33,284 (Stormwater Fees).
Previously approved: Parkway Grading $31,652.52 (Payroll Request); Talbert & Bright $6,854.84 (CS6-49), $13,898.34 (CS6-49), $6,694.75 (CS6-52), $3,854.89, $3,854.89 (CS6-53); US Bank $7,533.33, $7,533.33, $7,533.34, $11,290.99, $16,798.56 (Bond Payments); Dominion Power $2,206.77, $1,411.81, $2,341.22, $1,519.25, $2,118.52, $1,113.37, $3,006.14, $1,839.70 (Utilities); Hurricane Fence $3,806 (Fencing); Union Bank & Trust $1,446.05, $1,149.45, $1,255.42, $1,492.48 (Credit Card); Artis $2,010 (WWTP); Home Depot $1,855.28 (Credit Card); CBA Lighting $1,772.09, $1,528.65 (Lights); Four C $5,204.50 (Fixtures); Pender & Coward $1,047, $1,110, $1,068, $1,131, $6,331.50, $1,068, $10,938, $3,721.19 (Easement Acquistion),
A motion to approve payment of these invoices was properly made, seconded and passed 8-0 with Mr. Chileras abstaining.
OLD BUSINESS
None
NEW BUSINESS
CARES GRANT RESOLUTION
Mr. Schrantz discussed the offer from the FAA to accept a CARES ACT Grant. Mr. Schrantz recommended that the Authority accept the offer. A motion to approve Mr. Cowling as the Authority Representative and to accept the offer from the FAA, was properly made, seconded and passed unanimously
APPOINT SELECTION COMMITTEE
Mr. Cowling appointed Ms. Kennedy and Mr. Dixon to the executive officer’s selection committee. They will determine a slate of officers for the board to vote on at the next meeting. Mr. Diederich made a motion to not have a selection committee stood up but to have selections from the floor. There was no second, motion failed.
CHECK SIGNING RESOLUTION AMENDED
Mr. Schrantz discussed the check signing resolution and recommended it for the board’s consideration. A motion to approve the amended check signing resolution was properly made, seconded and passed unanimously. (9-0)
RESOLUTION OF THE
CHESAPEAKE AIRPORT AUTHORITY
DESIGNATING THE
CHAIRPERSON, SECRETARY-TREASURER OR AIRPORT MANAGER
TO SIGN CHECKS AND OBLIGATIONS
AGAINST THE GENERAL ACCOUNTS
Whereas, Article VIII of the by-laws of the Chesapeake Airport Authority (the Authority) specifies that: “the Authority will designate, by resolution, an individual or individuals who each, individually, shall be authorized to sign checks and obligations against the general accounts. This individual (these individuals) shall be the chairperson, the secretary-treasurer and/or the airport manager.”; and
Whereas, it is necessary for the efficient conduct of the business of the Authority that routine expenditures be made on a daily basis; and
Whereas, the Authority has employed an airport manager to conduct the day-to-day business of the authority; and
Whereas, it is essential that more than one person be authorized to sign checks and obligations to ensure the orderly conduct of the business of the Authority in cases of illness or absence;
Now, therefore be it resolved, that the Chesapeake Airport Authority hereby designates the chairperson (C.T. Cowling.), the secretary-treasurer (Don Britt), the airport manager until July 31, 2020 (Charles C. Schrantz), as the persons, any one of whom is authorized to sign checks and obligations against the general accounts of the authority; provided, however, that with the exception of routine and periodic bills for utility services, debt service payments, and emergencies when the Authority cannot meet to approve, none of the persons so designated shall pay invoices or requests for payment in excess of $4,999.99 until so authorized by the majority consent of the Authority at a regularly scheduled or special meeting of the Authority. Consent for a designated person to sign checks in excess of $4,999.99 shall be deemed to have been given when necessary to make partial or final payments for goods or services in accordance with a contract previously approved by the Authority. This designation of individuals to sign checks voids any previous designation and shall remain in effect until superseded by a subsequent resolution of the authority.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and cause the seal of the Chesapeake Airport Authority to be affixed hereto this seventeenth day of June two thousand and twenty.
T. Cowling
Chairman
AMENDING FY 2021 OPERATING BUDGET
Ms. Kennedy discussed the changes the city made in their contribution to the airport which required changes to made to our FY 21 budget. A motion to approve the amended budget as presented was properly made, seconded and passed unanimously.
RECOMMENDATION BY DON BRITT INCREASING BOND LIMIT
Mr. Cowling tabled this topic for a later date.
CAPITAL PROJECTS RESOLUTION
Mr. Schrantz presented a list of proposed capital projects for the boards review recommended that Mr. Schrantz be given the authority to pursue these projects if funding became available. A motion to allow Mr. Schrantz to pursue funding for the proposed projects was properly made, seconded and passed unanimously, with the caveat that Mr. Schrantz will come back to the board for authorization to start capital projects once funding is secured. Project list attached.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
FBO COMMITTEE – RECOMMENDATIONS OF FUTURE OF CURRENT LEASES
Ms. Kennedy, FBO committee, recommended a motion to extend Horizon Aviation’s lease to December 2020. A motion to extend Horizon Aviation’s lease to December 2020 was properly made, seconded and passed 8-0 with Mr. Diederich abstaining.
TALBERT &BRIGHT Submitted by Steve Peterson
T-Hangar Pavement Rehabilitation – Phase I
The City of Chesapeake has confirmed that this project will not have to go through the formal review process as it is considered a maintenance project. The 90% plans have been submitted to the DOAV for review. This project is scheduled for funding at the September Virginia Aviation Board meeting. The project is schedule to bid July 12th. The deadline for having bids to the DOAV is August 18, 2020.
MANAGER’S REPORT
Mr. Schrantz reported the following:
On June 3rd, our main landscape tractor caught fire and burned. The equipment with the rotary ditch cutter is a total loss. The insurance claim adjuster has been in contact and is processing the claim. The tractor had 2 more years of grant obligation before being released by the DOAV. At this time, the DOAV is working through their requirements and the particulars of replacing the tractor 2 years ahead of that schedule. No one was hurt. Dan Bigley was operating the machine at the time.
The FAA has issued the CARES Act Grant Offer. The Chesapeake Regional Airport has been granted $69,000 in CARES Act relief. The language allows for the airport to use those funds in all ways consistent with any other Airport Improvement Program “AIP” grant offer. In addition, it allows for the payment of debt service and other operational purposes. I expect that the grant offer will be processed and back in the hands of the FAA within the next 2 weeks.
As part of the CARES Act, all AIP projects are being granted at 100%. Ordinarily, the FAA funds 90% of our AIP projects. This year, we have asked for AIP funds for the design and bidding of the runway and taxiway lighting rehabilitation project which results in roughly $17,000 of direct savings for the CAA and the city.
The traffic at CPK has picked back up drastically over the past month. Flight training and transient aircraft operations have picked up noticeably.
CAA has asked for a report to the board regarding the RFP for Fixed Base Operator service providers. Due to the impacts of COVID-19 on the businesses able to provide those services, the RFP may be published within the next 60-90 days. That date may also get pushed back if the possible “second wave” of COVID-19 infection begins taking additional toll on the aviation community. It is prudent to release the RFP when the aviation service provider market is NOT simply trying to stay afloat.
The storefront window system has been investigated by an engineering firm that specializes is window systems and design. The very good news is that it appears that the storefront system on the terminal has a good deal of useful life left and will NOT cost anywhere near what replacement would. I planning project costs accordingly. I am hopeful that the fixes identified by the engineer will be as easy to implement as they indicated. As an added benefit, the firm that investigated the water intrusion is currently working on window systems at the Richmond International Airport. The window system “storefront” repair is being included with the project to refurbish the furniture, replace the conference room and pilots lounge chairs, rehabilitate the fixtures in the bathroom and rehabilitate the VCT flooring in the hallways. I anticipate that project will be requested at the September VAB meeting.
Horizon Aviation has placed barriers and social distance markers on the floor to ensure their customers and staff are following best practices for employees in essential business role. The terminal building has no more than 10 people in the waiting area at any given time. I have done periodic spot checks to observe. By in large, the patrons of the airport are self-policing and have not been congregating.
Mary and I have begun coming to work regularly. Originally, we alternated days and worked from home as technology would permit. During the phase of reopening the state, I have been bringing my children with me to work on the days when my wife is scheduled to work. As a grocery store associate, her job falls into the essential category.
CHAIRMAN COMMENTS
Chairman Cowling thanked the members of the Authority for their time and contributions to the Authority, especially during this pandemic.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
CT Cowling
Chairman
The minutes are summary in nature and are not intended to be an exact transcript of the proceedings.