City of Prospect Heights Chicago Executive Airport Board of Directors met Feb. 18.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
I. Call to Order and Roll Call
Chairman Harris called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. Roll call confirmed the following present: Directors Hellyer, Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Absent: None.
Also in Attendance: Jamie Abbott – Executive Director
Jason Griffith – Director of Finance
Jennifer Pfeifer- Recording Secretary
Tom Lester – Attorney
II. Pledge of Allegiance
Chairman Harris led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance.
III. Approval of Minutes
A motion was made by Director Lang and seconded by Director Hellyer to approve the minutes from the January 15, 2020 Regular Board Meeting. The motion was approved by voice vote. Ayes: Directors Hellyer, Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: None.
IV. Changes to the Agenda
None.
V. Public Comments
Rob Mark said we would like to sit down with the Board of Directors. He spoke about a petition he put online.
Henry Fiorentini is representing Executive Tenants Club and commented about Runway 24 and Hot spot #1. He asked if the runway closure was due to economics.
Arthur Gunn spoke about his pilot group memberships. He said members are disappointed about the runway closure and he is concerned about CEA not having a cross wind runway. His organization is going to have their conference at a different airport.
Rogers Faden read the Airport mission statement. He commented about recreational pilots and said that light aircraft are more sensitive to cross winds. He spoke about wind coverage and the municipality’s decision to not allow a longer runway in the Master Plan. He asked that Runway 6/24 not be taken away.
VI. Hearing and Reports
A) Treasurer’s Report
Director Saewert said we are currently 3⁄4’s done with the fiscal year. Revenues are at 77% which is above budget and operational expenses are at 65% which is below budget.
B) Executive Director’s Report.
Executive Director, Jamie Abbott, reported on the following:
Residential Sound Insulation Program – 65 applications have been received and Penny is reaching out to the communities. Approval for the PPM is due from the FAA and the ATP application is due. There is a new department manager at C&S.
U.S. Customs facility – Waiting for NICOR to finish their work and then the demolition of Hangar 4 will begin. The RFQ for Construction Manager is published.
Master Plan – the Airport Layout Plan has been approved by the Village of Wheeling.
Operations Update – the Operations team did an excellent job on snow removal.
Working with the FAA on night circling approaches.
CABAA meeting next month hosted by Chicago Executive Airport.
Working on FY21 budget.
Photos from work and events were displayed.
Noise data graphics were shown.
Upcoming meetings and dates were shown.
Chairman Harris asked about the different user meetings that the airport hosts. Jamie explained about the monthly meetings. Chairman Harris asked about the RFQ process and that was clarified. He congratulated Penny on her good work with the RSIP and Penny spoke about the delayed responses being caused by skepticism.
C) Director of Economic Development – George Sakas
❖ The Hangar 5/6 Request for Proposal (RFP) has been published. He explained the RFP.
❖ The Aviation Academy is in operation and there will be a grand opening ceremony in the Spring. There is a possible ground operations program in cooperation with the FBOs and interested corporate tenants.
❖ Atlantic Aviation Hangar 43 – the lease is being finalized and applications for permits being worked on.
❖ Working on re-platting Atlantic Aviation properties and miscellaneous Wolf Road property.
❖ He spoke about aviation parts sales tax exemptions issue that was recently in the news.
❖ The Airport Property Inventory is continually being updated as changes occur.
Director Kiefer asked if the Aviation Academy will remain in the t-hangars for the long term and if Nicor could bring gas service to the t-hangars that they will be working near for the new Customs facility. George said the goal is to have the academy move to the northeast corner of the airport, but the issue is cost. George said that bringing gas service to the t-hangars is being talked about.
Director Lang asked if strong interest continues for the future of the Aviation Academy. George said there is interest from students and faculty, but it all comes down to funding. Director Lang said he would like further commitments from the school districts in their budgets.
Director Hellyer said he’s excited about the ground operations school program and internships.
D) Public Relations Update – Cody Rogers
❖ Digital properties – Low traffic numbers on the Quieter Home page. It will be moved to the home page. There will be a digital media campaign to get information out. Highest traffic numbers on airport businesses, flight training and history pages. He will keep an eye on the trends.
❖ Atlantic hangar – the announcement is receiving lots of media interest.
❖ Associated Media hits – story about Air Chicago recently in Crain’s.
❖ Upcoming public relations opportunities
i. RFP for Hangar 5/6 – will do a press release.
ii. Aerolaser - a laser to scare off birds humanly. Chicago Executive Airport is one of the first in the country to use this technology.
Director Lang spoke about the RSIP and people being skeptical. Cody said it will help legitimacy that the information is on the Airport website.
Director Hellyer asked Cody about PWK not meeting the recreational needs of pilots. Cody said it is more of an operational concern. The airport has a wonderful ecosystem with different components of business and recreational flyers. He will look for more opportunities to showcase recreational pilots.
E) CMT Report – Kyle Peabody
• General engineering – has been working with Atlantic Aviation on Hangar 43.
• U.S. Customs – Coordinated with 845 Design Group regarding utilities. There will be one bid for the entire project.
• Hawthorne Global Aviation – Worked on storm water storage issue.
• Master Plan – Completed the ALP, which has been approved by the Village of Wheeling. Working on preparing for the February 24th City of Prospect Heights meeting.
• Runway 12/30 – No additional work has been done due to the weather. There is a small punch list that will be completed, and the project will be closed.
• Pavement repairs and markings – Working with the staff on this year’s project.
• Demolition of Hangar 4 – Waiting for Nicor to finish. The demo is ready to start.
Director Hellyer asked about the wind study for Runway 6/24 that was done by CMT. Jamie said Craig Louden is the expert on this topic but knows CMT followed the prescribed process from the FAA.
F) Board Member Comments
• Director Saewert spoke about his business experience and said the Airport must be run as a business because it is not a taxable entity. He made comments about Runway 6/24 and the hot spot. He spoke about funding for Runway 6/24 and the impact to the budget. The FAA will not fund a third runway. He spoke about the maintenance and lighting costs for Runway 6/24.
• Director Hellyer spoke about his experience and said he represents the regular people. He said he has good judgement of processes and the process at the Airport has been well thought out. He said there are complexities to the ALP, and he appreciates everyone’s comments.
• Director Kearns complimented Airport Operations on snow removal during the most recent storm. He spoke about the ALP and three hot spots and restated the facts. He read a letter from Rob Mark and said that CEA is a strong supporter of GA and an aviation promoter.
• Director Lang said he trusts the process and relies on CMT. He agrees with his fellow board members. He spoke about Hawthorn mentions in the newspaper and media.
• Director Kiefer said he has been on the board for four years and has been quiet. He appears in front of the City Council every month. He thanked some of the members of the public for their civility. He thanked CMT, Jamie and the staff for staying professional.
G) Correspondence and Chairman’s Comments
Chairman Harris echoed the views presented by the rest of the board. He explained what the “refutation strategy” is and said he wrote down twenty false statements made during the Public Comments. He said the ALP is about safety, operations and finances. He thanked the Board, Jamie and CMT for staying on those topics. He said the staff is dedicated to safety.
VII. New Business
A. Resolution 20-005 – A Resolution Authorizing the Payment of Claims;
A motion to approve was made by Director Kiefer and seconded by Director Saewert. The motion was approved by roll call. Ayes: Directors Hellyer, Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: None.
B. Resolution 20-006 – A Resolution Approving Facsimile Signatures for the Northern Bank and Trust Company Account;
A motion to approve was made by Director Saewert and seconded by Director Kearns. The motion was approved by roll call. Ayes: Directors Hellyer, Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: None.
VIII. Executive Session
At 7:12 p.m. a motion was made by Director Kearns and seconded by Director Lang to go into Executive Session pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2 (c) (5) and (6) to discuss the approval of executive session minutes or the sale or lease of property owned by the public body. The motion was approved by roll call. Ayes: Directors Hellyer, Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: None.
At 7:59 p.m. a motion was made by Director Saewert and seconded by Director Kiefer to return to Regular Session. The motion was approved by voice vote. Ayes: Directors Hellyer, Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: None
IX. Action Taken from Executive Session, if required
A motion was made to approve but not release Executive Session Minutes dated January 15, 2020 by Director Saewert and seconded by Director Kiefer. The motion was approved by voice vote. Ayes: Directors Hellyer, Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nay: None. Absent: None.
X. Adjournment
At 8:01 p.m. a motion was made by Director Kiefer and seconded by Director Lang to adjourn the meeting. The motion was approved by voice vote. Ayes: Directors Hellyer, Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: None.
https://www.prospect-heights.il.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_02192020-951
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