City of Prospect Heights Chicago Executive Airport Board of Directors met May 20.
Here is the agenda provided by the board:
I. Call to Order and Roll Call
Chairman Harris called the meeting to order via Zoom at 6:01 PM. Roll call confirmed the following present via phone: Directors Hellyer, Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Absent:
None.
Also in Attendance: Jamie Abbott – Executive Director
(all via phone) George Sakas – Director of Economic Development
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 Saewert and seconded by Director Lang to approve the minutes from the April 15, 2020 Regular Board Meeting. The motion was approved by voice vote. Ayes: Directors Hellyer, Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: None.
A motion was made by Director Kearns and seconded by Director Kiefer to approve the minutes from the April 23, 2020 Special 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
Executive Director Jamie Abbott requested that item VI F be moved to item V and that item VII B be removed from the agenda. There were no objections to the changes.
V. Correspondence and Chairman’s Comments
Chairman Harris spoke about the necessity to conduct meetings via Zoom for the time being and thanked the staff for setting it up. He then talked about the issue in the press regarding the public relations firm, Insight PR. He said the attacks are baseless. He spoke to President Horcher about transparency and appreciates his leadership.
VI. Public Comments
Rogers Faden said he intended to talk about Cody Rogers’ contract renewal but now it has been removed from the agenda. He gave a timeline of events up to Cody Rogers being hired by the Airport as public relations.
VI. Hearing and Reports A) Treasurer’s Report
Director Saewert said the fiscal year ended last month and 100% of operating revenue was achieved while expenses were at only 83% of the budgeted amount. He said the audit is in process.
B) ExecutiveDirector’sReport.
Executive Director, Jamie Abbott, reported on the following:
Operations update:
o There has been a slight uptick in aircraft traffic recently.
o Flooding – some pavement is under water. Runway 6/24 is closed. The water is receding.
Rock ‘n’ Run the Runway has been cancelled by the Village of Wheeling.
U.S. Customs
o 845 Design Group has submitted full plans to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
o The Construction Manager will be selected officially tonight.
o CBP has increased user fees.
RSIP – 156 applications have been received and the first newsletter has been sent out.
Construction
o Plote will repair a taxiway connector from last year’s Runway 12/30 project. o EMAS repair starts June 1 and will involve up to 7 night-time runway closures.
o Pavement repairs and remarking will be evaluated. Staff will do small remarking projects.
The CARES Act airport stimulus application has been submitted. The funds can be used for operational purposes.
AIP grants for 2020 projects will be covered 100%.
Jamie has been working with Cody on a future communications plan.
Jamie would like to postpone the June Noise Committee Meeting with directors’ approval. There were no objections.
Noise complaint graphics were shown. There were seven noise complaints in April; four of them during the day and three at night; two of them were south of the field, four to the north and one to the northwest.
Upcoming Events
o Monday, May 25th is Memorial Day and the office will be closed.
o Monday, June 16th is the quarterly FBO Users meeting which will take place via Zoom.
o Wednesday, June 17th if the next Board of Directors meeting.
Director Lang asked about AIP grant funds and if the funds could be used towards other projects? Jamie explained the guidelines.
Director Kiefer spoke about the AIP grant funds and the apron project for the U.S. Customs facility. Jamie said the 100% allowance applied to projects that were already awarded. Dan Pape, CMT, explained why the apron is not included and spoke about the CARES Act.
Director Saewert asked what project would trigger reimbursement for the Master Plan. Dan Pape said the taxiway reconfiguration would be the best choice because it is an important project to the FAA. Director Saewert asked what the time frame is on that project and Dan replied construction would be Summer 2021.
Chairman Harris asked about the Corporate Users meeting and wondered if the corporate pilots noticed any trends in private travel or mentioned anything of interest during the meeting. George said they talked about layoffs and business being down significantly. Jamie has a conference call tomorrow to discuss this topic and said corporate flight departments have been hit hard.
C) Director of Economic Development – George Sakas
❖ Hangar 5/6 has fully transitioned from Signature to the Airport management. Hawthorne Global Aviation will provide services to the hangar tenants. Aircraft storage and office occupancy are on target.
❖ Hangars 4 and 7 – There has been a short delay on punch list items. CMT will do soil borings next.
❖ Atlantic Aviation’s new Hangar 43 – The Village of Wheeling has given comments on the plans. There will be coordination with engineers on moving the fuel farm and two more FAA divisional approvals are due. Dan Pape, CMT, spoke about the approvals that have been received.
Director Kiefer asked George for an update on the U.S. Customs facility costs compared to the original estimates. George said that he has updated costs from Comosy and will have a complete update for the next meeting.
D) Public Relations Update – Cody Rogers
❖ He has sent out COVID-19 communications and has another planned for when IL enters Phase 3.
❖ Stakeholder communications
i. Distribution lists – the Airport needs a better database to work from and he is looking into cost effective solutions
ii. He is establishing policies and procedures regarding what and when communications go out.
❖ FY21 Marketing – There are very few marketing opportunities since events have been cancelled. The staff should be prepared to look for opportunities when the economy opens.
❖ Cody spoke about the attacks on him and his work with the Airport. E) BoardMemberComments
• Director Kiefer spoke about COVID scares and thanked Jason for his work on the financials. He thanked Cody for taking the high road and he appreciates it.
• Director Hellyer congratulated Jason for being recognized and thanked Cody for his work at the Airport.
• Director Saewert said he appreciates Jason’s effort to obtain the award and spoke about when Cody was hired. He said the public relations work done by Insight PR was high class and will be missed. Director Saewert asked Dan Pape, CMT, for an explanation of the portion of last year’s Runway 12/30 project that needs to be redone. Dan said three weeks after the project was done depressions in the pavement showed up. There was discussion about the pavement in that area and the issue.
• Director Lang said he knows how hard Jason works and he deserves the award. He thanked Cody and said he raised the bar and has done a great job.
• Director Kearns thanked Cody and the rest of the team for the high-quality PR work. He said he was aware of the relationship with the Chairman and knew the hiring process did not involve the Chairman.
Director Hellyer departed the meeting at 7:00 PM.
VII. NewBusiness
A. Resolution 20-020 – A Resolution Authorizing the Payment of Claims;
A motion to approve was made by Director Saewert and seconded by Director Kearns. The motion was approved by roll call. Ayes: Directors Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: Director Hellyer.
B. Resolution 20-021 – A Resolution to Approve an Extension of the Public Relations Professional Services Agreement with Insight PR, LLC;
Removed from the Agenda.
C. Resolution 20-022 – A Resolution Authorizing the Lease of a New Konica Minolta Bizhub C650i;
A motion to approve was made by Director Lang and seconded by Kearns. The motion was approved by roll call. Ayes: Directors Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: Director Hellyer.
D. Resolution 20-023 – A Resolution Approving the Sale of Surplus Personal Property;
A motion to approve was made by Director Kiefer and seconded by Director Saewert. The motion was approved by roll call. Ayes: Directors Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: Director Hellyer.
E. Resolution 20-024 - A Resolution Approving the Construction Contract with Camosy Incorporated for the Construction of the New U.S. Customs Facility;
A motion to approve was made by Director Lang and seconded by Director Kearns. The motion was approved by roll call. Ayes: Directors Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: Director Hellyer.
Jamie said that nine responses were received from the RFQ, three were interviewed and Camosy was chosen because of their municipal and airport work experience. The project will be completed in stages and presented as it goes.
Director Kearns asked who was on the interview panel and the answer was Jamie Abbott, George Sakas, Megan Harte, Jamie Zaura, Jim Kiefer and Dan Pape. Director Kearns asked if a Camosy representative will be on site or in the Airport office during the project. John Bosman from Camosy said that Ed. the full-time supervisor will be on site and Todd will be here weekly during construction. Director Kearns asked for clarification of the $18,000 amount and John Bosman said it is part of the percentage fee. Director Kearns asked about insurance coverage and John Bosman explained. Attorney Tom Lester contributed detail about risk insurance.
VIII. Executive Session
At 7:22 p.m. a motion was made by Director Kiefer and seconded by Director Saewert to go into Executive Session pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2 (c) (1), (6) to discuss employment compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees or the sale or lease of property owned by the public body. The motion was approved by roll call. Ayes: Directors Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: Director Hellyer.
At 8:12 p.m. a motion was made by Director Kearns and seconded by Director Saewert to return to Regular Session. The motion was approved by roll call. Ayes: Directors Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: Director Hellyer.
IX. Action Taken from Executive Session, if required
A motion to extend the Executive Director’s employment contract for 90 days was made by Director Saewert and seconded by Director Kearns. The motion was approved by roll call. Ayes: Directors Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: Director Hellyer.
X. Adjournment
At 8:14 p.m. a motion was made by Director Kearns and seconded by Director Lang to adjourn the meeting. The motion was approved by voice vote. Ayes: Directors Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: Director Hellyer.
https://www.prospect-heights.il.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_05202020-979
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