City of Prospect Heights Chicago Executive Airport Board of Directors met June 17.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
I. Call to Order and Roll Call
Chairman Harris called the meeting to order via Zoom at 6:00 PM. Roll call confirmed the following present via phone: Directors Berman Hellyer, Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert.
Absent: None.
Also in Attendance: Jamie Abbott – Executive Director
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 Lang and seconded by Director Saewert to approve the minutes from the May 20, 2020 Regular Board Meeting. The motion was approved by voice vote. Ayes: Directors Berman, Hellyer, Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None.
Absent: None.
IV. Changes to the Agenda
None.
V. Public Comments
None.
VI. Hearing and Reports
A) Treasurer’s Report
Director Saewert said this was the first month of our new fiscal year. It was a difficult month and revenues were lower than budgeted, but expenses were lower than budgeted, too. He thanked and congratulated the staff for controlling expenses.
Director Kearns spoke about the prior fiscal year and said the Airport met the budgeted revenue but came in under budgeted expenses. Director Saewert confirmed that.
B) ExecutiveDirector’sReport.
Executive Director, Jamie Abbott, reported on the following:
He welcomed Director Berman and said he is invited to a tour of the Airport.
U.S. Customs – There is a new fee increase for all user fee airports. A group letter has been sent to government officials. He is also working with AAAE on the issue. He will report back to the directors.
RSIP – The program has received 176 applications so far. Penny has continued to reach out to homeowners who may qualify. The acoustical test plan will be updated and 30% of the homes will be tested.
Construction:
o Plote has completed the small pavement repair project.
o The EMAS repair project was completed quickly due to good weather.
o The Airport operations staff did the runway restriping for the first time; it turned out great and saved money.
CARES Act – There is a resolution on the agenda to facilitate the acceptance of the CARES Act grant money.
FBO User meeting was held this past Monday. He has met more frequently with the FBOs to keep track of the business climate during COVID.
Noise Complaint data for May was displayed showing 24 complaints were received for the month.
Upcoming Meetings: July 3rd Office Closed, July 13th GA Users Meeting, July 15th Board of Directors Meeting.
Chairman Harris asked if NBAA has decided if the conference in October will still take place. Jamie said so far it is still scheduled.
C) Director of Economic Development – George Sakas
❖ Hangar 5/6 – New tenants are committing, maintenance on the hangar is ongoing and procedures, access and the security plan for the hangar have been updated.
❖ Hangar 4/7 – the final punch list items have been completed.
❖ Economic Recovery – He had a good conversation with the FBOs. Their business was down about 70% at the worst point and is now back up about 35%. The protests also had a negative affect on business. Charter operations have come back very strong but based and corporate tenants are slower to recover.
❖ Aviation Academy – They are planning on Fall on-site classes and are putting procedures in place.
❖ Atlantic Aviation Hangar 43 – The Village of Wheeling plan commission will hear their plan in July. The FAA plan approvals are complete.
❖ The FAA delivered 500 masks to us from O’Hare Airport and we are very thankful.
Director Kiefer thanked operations and maintenance for all the work on Hangar 5/6 and wants the work specific to that hangar tracked for future analysis. He also said the Dashboard report is a valuable tool and he is happy to see the green color coding.
Director Lang asked George if Atlantic was able to consolidate all their PIN numbers and are FBO staff back to working on site? George said it is part of a larger project to re- plat the entire airport and yes, the FBOs are back to on-site staffing.
Director Kearns asked if construction on Hangar 43 is expected to start in the Spring. George said he is working out the details and will have more information at the next meeting.
Chairman Harris asked if any COVID cases have been recorded at the Airport. Jamie and George said no.
Director Saewert asked for clarification on the FBOs’ business data.
D) Public Relations Update – George Sakas
❖ Cody has finalized the communication plan and is setting up Salesforce database.
❖ Newsletters were sent out recently:
i. Beacon
ii. RSIP newsletter
❖ CEA Blog – Priester Aviation allowed us to use their blog post about how private charter companies are responding to COVID.
❖ Upcoming press opportunities
i. The circle to land restriction has been lifted.
ii. Updated post-COVID recovery operations numbers
Chairman Harris asked if homeowners who do not want to be part of the RSIP; are they required to respond? Jamie said there are about 750 homes that could be eligible and only 176 have registered so far. He will follow up with Penny for answers.
E) CMT Engineering Report – Dan Pape
❖ Airspace impacts – working with the FAA on the approach to land restrictions ❖ U.S. Customs Facility – working with 845 Design Group on final plans.
❖ Master Plan – following up with the FAA on their approval.
❖ Runway 12/30 – the final punch list is complete.
❖ Pavement repairs – met with Andrew Wolanik – the focus this year will be on some minor repairs and some drainage work.
❖ Hangar 4/7 punch list is complete, and they are continuing with some design work.
Chairman Harris asked of IDOT staff is fully back to their offices post-COVID. Dan said they are expected to return to their offices in July and there is a new director.
F) BoardMemberComments
• Director Berman said he is happy to be aboard and would like to speak with each director.
• Director Kearns welcomed Director Berman. He also noted that he drove past the observation area and the construction equipment was gone and things look much neater.
• Director Kiefer welcomed Director Berman and said he is looking forward to in- person meetings. He spoke about the EMAS and ILS repairs and looks forward to the construction of the U.S. Customs facility.
• Director Hellyer welcomed Director Berman.
• Director Lang welcomed Director Berman and said it is great to have a complete board of directors. He asked about security cameras near Hangar 7, if more cameras could be installed, and are the gate codes changed regularly. Jamie said he has been talking about issuing an RFQ for a security system and some codes were just changed. Yes, the codes are changed on a regular basis.
• Director Saewert thanked the Village of Wheeling for appointing a new director and welcomed Director Berman.
G) Correspondence and Chairman’s Comments
Chairman Harris welcomed Director Berman and said it is nice to have all seats filled. He spoke about Run the Runway.
VII. NewBusiness
A. Resolution 20-025 – A Resolution Authorizing the Payment of Claims;
A motion to approve was made by Director Kiefer and seconded by Director Kearns. The motion was approved by roll call. Ayes: Directors Hellyer, Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: None. Abstain: Director Berman.
B. Resolution 20-026 – A Resolution Approving the FY2021 Uniform Inter-governmental Grant Agreement/Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Grant with the State of Illinois;
A motion to approve was made by Director Saewert and seconded by Hellyer. The motion was approved by roll call. Ayes: Directors Hellyer, Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: None. Abstain: Director Berman.
Jamie summarized the resolution and purpose of the Inter-governmental Grant Agreement.
VIII. Adjournment
At 6:48 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 Berman, Hellyer, Kearns, Kiefer, Lang and Saewert. Nays: None. Absent: None.
https://www.prospect-heights.il.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_06172020-989
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