PROCEEDINGS OF THE AIRPORT DISTRICT, PARISH OF BEAUREGARD, STATE OF LOUISIANA, TAKEN AT REGULAR MEETING JUNE 3, 2004.
The Beauregard Parish Airport District Board met in Regular Session on Thursday, June 3, 2004 at 5:00 P.M. The following board members were present: Hollis Ray O'Neal, Chairman; Elton Pickering, Secretary/Treasurer; Wayne Hall, Karl St. Romain and R.M. Simmons. Those absent were: Eugene Loftin. Also present were: John B. Jones, III, Airport Manager; Lee Lancon, Engineering Consultant; Tim Cooper, Forestry Consultant; and John A. Windham, CPA, Auditor.
Mr. O'Neal, Board Chairman, opened the meeting and asked Mr. St. Romain to give the invocation. Following the invocation Mr. O'Neal welcomed all those present to the June 2004 meeting.
Mr. O'Neal then asked if there were any amendments to the agenda. Mr. Jones replied that he had two items to be added. The first was a request from Mr. Tim Cooper regarding forest maintenance. The second was a Manager Activity Report by Mr. Jones, Airport Manager. There being no further requests a motion was made by Mr. Hall and seconded by Mr. Pickering to add the two requested items. The motion was unanimously approved. The agenda was amended to include the request by Mr. Cooper as Item 5½ and the manager report as Item 6½
Mr. O'Neal then moved to the next item which was approval of the May 6, 2004 meeting minutes as written and mailed. He asked if there were any corrections or changes to the minutes. There were none. A motion was made by Mr. Pickering and seconded by Mr. St. Romain to approve the minutes. The motion passed unanimously.
Mr. O'Neal then recognized Mr. John Albert Windham, Airport Auditor, to give a report on the FY 2003 audit. Mr. Windham opened his presentation by informing the board that the 2003 audit had an unqualified opinion, which is the best result an auditor can give. He said that the audit was very similar to the previous year. Mr. Windham then proceeded to recap the complete audit package. He specifically addressed the depreciation shown throughout the report. He pointed out that, due to audit requirements, depreciation in excess of $174,000 was shown. Because of the large depreciation figure the operating statement showed an operating loss of $113,000. However, since the depreciation was only an accounting figure, when it was removed the actual cash flow operation of the airport generated over $68,000 for the airport.
Mr. Windham told the board that the depreciation could be made more realistic by hiring a professional firm to perform a fixed asset analysis. The estimated cost would probably be several thousand dollars. Mr. Windham said an analysis was not required or necessary and depended solely on whether the board wished to spend that much money to clarify a paper figure. He suggested that payment transfers from the airport account to the Debt Service Account and/or bank for the Certificate of Indebtedness be done twice per year on or about June 15 and December 15. After a brief discussion Mr. Jones was asked to send a letter to the Police Jury making that request. The board thanked Mr. Windham for the report and his interest in the airport.
Mr. O'Neal then recognized Mr. Tim Cooper who wished to request approval for forest maintenance services from the board. He said there were two areas that needed special attention. One area was the clear-cut plat south and west of the property leased to Russell Williams. Mr. Cooper was recommending that the plat of about 25 acres be sprayed, burned, and then planted. The estimated cost would be approximately $100 per acre. The second area was south of the Louisiana Forestry Department Seed Orchard. His recommendation for that plat was to shear and bed the plat at an estimate cost of $125 to $150 per acre. After a lengthy discussion Mr. Pickering made a motion, seconded by Mr. St. Romain for Mr. Cooper to obtain quotes for the two recommendations. The motion was unanimously approved.
Mr. O'Neal then recognized Mr. Lee Lancon, Engineering Consultant for his report on project status. Mr. Lancon first discussed the Construction of Taxiway A & B. He said that the contractor had been on-site clearing the bar pit area and burning debris. The contractor had experienced some delays due to inclement weather. Mt. Lancon discussed various features of the project and there was a brief discussion among the board members. There was no board action recommended, required, or taken on the project.
Mr. Lancon then opened his remarks on Taxiway E which would be the North taxiway. He said that the plans had been started and the soil testing done. He presented the proposed taxiway layout. During his presentation he pointed out that there would be asphalt debris from the old taxiway and old runway which would be good road material. The board discussed the use of this material and agreed that it could be used to improve the contractor road leading out to Wingate Road. Mr. Lancon pointed out that the project did not include lighting for the taxiway. It was generally understood that lighting for Taxiway A, B, and E would be a follow-up grant request. Since all necessary activities and authorization had been approved in earlier meetings, no action was taken at this time on this project.
Mr. O'Neal then moved to the next item of business which was a discussion of self-service for AvGas. He reviewed the past discussions by the board on self-service and then pointed out that current pricing of fuel made self-service ever more advisable, especially since equipment prices were more favorable. Mr. Jones said that even though there were several self-service equipment vendors, the only one which would accept all the necessary credit cards for this airport was Applied Technology. He also mentioned that contractors contacted about installation had not yet visited or furnished installation prices. Mr. Jones suggested that, in view of these factors, the board might want to consider ordering the equipment, getting it on-site, and then consider the installation. Mr. Pickering asked if any funds had been budgeted for self-service. Mr. Jones replied that $14,000 had been budgeted for the purchase and installation of the system. He further stated that the actual equipment cost would be approximate $9,000. A motion was then made by Mr. Pickering, seconded by Mr. St. Romain to order the self-service equipment in accordance with appropriate legal guidelines. The motion was unanimously approved.
The last item on the agenda was the Managers Report or comments. Mr. Jones first reported on the 2004 LAMA Annual Conference which was in Houma earlier in the month. He said the conference was, in his opinion, very well conducted and beneficial. Those who had attended from Beauregard Regional Airport were Mr. Pickering, Mr. St. Romain, and Mr. Jones. Mr. St. Romain emphasized how informative and educational he considered the conference. He told the board that he would attend the next conference and strongly encourage all board members to consider attending.
Mr. Jones then advised the board that the World War II Memorial Day at the Airport had been a great success. He said that an estimated 600 plus people visited during the day. There was a large turnout of World War II Veterans who seemed to appreciate and enjoy the efforts to honor their service. Mr. Jones pointed out the Mr. Jody Campbell had organized and made the preparation for the event. Mr. Campbell did much of the work by himself and the event would not have been successful without his efforts. A motion was made by Mr. Simmons, seconded by Mr. Hall to send a letter to Mr. Campbell and the Beauregard News Complimenting and thanking Mr. Campbell for his efforts. The motion was unanimously approved.
There being no further business Mr. Pickering made a motion to adjourn. Mr. St. Romain offered the second and the motion was unanimously approved.
Hollis Ray O'Neal, Chairman
Elton Pickering, Secretary/Treasurer