PROCEEDINGS OF THE AIRPORT DISTRICT, PARISH OF BEAUREGARD, STATE OF LOUISIANA, TAKEN AT REGULAR MEETING, SEPTEMBER 4, 2003.
The Beauregard Airport District Board met in Regular Session on Thursday, September 4, 2003 at 5:00 P.M. The following Board Members were present: Hollis Ray O'Neal, Chairman; Eugene Loftin, Wayne Hall, R.M. Simmons and John Sandlin. Those absent were: Elton Pickering, Secretary/Treasurer; and Karl St. Romain. Also Present were: John B. Jones, III, Airport Manager and Lee Lancon, Engineering Consultant.
Mr. O'Neal asked Mr. Sandlin to give the invocation, after which Mr. O'Neal welcomed all those present to the monthly board meeting for September.
Mr. O'Neal then asked if there were any amendments to the agenda. Mr. Jones requested one amendment to the agenda which was approval for the purchase and installation of a submersible pump for the sewer lift station. Mr. O'Neal said that he also had an item to add which was an employee pay raise request. A motion was made by Mr. Hall and seconded by Mr. Sandlin to add the two items to the agenda. The motion was unanimously adopted. The agenda was amended to add the Pump Installation and Replacement as item D under Grounds and Maintenance and the pay raise request added as item A under Personnel.
Mr. O'Neal then asked if there were any changes or corrections to the minutes. There were not. Mr. Sandlin then made a motion to accept the minutes as written and mailed. Mr. Simmons seconded the motion which was unanimously approved.
The next item of business was a deposit refund request from Lufkin Creosoting Company. Mr. O'Neal asked Mr. Jones to explain the request. Mr. Jones told the board that when the Pole Sale was awarded to Lufkin Creosoting there was a requirement for a $5,000.00 up front deposit which would come out of the proceeds of the sale. However, when the poles were harvested and paid for the deposit was not deducted from the payment. Therefore, Lufkin Creosoting had overpaid the airport by $5,000.00 and was asking for a refund of the deposit. Mr. Jones said that, due to the amount, board approval was required. Mr. Simmons asked if the harvesting was complete. Mr. Jones answered that it had been completed. The total amount collected from Lufkin Creosoting, excluding the deposit duplication, was $65,647.00. After a short discussion a motion was made by Mr. Sandlin and seconded by Mr. Loftin to authorize refund of the deposit. The motion was unanimously approved.
The next agenda item was a Taxiway Project Status report by the airport consulting engineer. Mr. Lancon informed the board that the plans for the taxiway construction were 98% complete and had been submitted to the FAA and Aviation Division, LaDOTD for review. He said that the remaining work involved fine tuning specs and finalizing quantities. He also reminded the board that the DBE Program Study had been submitted to the FAA in April. The study was being advertised and notices placed advising that the plan was available for inspection. Mr. Lancon said he was hoping to be able to authorize advertising for bids in November.
Mr. Lancon told the board that he had discussed runway closures during the construction. He said that much of the runway safety area for 18-36 would be in the construction area, especially on the south end. Due to the complexity of closing a part of Runway 18-36, consideration was being given to completely closing 18-36 during the day while work was underway and then opening 18-36 each night. During the day 14-32 would be used and would provide a longer runway than a partial section of 18-36. There was a lengthy discussion regarding the safest and most convenient operation during construction. Mr. Lancon will include the 18-36 daytime closure in the bid specification package. Runway 18-36 will be open at night.
Mr. Lancon then turned to the Airport Layout Plan (ALP) which was a part of the previous project. He told the board that the ALP was basically finished. Mr. Lancon pointed out that there was still a problem with trees violating the glide slopes on both runways. In both cases the trees are on Airport property and should not be a problem to remove. After a short discussion it was decided that Mr. Lancon and Mr. Jones would identify the trees and take the required action for removal. No board action was necessary on the matter.
Mr. O'Neal then recognized board member, R.M. Simmons to report on the progress or the planned Nature Trail. Mr. Simmons told the board a tentative path route had been marked. This was done by a group of individuals who were interested in the project and included representatives from the airport, Boy Scouts of America, and 4-H. It also included the individuals who had originally initiated the idea. Mr. Simmons said that all those involved are excited over the project and feel that it will be a great asset. He also told the board that the proposed route would be mowed or cleared when it becomes cooler and weather permits. He did not request any action by the board. Mr. O'Neal expressed the appreciation of the board and their continued interest.
Mr. O'Neal then asked Mr. Jones to address the next item, which was a request to approve the purchase and installation of a submersible pump for the sewage lift station. Mr. Jones then explained how the airport sewer system worked, what had happened to it, and how it had been corrected. The explanation was lengthy, but will be summarized for the minutes. Basically all sewage from airport tenants in the airfield area goes into a holding tank and lift station. There are two submersible pumps in the lift station which pump the sewage into the city sewer station. Both pumps had ceased to operate. Without the pumps sewage would back up through the system and eventually into the various buildings. With the combine efforts of Mr. O'Neal from the airport, Mr. Simpson from the Police Jury, and Mr. Cox from Cox Electric one pump was repaired sufficiently to put back in operation. However, the second pump broke apart while it was being lifted from the pool. It was not repairable. Mr. Jones said that he had authorized Mr. Cox with Cox Electric to order a new pump, check the lines in the lift station, repair if necessary, and install the new pump. Mr. Jones said that the pump alone, would cost approximately $1,500 and that, therefore, the pump and repairs would be above his approval authority. He said he had already authorized the work due to the safety and emergency nature of the problem. He was requesting board approval of his authorization. A motion was made by Mr. Sandlin, seconded by Mr. Hall to approve the action taken by Mr. Jones. The motion passed unanimously.
The next item was a report by Mr. Sandlin on efforts to acquire a surplus military aircraft for display. Mr. Sandlin reviewed the steps take to date. One reply from the Dept. of Defense had mentioned that a tank would not be available. Mr. Sandlin pointed out that neither the airport nor the W.M.C.C. was interested in a tank so this did not pose a problem. He said he hoped to be able to obtain a small or medium fixed wing airplane for the airport. He also reviewed the necessary procedures to follow in obtaining the proper authorization from the police jury, owner of the property. Mr. O'Neal thanked Mr. Sandlin for his efforts and his report. Mr. Jones informed the board that Mr. Sandlin would be addressing the Rotary Club on September 11 in behalf of the airport.
The last item on the agenda was an employee request for a salary increase. Mr. O'Neal told the board that he had received a letter from Mrs. Bobbie Storozyszyn requesting a salary increase. Mr. O'Neal reminded the board that salary increases were usually considered once per year. After a short discussion a motion was made by Mr. Loftin, seconded by Mr. Hall to table the request until the end of the year when salaries and benefits would be up for consideration. The motion passed unanimously.
There being no further business Mr. Loftin made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Sandlin seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Hollis Ray O'Neal, Chairman
Elton Pickering, Secretary/Treasurer