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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/16/3013 - Meeting MinutesSALT LAKE CITY DEPARTMENT OF AIRPORTS MINUTES OF ADVISORY BOARD MEETING 16 January 2013 Members Present: Mike Zuhl – Chair Michael Bodell Igor Best-Devereux Mickey Gallivan Wayne Holland (Vice-Chair) David Ibarra Russ Pack Andrea Wolcott City Council: Carlton Christensen Mayor’s Office: David Everitt Excused: Natalie Gochnour Department of Airports: Maureen Riley, Executive Director Deborah Loertscher, Management Support Coord. Chair Mike Zuhl called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m AGENDA A. Minutes The motion was made by Russ Pack and seconded by Mike Bodell to approve the minutes of 14 November 2012 as presented. All votes were affirmative; motion passed. B. Election of Advisory Board Chair and Vice-Chair for 2013 Chair Mike Zuhl called for a vote on the nomination of Wayne Holland as Airport Advisory Board Chair for 2013. All votes were affirmative. A vote was called for on the nomination of Natalie Gochnour as Vice Chair of the Airport Advisory Board for 2013. All votes were affirmative. The Board Chair for 2013 is Wayne Holland and the Vice-Chair is Natalie Gochnour. C. Director’s Report Maureen Riley, Executive Director, updated the Airport Advisory Board regarding current events. Airport Advisory Board Meeting Minutes 16 January 2013 2  Salt Lake City Airport has been named the #1 On-Time Airport for two years in a row with 89.2% scheduled flights departing on time. Other airports following SLC included Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Memphis.  The Sundance Film festival with approximately 45,000 participants (January 17-27) coincides with the Outdoor Retailers Association with approximately 21,000 participants (January 23-26). With such an influx of passengers and tourists, the Airport sometimes experiences shortages of ground transportation. This will be carefully monitored.  The parking garage occupancy is a leading economic indicator for the Airport. Yesterday it had to be closed because it reached capacity, which has not happened in several years and is another indication the Airport needs more parking spaces.  The Airport has officially declared the concessions renovations complete and successful. The last unit, Red Onion by security checkpoint in Terminal One, was opened earlier this month. Already, an 85% increase in revenue over last November is evident.  The Airport has had more snow this year and had to briefly close the runway twice while doing snow maintenance. There has been 39” of snow this year as compared to 9” last year at this time.  Passenger traffic statistic forecasts for 2014 show a decline of another 3% after last year’s decrease of 1.7%. The fundamental change in the industry is fuel costs. D. Opinion Survey and Economic Impact Study Opinion Survey: Brian Wilkinson from Wilkinson-Ferrari explained that the objective of the opinion research regarding the terminal redevelopment program was to gather opinions about the Airport and the program in order to refine communications efforts and provide a baseline to measure the program’s impact over time. The survey was conducted using a 10 minute telephone survey of 500 residents statewide. The presentation (on file) included research, demographics, Airport use, economic importance, and public awareness of the redevelopment program. Wayne Holland asked about feedback on light rail. Wilkinson indicated the survey did not specifically ask any questions about light rail. Because it is not yet operating, there is very limited awareness. This could be a good follow-up survey area. In response to Igor Best-Devereux’s question regarding the layout of general signage, Riley stated this is a subject at airports everywhere and is very dynamic and constantly changing. Right now, SLC is working on installing a new series of signs related to the light rail. Mike Zuhl asked about plans to engage people or groups who want to have input on the design, specifically the Cancer Society would like to “weigh in” regarding smoking rooms. Wilkinson stated that as the architect comes on board and starts the design process, there will be a series of more formal outreach efforts. That will give an opportunity for individuals as well as Airport Advisory Board Meeting Minutes 16 January 2013 3 organizations with a particular focus to be involved. Barbara Gann stated that in the mean time, our current website has that function as well. Christensen pointed out that if there is any advertising for light rail, it should be considered in April when the system starts up. Additionally, he questioned how the employees who work at the Airport will be engaged. Wilkinson stated they have attended some employee functions and solicited input. Additionally, City newsletters and internal communications will be used. Economic Impact Study: Christine Richman of GSBS Richman Consulting presented the results of the Salt Lake City International Airport economic impact study (presentation on file). Discussion included annual economic impact of the Airport to the region, induced income, direct income, and possible impact of the redevelopment program. David Everitt questioned whether or not there is any sense of a negative impact during construction or if there is a way of looking at other airports with similar issues. Riley stated there will be a demised construction zone and the biggest impact will be in the roads. The important part in the planning is to orchestrate this program and at the same time keep the gate count where it needs to be. If the Airport were to lose gates significantly during the process, it could have a negative effect on the traveling public. An approach has been developed to be able to keep the appropriate gate count during construction. Pack indicated that the general sense of economic studies is that they tend to inflate or overstate the impact on the community. His general impression is that this study may understate the impact based on the numbers used. He suggested ensuring the impacts are correctly identified before making the study public. This is a very important study, which is not done frequently; therefore, it is important to be as on-point and inclusive as possible. Christensen asked about the strategy for rolling out the information to policy makers throughout the State who would benefit by having this background in a meaningful way. Richman indicated that as the legislative session approaches, plans are being made to visit the Legislature. E. City Ordinance Changes in Bid Requirements Marco Kunz, City Attorney, provided an overview of City Ordinance amendments to the procurement code and how they may affect Airport construction projects. The amendment established and amended certain criteria for determining the lowest responsive and responsible bidders for city-funded building improvement or public works projects. That ordinance was adopted in March and contained specific language from the State that exempted the Airport. On December 11, 2012, the Council amended that ordinance to clarify that the criteria set forth in the March ordinance specifically applied to all City funded and public works projects, including the Airport projects. The Mayor signed that ordinance on December 18 and it became effective December 24, 2012. The provisions of this ordinance affect any project in excess of $250,000, which encompasses most of the Airport projects. Airport Advisory Board Meeting Minutes 16 January 2013 4 The ordinance basically deals with two different provisions. The first one is a list of qualifying factors that bidders must meet. The list of factors includes actively recruiting and employing veterans, job training programs, a safety program, and a formal policy of non-discrimination that is consistent with state and federal laws. The second category is a preference that requires any contractor or subcontractor who submits a bid must certify they have and will maintain during the course of the contract, qualified health insurance coverage. If its bid is not more than 10% higher than another bidder for the same project that does not have that insurance, the bid with insurance will be considered more responsive. If the ordinance conflicts with any federal grant assurance, then the grant assurance will prevail. F. Board Appreciation and Recognition of Service for Andrea Wolcott and Michael Bodell The Board members and Airport staff expressed appreciation to Andrea Wolcott and Michael Bodell whose terms as board members have expired. They have each served on the Airport Advisory Board for 8 years. Wolcott expressed appreciation indicating this has been a very interesting board supported by an impressive staff at the Airport Bodell similarly expressed appreciation pointing out there are many complications in running an airport. He complimented the Airport staff for understanding and managing these complications. The next Board meeting will be held 20 February 2013. The Board Chair closed the meeting at 9:30 a.m. ___________________________ ________________________ Wayne Holland, Chair Date ___________________________ _________________________ Ralph Becker, Mayor Date