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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/09/2014 - Meeting MinutesSALT LAKE CITY DEPARTMENT OF AIRPORTS MINUTES OF ADVISORY BOARD MEETING 9 July 2014 Members Present: Mickey Gallivan Russ Pack Mike Zuhl Excused: Wayne Holland Natalie Gochnour – Chair Igor Best-Devereux David Ibarra J.T. Martin Larry Pinnock Department of Airports: Maureen Riley, Executive Director Randy Berg, Director of Operations John Buckner, Director Administration & Commercial Services Ed Cherry, Chief Information Officer Jim Snarr, Facilities Maintenance Supervisor Carol Dean, Financial Reporting Manager Kristen Elder, Operations Analyst Barbara Gann, Director of Public Relations/Marketing Pete Higgins, Director of Maintenance Marco Kunz, Attorney, SLCDA Allen McCandless, Director of Planning Patty Nelis, Environmental Programs Manager Kevin Robins, Director of Engineering Mike Williams, TRP Program Director AGENDA A. TRP Project Review / Preliminary Construction / Sustainability Initiatives Mike Williams, TRP Program Director, presented to the Board an update on the SLC Terminal Redevelopment Program, preliminary construction and sustainability initiatives (presentation on file). Airport Advisory Board Meeting Minutes 9 July 2014 2 Mike Zuhl asked if the design team had considered moving the rental cars off-site to accommodate future expansion of the garage. Maureen Riley stated that keeping the rental cars adjacent to the terminals will offer the highest level of customer service, especially since SLC has a high number of passengers with oversized baggage such as skis. This decision was made after discussing the issue with the airlines over the past year and looking at how car rental facilities are operated at other airports (both on- and off-site). There is a possibility that rental cars may be moved off-site someday, especially after the next RFP cycle. Zuhl asked if the airport provides off-site space for rental car operations. Riley replied that it does not. Williams added that future expansion of the parking garage is possible with space from an empty adjacent lot or space currently designated for photovoltaic (PV) panels. The new garage will have approximately twice as many stalls as the existing garage. Riley asserted that the airport is striving to maintain a balance that would not grow rental car facilities at the expense of passengers parking in the garage. Regarding the placement of rental car facilities, Williams noted that early public surveys indicated a strong desire for maintaining the convenience of our existing facility. Mickey Gallivan stressed the importance of convenience and stated that many airports our size are not moving rental car facilities off-site. In reference to the trade contractor procurement and prequalification process, Zuhl asked if there are federal requirements which must be met, such as the selection of local contractors. Riley answered that bid packages using federal funding (e.g. the airfield apron paving and baggage system projects) require using a minimum percentage of local contractors. All other bid packages would follow the requirements set forth in the City ordinances for solicitation, competition, publication and wages. Williams stated that HD seeks to maximize local participation in the overall project. Russ Pack asked if inflation escalation was built in to the overall budget and CGMP plan. Williams answered that it was. When Riley added that this overall budget is $150M higher than what was originally negotiated with the airlines. Zuhl asked which factors led to this increase. Riley stated the increase included some inflation escalation, additional planning in 2010, a value engineering exercise and additional requests made by the airlines. Zuhl asked about the $15M contingency figure. Williams explained that a $22M owner contingency is included within all of the budget figures. The $15M executive level contingency is intended to provide for items outside the original scope of the project. When Zuhl asked if the contingency amount was adequate given the size of the project, Williams replied that it was. Packed asked if the $1.782bn total budget amount is public information. Riley confirmed it is. Riley explained that the new Airline Use Agreement (AUA) contains a mechanism to provide for increases to the project budget. This new agreement is in place for 10 years and was signed by both Delta and Southwest. Pack asked if Alaska is a signatory carrier. Riley answered that they are, and intend to sign the agreement upon review at the corporate level. Airport Advisory Board Meeting Minutes 9 July 2014 3 Gallivan asked about the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) concern with the PV field. Riley replied that concerns include glare, absorbing sunlight and emitting heat, and interference with communications transmissions. Williams added that the FAA regulations are very new. Riley noted that the industry is trending toward third-party agreements to manage PV fields, adding a new revenue stream to the airport through a lease agreement. SLCDA is currently investigating best practices in the industry. B. Landside Design (Rental Car Facilities and Parking Garage) / Terminal Design Alan Bright, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, Design Principal, for HOK San Francisco, presented an update on the landside design for the rental car facilities and the parking garage, as well as an update on the terminal design for the TRP (presentation on file). Gallivan asked if passengers will be able to drop off their checked bags before crossing the sky bridge into the terminal. Bright replied yes, passengers can drop off their bags in the Gateway building. Gallivan stated that the drive-through lanes of the existing parking garage are a very convenient feature and asked if the new garage would have them. Bright answered that the new garage was not designed to include drive-through lanes, but would still provide similar conveniences that will be unique to SLC. Riley added that there will be a ticketing area just inside the terminal when passengers are dropped off by personal vehicle on the third level of the garage. Zuhl asked about the purpose of the parking lot adjacent to the new parking garage. Riley replied that the space is a placeholder under further review. It may become a premium economy lot with charging stations for electric vehicles or possibly a green area, which would provide some flexibility for future expansion of the garage. Pack asked if the rental car companies will have dedicated space in the common Quick Turnaround (QTA) facility and if the space will be allocated by market share. John Buckner stated that allocation of space in the QTA will be based upon the rental car company’s financial commitment to the airport and each company will have dedicated areas within the building. Riley added that this QTA facility will have a parking lot on the roof for additional vehicles. Pack asked what will be done to make the Rental Car Service Site (RSS) more aesthetically appealing. Bright replied that this area will be screened and landscaped. Gallivan asked where arriving passengers will pick up their checked luggage. Bright answered that arriving passengers will retrieve their bags on Level 2 where they can then cross the sky bridge to the parking garage and light rail, or go down to Level 1 for ground transportation. Gallivan asked how many existing aircraft gates we have. Riley replied we have 85-86 gates now and will have 72 in the terminal. Because all of the new gates will have loading bridges (whereas approximately 30 of our existing gates do not), the smaller number of gates in the new terminal will provide additional flexibility for the type of aircraft used. Airport Advisory Board Meeting Minutes 9 July 2014 4 Zuhl asked how the public will exit the meeter/greeter area. Bright stated they will exit the terminal by crossing the sky bridge to the Gateway building and garage. Bright added that the meeter/greeter area has been designed to hold approximately 400-500 people. Gallivan asked for the distance between the baggage carousels. Bright replied that the distance is 58’ (from the center of each carousel) and there is a zone of about 10-12’ between carousels for circulation. Riley asked Bright to confirm the diameter of the support columns. Bright answered that the interior columns are 3’ in diameter and the roadway columns are 8’ in diameter. Gallivan asked how many restrooms the new concourses would have. Bright stated that there will be five sets of restrooms on the west concourse and four sets on the east concourse. When the new terminal is built, SLC will be toward the high range for the number of recommended restroom facilities. Pack encouraged the design team to use clean and simple materials in the restrooms for a timeless look that is easy to maintain. Bright agreed. Pack asked about the viability of using water conservation products in the restrooms. Riley stated that these items have not proved to be very functional and Williams related a supporting experience from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). When Bright pointed out the space currently nicknamed the Governor’s Room during his presentation, Riley noted that this would be used as a VIP space for special events and would not require a membership fee to access. Gallivan asked about terminal access for passengers being dropped off by personal vehicle or taxi. Bright stated those passengers would enter the terminal from Level 3 and go down to Level 2 for ticketing. Gallivan then asked if passengers would be able to drive into the garage, to which Bright replied they would not. Zuhl asked if passengers would be able to access ticketing areas on both Levels 2 and 3. Bright answered yes, they could check-in on Level 2 in the Gateway building or just inside the terminal on Level 3. Riley added that approximately 50% of departing passengers arrive through the garage. The design criteria for the garage included minimizing level changes. The security checkpoint will also be on Level 2. Gallivan asked if ticketing services would be available on Level 2. Bright answered yes, passengers arriving through the garage would use ticketing kiosks in the Gateway building. Zuhl asked if the new terminal would have conference rooms available for rental. Riley answered yes. There is not a heavy external demand for conference space. The terminal will have flexible spaces for both internal and external customers, seating up to 250 people. The bridge on Level 3 (near the conference rooms) will utilize a barrier of glass or other materials to separate landside versus airside. Airport Advisory Board Meeting Minutes 9 July 2014 5 Bright’s presentation included an animated virtual walk-through of the new terminal. Pack asked how the new light rail station would be funded. Riley answered that it will be funded by UTA, which has already agreed to use our design team. Pack asked how to respond to inquiries about whether a hotel would be built next to the terminal. Riley stated that there are no immediate plans to build a hotel on-site, but we have provided space for a hotel west of the garage if one is built in the future. Pack asked if the doorways leading into the terminals would be wide enough to accommodate skis. Riley stated that the doors will be wider than they are today. Following a brief discussion about ceiling heights, Pack requested to see a section drawing at a future meeting. C. Smoking Rooms Rush Bowers, Certified Industrial Hygienist for IHI Environmental gave a presentation on the existing smoking rooms, proposed smoking rooms for the TRP, and an environmental assessment conducted by IHI (presentation on file). Bowers described how the ventilation system works in the existing smoking rooms. Zuhl confirmed that the smoke stays inside the room regardless of whether the doors are opening or closing. In reference to the table of tobacco related incidents in Bowers’ presentation, Gallivan asked how incidents were defined. Bowers replied that any recorded complaint is considered to be an incident. Zuhl asked about best practices at other airports. Williams stated that ATL included a smoking room. Thom Lang (Delta Air Lines) stated that Delta did not include a smoking room in their new terminal at the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Riley added that industry trends for large hub airports show that when smoking rooms are not provided, passengers will smoke in the restrooms, generating further complaints by non-smoking passengers. By providing smoking rooms, SLC aims to accommodate smokers without affecting non-smokers. If smoking rooms are not provided, it does not keep individuals from smoking at all—it only changes where they choose to smoke. Allen McCandless confirmed that prior to the installation of our existing smoking rooms, the airport received many complaints about smoking in the restrooms. Gallivan asked if statistical data is available to compare the number of complaints received in airports with smoking rooms against those airports which do not have them. McCandless and Patti Nelis stated that they are currently surveying other airports. Airport Advisory Board Meeting Minutes 9 July 2014 6 Gallivan asked about a response to the letter sent by IHC physicians to Mayor Becker. Riley answered that the Mayor has encouraged the airport to respond from a departmental level. A separate meeting is being considered. Pack stated that he was in favor of the smoking rooms, but did not think it would be a good idea to display anti-smoking literature in the smoking rooms. He added that some passengers may think smoke is escaping the smoking rooms when they may be smelling smoke from the clothing of another passenger. Pack asked about second-hand smoke exposure to the janitorial staff cleaning the smoking rooms. Pete Higgins answered that the janitorial contractor (ISS) has gone to a volunteer basis for cleaning the smoking rooms and also provide full-level personal protective equipment (PPE). Many of the employees who volunteer to clean the smoking rooms are smokers themselves. Board members briefly discussed whether the airport could charge a fee for using the smoking rooms. Riley replied that the airport is conducting preliminary research into this issue. Zuhl also stated his support of the smoking rooms and expressed the value of addressing and hearing the concerns of the community. D. Miscellaneous Items Packed asked about restrictions for alcoholic beverage licenses at the airport. Riley said the licenses are now issued based upon the number of passengers. Of the eight licenses approved for SLC, all but one is in use. Riley announced that we are testing some new materials and other improvements on the A Concourse and encouraged board members to visit that concourse. Zuhl asked what type of flooring will be used in the new terminal. Bright replied that tile would be used for the walkways (different from the type we use today) and carpet would be used in the gate areas for acoustical purposes. Examples of some products being tested can be found on the A Concourse, which Riley added has turned out very nice. Zuhl asked about the status of the rental car RFP process. Buckner replied that the solicitation will be publicly circulated for 45 days. Opportunities exist for nine or ten brands. The industry trend over the last 10-15 years has been to allow co-owned brands to exist side-by-side and this is allowed at SLC. The deadline to submit proposals is July 22nd and the cut-off date for questions was on Monday (July 7). A meeting was held for interested parties (about 15-20 different brands) and the process has been transparent and consistent with procurement rules. The new 10-year agreements will begin in about 18 months when the QTA and RSS facilities have been built. Gallivan asked how many brands of rental car agencies serve the existing airport. Buckner replied that we currently have 10 brands (nine in the garage and one off-airport). Zuhl commended the staff for their presentations today. Airport Advisory Board Meeting Minutes 9 July 2014 7 Riley gave directions to next Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony. ___________________________ ________________________ Natalie Gochnour, Chair Date ___________________________ _________________________ Ralph Becker, Mayor Date