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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Airport Board - 01/18/2006 {567&.9 f A 0- Minutes ar; rFD GS Airport Board Meeting �N c , CORP5CE3RpSYl LO ffY� �w; ^�" (fit WTHU rnVONAL January 1$,2006 AIRPORT '�� FFfh . v Board Members CM/Airport Staff ❑ Ed Hicks, Sr., Chairman ®Dave Hamrick,Director ❑ Mark Meyer,Vice-Chairman ®Debra Keller,Assistant Director ❑Nelda Martinez,Member ® Roy Rodriguez,Facilities Manager ®Frank"Rocco"Montesano,Member ®Ralph Zapata,Engineer II ® Glenn E. Lyons,Member ®Adelle Ives,Management Assistant ®J.C. Ayala,Member ® Amy Gazin,PR/Marketing Coordinator ®Don Feferman,Member ® Sylvia Whitmore,Member ®William Dodge, III,Member ® Jesse Olivares,Member 1. Call to Order As both the Chair and Vice-chair were not present at this meeting, the meeting was chaired by Board member Montesano. The meeting was called to order at 3:33 p.m. A quorum was present. II. Approval of minutes for the Airport Board meeting held November 9,2005. Interim-chair Montesano mentioned there were a few typographical errors on the second page of November's minutes. Board member Dodge moved to accept the minutes for the Board meeting of November,2005, as corrected Board member Lyons seconded and the motion passed. III. Presentation by the Corpus Christi Convention &Visitor's Bureau regarding the United States Bowling Congress. Ms. Kim Lemley with the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitor's Bureau gave a Powerpoint presentation on the US Bowling Congress which will begin their championships in Corpus Christi beginning February 11 and continue through duly 2nd, 2006. She informed the Board that 12,550 five-member teams would be competing in the bowling championships. To ensure the success of this event, the CVB is working along with other hospitality industry companies in preparing for the influx of these bowlers in order to provide quality customer services. She added the Airport has been supportive in assisting in the CVB's efforts in preparing the- community for this event. "Team Corpus Christi"has been formed to act as Ambassadors of the City for the bowlers by providing information to key hospitality industry companies as well as the bowlers. From hotel accommodations,restaurants, and various promotional efforts undertaken,Ms. Lemley advised the Board of Afrporl Board Minutes January 18,2006 Page 2 of 13 different aspects of preparation by the community for this event. Southwest has purchased T-shirts with the USBC logo for their employees. Southwest expressed a desire to provide these shirts to front-line personnel for this event. RTA has also joined this effort by providing these t-shirts for their personnel on downtown routes traveled by the bowlers. Ms. Lemley also gave the Board members copies of an information packet supplied by the CVB which contained a 2-page fact sheet providing detailed timeline information of the bowler's schedule. The CVB will also be offering Customer Service/Hospitality training classes throughout the community featuring a training video with local front-line staff. Businesses will also be given an opportunity to order "Welcome"material consisting of USBC buttons and window placards. The CVB is also working closely with the media in order to educate the community. She also added that a USBC press conference will be held on January 19t'' at 2 p.m. at the American Bank Center. Opening ceremonies will be February 11th;at which time, the bowling will begin. She also stated that the CVB will man an on-site information booth throughout the entire bowling conference. She added that the CVB will be conducting a two-part economic impact study during the course of the bowling conference. One study will be to survey the bowlers and the second survey will be geared towards community businesses in order to determine the impact this event had on the City. She also reported to the Board that Tom Gaylon, CVB CEO, and Brian Lewis,USBC Tournament Director will update City Council on January 24`h regarding this event. Ms. Lemley stated the entire championship would run 142 consecutive days and considered every day to be"Opening Day". Interim-chair Montesano opened the floor for discussion. Board member Lyons questioned if,during the entire 142 days of the event,bowlers would be arriving each day, and if so,was there an indication as to what part of the day they would be°flying. Director Hamrick responded that in his conversations with Mr.Lewis and with the City of Baton Rouge staff,the bowlers will be arriving from the first flight until the last flight of the day. (Baton Rouge hosted the previous bowling championship) In order to recognize arriving and departing bowlers,Board member Lyons suggested that a sound bite of a bowling ball rolling down the alley and hitting a strike be used over the Airport public address system to welcome incoming bowlers. Director Hamrick felt that this could be done and asked Roy Rodriguez,Airport Facilities Manager,to set this up. Interim-chair Montesano stated that based on his conversations with Baton Rouge staff, community businesses should keep in mind that the bowlers have a chat-room, www.bowl.com, where discussions, either positive or negative,regarding their impressions of a particular business or city are routinely posted. Discussion continued on various related topics. Airport Board Minutes January 18,2006 Page 3 of 13 IV. Corpus Christi International Airport Financial Report Mario Tapia,Airport Finance Manager, gave an overview on the handout of the Revenues and Expenditures through December 31". He began by noting that the Airport is at 36%of the budgeted revenue. He added that the biggest discrepancy is the oil and gas revenue which was anticipated as there has been a decline in production. Overall,the Airport is at 36%when it should be at 42%five months out of the 12 month period. He continued with the expenditures by stating that the Airport is at 43%. He asked to note expenditures for$18,000 for Kabina/Rita expenses which were not budgeted, but are expected to be reimbursed at 75%by FEMA. Mr. Tapia continued with the revenue and the concern regarding the oil and gas production. To answer the Board's questions regarding this decline on the Airport's budget,he asked the Board to refer to the handout's second page to view the beginning and ending balances. He asked the Board to note the two adjustments on the chart. He explained that as the oil and gas is currently declining,it seems that the Airport budget will be at 60%to 66%of what was budgeted. This will be 34%to 40% lower than estimated which is reflected in the($441,000). The budgeted amount had been for$1.2 million and he feel that it will actually be $751,000. Every month the oil and gas trend is being monitored for changes. Mr.Tapia opened the floor for questions. Interim-chair Montesano stated he was slightly surprised by the Parking Lot revenue. Mrs.Keller interjected that parking revenues were seasonal and would pick-up during the summer months. She noted that the Covered Parking revenues are continually increasing. Interim-chair Montesano questioned if the amount budgeted last year for the Parking Lot was an aggressive amount. Mrs. Keller stated that it was not an aggressive budget and explained that the amount was conservatively factored on the usage. She added that the parking report indicates a monthly increase from the previous years. She based this increase in parking revenue on the increase of enplanements. She also added that next year's budget would not depend so heavily on oil and gas production. She also informed the Board that an RFP for a new well would be going out for bid. The possibility of rebounding oil and gas revenues could occur with the new well. Interim-chair Montesano asked what the projected budget was for oil and gas. In response to a question from Interim-chair Montesano, Mr. Tapia responded that the Airport's adopted budget had predicted an ending balance of $3.298 million. Board member Feferman asked about the Airport restaurant. Mrs.Keller stated that a note had been added stating that the calendar year-end reconciliation is done in January, and they have paid their minimum guarantee and would reconcile in January. Airpon Board Minutes January 18,2006 Page 4 of 13 Mrs. Keller referred the Board to the last two pages of the financial report which focused on the oil and gas revenues. She stated this revenue has been beneficial for the Airport during events such as September, I lb which significantly impacted the Airport revenues. General discussion continued on this item. V. Action Item: a. Motion to recommend the designation of Armando Chapa,City Secretary,as Public Information Coordinator for the Corpus Christi International Airport Board to comply with Texas Senate Bill 286 Interim-chair Montesano called for a motion. Board member Dodge moved to approve this item. Board member Wilson seconded and the motion carried. b. Discussion/action on the Airport Master Plan. Leonard"LT'Vincik, with PGAL introduced Jim McGrath with Parsons Aviation and Project Manager for the Master Plan. Before Mr. McGrath began his presentation to the Board,he introduced his associates Becky Blatnica and Matt Michael Hellman. He began by giving the Board background information on the development of the Airport's Master Plan. The Board was also presented with a hard copy of Mr. McGrath's Powerpoint presentation. He began by stating the Master Plan would provide a 20-year vision for the Airport. The plan is made up of several elements such as the Aviation activity forecast,planning activity levels,airfield capacity,airfield alternatives,Terminal expansion recommendations, support facility and the project schedule. W.McGrath went on to explain the process utilized in producing the Master Plan. The process employed the vision for development of the,Airport;an inventory of the Airport's existing facilities; forecasts of Airport activity, analysis of demand/capacity and facility requirements; and evaluation of development alternatives. They are currently working on a recommended development plan;an environmental overview;and the capital improvement program and Airport plans. Mr.McGrath reported the passenger forecast summary indicated that 2003 was the culmination of a nine-year decline in airport passenger activity for a twenty-year period. He added that since 2003,the Airport has recovered as indicated on the flow chart in his presentation. He also stated that based upon the nine-year decline, a 2.1%increase in enplanement activity is projected for the next 20-year period. He stated this forecast was approved by the FAA in September, 2005. Mr.McGrath pointed out on the flow chart that based on FAA's forecasted national trends, CCIA has surpassed the predicted numbers Airport Board Minutes January 18,2006 Page 5 of 13 for the last three years. In 2004,the Airport was up 7.4%,and 2005 indicates 5.1%. The next flow chart demonstrated the increase in enplanement activity for the last three years with a culmination of 434,567 passengers at the end of 2005. In association with the forecast information,the question of when to start providing the facilities to accommodate the demand arises. In order to establish a schedule when to provide these facilities,planning activity levels are utilized. He went on to explain that when activity levels reach the forecast within each activity level,the Capital Improvement Plan would provide the recommended development programs for each item of the planning activity levels of enplaned passengers, air cargo and aircraft operations. Interim-chair Montesano questioned the forecast for air cargo. Mr. McGrath stated the forecast showed a moderate growth and felt that it would be doubling over the next twenty years. He also added this growth would be based on growth in the economy and socio-economics of the business sector. He reported the percentage of growth for the passenger forecast is not the same as for the cargo growth. Further discussion was heard on this topic. Mr.McGrath went on to discuss the analysis of the airfield capacity which indicated the majority of the capacity is a southerly flow at 70%or 255,000 operations per year. This indicates that the Airport has sufficient airfield capacity. Another issue Mr.McGrath covered is the runway length requirements. He stated that due to the weather conditions along with the type of aircraft runway length requirements could be over 8,000 feet. His short- term recommendation would be a minimum runway length of 9,000 feet to meet the needs of existing traffic and ultimately 10,000 for long term,if and when,the traffic increases. He also recommended that after Runway 13-31 is extended to 9,000,Runway 17-35 be extended 3,500 feet to be able to handle the capacity of Runway 13-31 should it be taken down. Mr. McGrath then turned the presentation over to Becky Blatnica to explain the analysis on the Airfield.Alternatives. Ms.Blatnica began by stating that in order to determine the needs of the Airport in conjunction with the visions and goals,short-term and long-term alternatives were formulated. She continued by giving a detailed report on each for the short-term and long-term alternatives. Board member Lyons questioned Ms.Blatnica as to what the approach angle was for Alternate A. Ms, Blatnica stated that the approach angle for all the alternatives was 50 to 1. The proposed alternatives were then evaluated to determine which had the potential to best meet the Airport's requirements. Ms. Blatnica continued by evaluating and ranking each alternative. Each alternative was ranked based on Airport Board Minutes January 18,2006 Page 6 of 13 operational criteria, financial criteria, environmental criteria and construction feasibility. She added that her group worked closely with FAA Tower personnel in order to determine the best alternatives with respect to airfield operations. She added there was a genuine concern with an existing localizer approach to Runway 13-31 which constrained airfield operations at Cabaniss Field. She felt that any alternative which extended Runway 13-31 to the south would only intensify the problem. Director Hamrick requested further explanation on the roadway construction costs. Ms. Blatnica explained the figures were for the perimeter roads and including roadway relocation. Director Hamrick stated that Alternative A would no longer require the relocation of Joe Mireur Road. He felt that $152,500 for roadway relocation should be factored out from the roadway construction costs for Alternative A. He also felt that this would change the evaluation of the alternatives and thereby changing the ultimate recommendation. Mr.Vincik interjected that the roadwork that may have been figured into the$13 million on the south side would not be a factor in either Alternative A or B. He felt that AIternative B would still be ranked higher. Ms. Blatnica continued with the evaluations of the long-term alternatives. She ranked Alternative D higher than Alternative F based on operational and financial criteria. In recapping,Ms. Blatnica stated the recommended airfield alternative for short-term would be Alternative B as it mcets all criteria and provides for an additional 9,000 feet of runway. Alternative F was recommended for long- term even though there are some operational and construction problems,but it does meet the goal of increasing the runway by 7,500 feet. At this point,Ms. Blatnica turned the presentation over to Michael Hellman to cover the terminal landside alternatives. He began by reviewing the terminal and airport facilities and possible future needs based on the 20-year planning cycle. He stated that additional commercial vehicle curb would be needed with traffic increase. As TSA will be using a new checked baggage screening system, he included this to his recommendation. As presently there is only one screening area in use and because FAA requires that there be two screening areas,he recommended that an additional passenger screening area be set up for short term requirements. He added that for long-term,a third passenger screening area be set up. He also stated that with the increase in passenger traffic,FAA would require additional hold room seating which would also increase concessions as well. This would mean concourse extension and gate relocation. With the increase in passengers,baggage Airport Board Minutes January I8,2006 Page 7 of 13 would increase and require that the baggage claim area be increased by expanding the area into the rental car parking area. He reported the recommendations for the Airport's support facility requirements. He began by stating that the Airport Parking Lot had sufficient parking and would meet plan requirements through 2023 based on forecasted numbers. He reported the Airport ARFF station was in a good location which allowed for acceptable response time;but, as the Airport's needs increase, the ARFF station would need to widen the doors in order to accommodate larger trucks. He reported the Airport currently meets the FAA requirements of having a three-day supply of Jet A fuel,but as the needs increase, the Airport would have to increase their capacity to 52,000 gallons. At present, the combined FBO fuel storage supply for Jet A fuel is 48,000 gallons. He went on to report that the Airport currently has sufficient, stable general aviation operations. He recommended that space be reserved for two additional, 10,000 sq. ft.hangers to be built as needs increase. He reported the Airport had sufficient airport apron parking. He recommended covered parking for aircraft be considered. He recommended that with increased traffic a designated helipad be planned for the east and west apron. He reported that there were sufficient cargo facilities at the Airport and added that space should be reserved for future expansion. For truck apron requirements,he recommended designing and planning for future increase in the Airport's needs. Mr. Hellman explained that the Airport Layout Plan was still being completed and the recommendations presented today would be layered on the plan and this would be presented to Board for submittal to the FAA for final approval. Mr.McGrath concluded the presentation with an overview of the Project Schedule beginning in 2004 with the start of the Master Plan's goal setting and up to today's meeting with the Board. With this Master Plan,he stated the Capital Improvement Program would be developed,along with the Airport Layout PIan, the Final Report and Executive Summary. He added that several meetings still remain to be held with the Advisory Committee including a public workshop and a draft document to be approved by the Board to be Airport Board Minutes January 18,2006 Page 8 of 13 presented to City Council for submittal to the FAA for approval and recommendation. He felt that within the next three months,the final draft would be prepared for submittal to the Board. Completion is expected by July, 2006. At the conclusion of the presentation, Mr. McGrath asked the Board for any questions. Board member Feferman questioned the basis for deciding the type of aircraft for recommendation. Mr.McGrath stated that industry trends are reviewed; and,in this case, favor the RT 45 and RJ 90. Board member Ayala questioned if the studies included future air service growth. Mr. McGrath stated that the Master Plan included air service and he added that the plan factored in existing trends. He stated that this is a self- contained market with little leakage to other markets and that there are three, big principle cities that provide service world-wide noting the new Mexican air service to be coming to the Airport. Interim-chair Montesano asked for clarification on the need for 9,000 feet when the increase would not be sufficient runway for the 727 which requires 9,600 feet. Mr.McGrath stated that 9,000 feet was needed for the existing fleet and industry wide the 727 is the workhorse for the dedicated cargo and domestic carriers. Interim-chair Montesano stated that the 727 was fuel inefficient and he felt that the industry was moving away from their use. He added that he could not see why the plan was based on the use of 727 aircraft when the runway recommendations would not be able to accommodate its use. He felt that there was no justification in building an 11,000 foot runway for a once or twice a day use. Mr.McGrath responded that to qualify for the plan, the aircraft would have to be used for over 250 operations annually. He added that this was only a long-term option. He also added that a Master Plan should be updated every five years as the industry is continually changing. Interim-chair Montesano would not recommend that the Board approve a Master Plan based on the use of 727 and 11,000 foot runways. Mr. McGrath stated that these recommendations were for long-term needs. He added that his group's recommendations were 9,000 feet for 13-31 and 7,500 feet on 17- 35. Director Hamrick questioned if the passenger activity levels were taken based on the number of arrivals, the spacing of arrivals or the number of passengers. Mr.McGrath responded that each level is separate;passengers,cargo and operations. He continued by stating that each is factored separately with their own separate trigger. Asst.Director Keller commented that the figure for enplaned passengers may need to be updated as it reflects that cnplanements would reach 384,000 in 2008,but the Airport is currently at 435,000 enplanements. Mr.McGrath stated that the enplanements noted were figured Airporl Board Minutes January 18,2006 Page 9 of 13 on trends at the inception of the Master Plan in 2004. The activity levels have changed since that time and did not want the Board to look at the numbers but at the triggers which indicated the need for growth. He again reiterated the need to update Master Plans every five years. Interim-chair Montesano thanked the members of PGAL and Parsons for their presentation. C. Discussion/action on the Airport and Industrial Park signage. Director Hamrick requested Mr. Vincik present the latest renderings of the Airport and Industrial Park signage. Based on the Board's input,Mr.Vincik presented the revised renderings. Interim-chair Montesano stated that the renderings accurately reflected what the Board wanted to change. He then called for discussion. Board member Lyons questioned whether the airport logo would be constructed to facilitate a change if needed. He stated that the Industrial Park sign did not reflect that change. He felt that the Industrial Park sign would be white marble slab continuing above the logo in a rectangular form. The white marble would completely background the logo as the Iogo in the Airport sign. He felt that this would enable the logo to be easily changed if needed. Mr. Vincik questioned whether the back of the Airport sign would have written"Welcome to Corpus Christi". Mrs. Keller responded affirmatively. Board member Feferman moved to accept both sign renderings. Discussion continued on this issue. As there was no second,Board member Feferman withdrew his motion. Discussion continued on the Industrial Park sign rendering. Board member Feferman moved to approve the Airport sign rendering. Board member Lyons seconded and motion passed. Based on the discussion heard regarding the Industrial Park sign rendering, action on this item was tabled until a revised rendering is presented to the Board. d. Motion recommending approval to Council of Supplemental Agreement No.1 to FAA Lease No. DTFA07-98-L-01123eliminating all references to the Visual Approach Slope Indicator(VAST)and adding 0.25 acre of land for the Precision Approach Path Indicator(PAPI)serving Runway 13 and 0.64 acre of land for the PAPI serving Runway 31. interim-chair Montesano call for a motion. Board member Feferman moved to approve this item. Board member Lyons seconded and the motion passed. Airport Board Minutes January 18,2006 Page 10 of 13 e. Motion recommending approval to Council of Supplemental Agreement No. 1 to FAA Lease No.DTFA07-04-L-00560 eliminating all references to the Visual Approach Slope Indicator(VASI)and adding 0.15 acre of land for the Precision Approach Path Indicator(PAPI) serving Runway 17. Interim-chair Montesano call for a motion. Board member Lyons moved to approve this item. Board member Feferman seconded and the motions passed. V1. Reports a. Parking Revenue Report The Parking Revenue report was discussed during the Financial Report. b. General Activity Report(GAR) The General Activity Report was discussed during the Financial Report. c. Director's Report i. Hang Time Restaurant Opening Director Hamrick reported the contractor anticipates opening the post checkpoint restaurant by February I". ii. Director Hamrick addressed a concern from the Board at the November, 2005 Board meeting regarding the price of fuel. He reported that based on his conversations with Mr. John Gravell with Mercury Air Center and research by staff on this issue, the Airport is well above the national average. He also stated that Mr. Gravell was at this meeting to answer any questions or concerns the Board members may have. Board member Lyons addressed Mr.Gravell by stating that during his travels throughout the country,Las Vegas was the only place that charged more for fuel than Corpus Christi. He expressed his concern there may be some price fixing between Mercury and Signature at the expense of the general public. He asked for an explanation. Mr. Gravell responded by thanking the Board for the opportunity to discuss this issue. He began by explaining that the retail price for fuel was not determined here in Corpus Christi. The retail sale price for fuel at his location is set in Georgia. He added the price is set based on a formula that he was not familiar with. He reported ho researched his records and found for the month of December,his location sold 300 gallons of jet fuel at retail and 326 gallons of avgas at retail. He also added that every gallon of fuel was discounted a$1 or more. Staff's research was probably not accurate based on discounts given. He felt that discounts were a factor in the high fuel prices. ' Airport Board mutes January 18,2006 Page 1 i of 13 Interim-chair Montesano asked how discounts were given. Mr. Gravell responded there were several ways, a UVAIR card,Fuel On Demand program and a multitude of different manners to buy fuel other than retail fuel. He stated that, on average, a 60¢per gallon discount is given; but for the salve of the meeting,his records indicated that in December,the average discount given was between S1 and$I.07 per gallon. Board member Feferman questioned whether the other FBO on property gave discounts. Mr. Gravell stated that he was not aware if the other FBO gave discounts. He also added that his preference would be to do away with discounts and charge the same price per gallon to everyone. Board member Lyons stated that Corpus Christi is not the only site where the aforementioned formula for calculating fuel pricing is used. He is aware that Dallas Executive and Dallas Love Field use the some formula. Mr. Gravel] stated he was sure some type of discount is given at all locations. He also added that he did not have the ability to change the price which is set for his business. Board member Lyons commented that he had recently traveled up the eastern part of the country and had landed in Atlanta and their fuel prices were substantially lower than the retail price at Corpus Christi, from$3.20 a gallon for 100 low lead compared to$4.99 a gallon. Based on his observations,Board member Lyons questioned why fuel is higher at the Airport. Board member Feferman questioned if Atlanta was the home office for Mercury Air. Aft. Gravell stated that his corporate offices are located in Atlanta. Board member Feferman felt that Mr. Gaavell should communicate the Board's concern regarding the pricing of fuel in Corpus Christi. Mr. Gravel]stated that he had already discussed this matter with his corporate office and will submit a copy of the fuel price research presented at this meeting for their review. Interim-chair Montesano noted that Signature's prices were about the same and questioned the formula used in calculating their price. Mr. Gravell stated that pricing between the two companies have been relative close, sometimes being 20¢to 30¢higher. He was not aware that his prices were higher than Signature's. Director Hamrick stated that the researched pricing done by staff was obtained via the internet. Mr. Gravell was concerned that pricing on the internet would not be current as sometime the pricing would not be updated. Mrs.Keller stated most of the information had been updated as recently as January 9&. Airport Board Minutes January 18,2006 Page 12 of 13 Mr. Gravell stated that he was aware that his pricing was high, and he added that he was doing all he could to lower pricing. He would be forwarding this information to his corporate offices. Interim-chair Montesano questioned Director Hamrick if he was aware what the pricing for fuel per gallon was a year ago. Director Hamrick stated that it was substantially lower at this same time last year. Mr. Gmvell stated that he had researched that information recently and he stated it was approximately$1.50 lower per gallon a year ago. Interim- chair Montesano felt that the Board should write a letter to Mercury's corporate office showing concern for the price of fuel. Director Hamrick stated that he would write a letter to both FBO's corporate offices. Interim-chair Montesano stated that at the least an explanation on the high fuel prices would be helpful. Board member Lyons asked that the Board do something about this issue. Board member Feferman questioned whether the Board could obtain what Mercury charges at other locations. Mrs.Keller stated that on www.airnay.com information could be obtained for any airport. Mr. Gravell mentioned the information obtained on the aimav site is worthless unless it states that the price is guaranteed. He also added that he did guarantee his pricing up until about 90 days ago. Board member Olivares asked since Beeville and Ingleside are relatively close to Corpus Christi,if they obtained fuel from the same supplier. He pointed out that their pricing was significantly lower. Mr. Gravell stated that the Beeville location was self-service and did not have many employees. Interim-chair Montesano thanked Mr. Gravels for attending this meeting and answering the Board's questions. He also asked Director Hamrick to write a letter to both air service companies on property regarding fuel pricing on behalf of the Board. VII. Board Business and Reports a. Board Member Absences Interim-chair Montesano called for a motion to regarding board member absences. Board member Feferman moved to excuse Chair Hicks and Board members Meyer and Martinez. Board member Lyons seconded and the motion carried. b. General Comments Interim-chair Montesano referred to a question by Board member Lyons on the ability to file international flight plans. Director Hamrick stated that Customs and Airport Board Minutes January 18,2006 Page 13 of 13 Border Protection was not eager to get into flight services as this was an FAA service. They recommended that for filing a flight plan, local or international, to file with Flight Service. He did add that for Board member Lyons who makes routine international flights and would like to get an over-flight permit,Juan Cardenas stated he would assist by providing a one year over-flight permit. Board member Fefennan questioned the status on Aeromar's flights. Interim- chair Montesano responded that the start date is now February 13`x. Director Hamrick reported he was cautiously optimistic on this issue. He added that $19,000 worth of advertising has been done on both television and radio. The CVB will also invest$25,000 worth of advertising. He added that he has been in contact with them on a weekly,often times,daily basis. They have recently requested assistance with preparations for the ticket counter. They have also requested assistance with classified ads for ticket counter employees. He stated that everything is a go at this point. Director Hamrick reported that the 800 number has been established, but he added that the number is to a travel agency in New York City. In preliminary negotiations,Aeromar had discussed paying travel agent commissions. With the travel agency set up to handle the 800 reservations,travel agents will be unable to receive commissions. His biggest concern was the lack of expediency and the additional cost of paying for the tickets to be mailed to the buyer. Mrs.Keller added that the Airport has assisted them by placing an ad in the newspapers Sunday travel section. The only concern was that only two major travel web sites were listed as they are the only sites that flights for Aeromar can be booked on. She added that she has advised Acromar of this problem,but it has not been rectified. General discussion was heard regarding this issue. VIII. Adjournment Interim-chair Montesano thanked board members for taking time from their schedules to attend this special called meeting;and,he again welcomed newly-appointed Board member 4livares. As there was no further business, Interim-chair Montesano called to adjourn the meeting. Board member Dodge moved to adjourn and Board member Wilson seconded. The motion passed and the meeting was adjourned at 5:19 pm.