Pittsfield Municipal Airport Commission
Robert Snuck
Airport Manager
Chris Pedersen
Chairman
Pittsfield Municipal Airport Commission
Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
7:00 pm
Commission Members
Present: Ned Kirchner, Gail Molari, David Keator, Chris Pedersen (Chairman)
Not Present: Robert Malhotra
Proceedings:
•
Meeting called to order at 7:06 pm
•
Audio/Video Recordings – Pittsfield Cable TV will be audio/video recording the meeting
for viewing as well as taping by the Airport Commission for the purpose of minutes.
•
Roll Call Taken – Quorum present
Public Comment Period:
None present
Minutes:
Chris noted that everyone had received a copy of the minutes from the June 1st meeting. Gail
Molari moved to accept the previous meeting minutes. Ned Kirchner seconded. So moved,
favored and passed. Gail Molari also moved to accept the meeting minutes from June 28th
meeting. Ned Kirchner seconded. So moved, favored and passed.
Election of Commission Officers (Chair, Vice Chair): Gail Molari moved to elect Chris
Pederson as Chairman and David Keator as Vice Chairman. Ned Kirchner seconded. So moved,
favored, and passed.
Vote on the powers of the Chairman to sign on its behalf of the Commission:
Gail moved that we assign Chairman, Chris Pederson signing powers on behalf of the
Commission. Seconded by Ned Kirchner. David Keator asked under what circumstances are
those powers exercised. Chris explained that traditionally it means that all of the grant
David Keator – Vice Chairman
Airport Commissioners: Ned Kirchner; Robert Malhotra; Gail Molari
Pittsfield Municipal Airport – 832 Tamarack Road – Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 448-9790 or (413) 448-8006 fax
applications and those types of things that they’ve all voted on and talked about, it simply gives
him the power to sign on behalf of the committee. So moved, favored, and passed. David
Assignment of Reporting Secretary for Signatures/Certification: David moved that we
appoint Gail as Reporting Secretary, Ned seconded. None opposed, so moved, favored and
passed.
Status Update:
Westview Lease: Atty David Murphy of Pittsfield, submitted leases for 6 Westview
Lease, asking that the City and Airport Commission consent to refinance, and agree to
subordinate the lease to the bank’s security interest in the lease. He went before City
Council on August 9th and it was approved unanimously. They have been furnished to
the Airport Commission. He gave a brief description of the use of the space to date,
and referred to the documents he has submitted which address the refinance of the
commercial property. David asked if he is asking us to vote to subordinate beyond
2027. Atty Murphy said it is not. He further explained that they are only asking that the
existing deal be subordinated. That will have expired prior to the first 40 years of the
lease. Chris said we need a motion to sign or consider. David asked what the date of
the new loan is. Atty. Murphy said it was closed in escrow July 27th for seven years. It
matures in 2023.
David moved that we subordinate our interest in this loan and authorize the chairman to sign
those documents, until 2023. Gail seconded, all in favor, no opposed, so moved.
Chris explained that the property in question is property of the airport and signed the documents
to put it into effect and already signed by the City.
SOLAR update and presentation: Beth Greenblatt for Beacon Integrated Solutions spoke
about who they are as a company and their history. She explained that MA has two key
programs, The Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SREC) are tradable on Wall Street. The
program has undergone 2 iterations. In the handout, it goes into greater depth about the
differences between them. The opportunity for the airport differs depending on how a developer
would utilize the land. Right now we are under the extension for SREC2. The second program
is Net Metering. It requires legislative law every time it has changes. Recently, under Governor
Baker, MA is working towards combining the programs. There is available capacity for Net
Metering right now. To optimize the land, you’re looking to lease, you would want to buy back
some of the output of that facility. Any excess that the airport can’t use, the City would still
have ability to purchase. There have been changes to the original Net Metering, creating Market
Net Metering, which will go into effect next year, generating 60% of the retail rate, with some
limitations. David asked if we would be both owner and beneficiary. Beth said that the airport
would be the beneficiary. The third party would be the owner. David asked if the owner sold
the energy to the airport, would we get a preferred rate. Beth said it is possible. She related this
David Keator – Vice Chairman
Airport Commissioners: Ned Kirchner; Robert Malhotra; Gail Molari
Pittsfield Municipal Airport – 832 Tamarack Road – Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 448-9790 or (413) 448-8006 fax
to a project she just did for Martha’s Vineyard Airport, and how diverse the project offers they
received were. She relayed that some of the challenges are other projects that may overshadow
the airport’s project. David asked if she has made some financial projections on what they might
expect. Beth referred to the information packet where she has a chart of possible scenarios.
David asked what happens if they sign a deal and then the SRECs get more lucrative. She said
the overall revenue stream is not likely to go up. David asked if there is an advantage to sell the
energy to the City vs someone else. Beth said that it is something they will be looking at. David
asked if the City of Pittsfield could buy all of the energy of the Hancock Shaker Village project.
She said that it is possible. The Hancock Shaker Village project is public. David referred to the
slide on the fifth page of her handout, and stated that on the low range she is projecting
$100,000. Beth said the airport has the land for a six megawatt farm. David asked if that is the
maximum allowed on a single parcel. She stated that it is. Ned asked to explain the difference
of AC and DC. Beth said the AC is generated and goes into an inverter to generate a DC output.
David asked that given solar technology is changing so fast, would we be better off to do a
smaller project so that we can do another project in the future. She said she would not wait due
to potential technology. The benefit is in job creation, tax income, and incentives which will
likely be less in the future. It is feasible that if we can build a 6 megawatt facility you may
generate $100,000 in revenue. Chris asked if she can give us a timeline. Beth said that on the
last page was a projected schedule, which already they cannot do, but it is an idea. She expects
that they will have proposals in hand by the end of October. Chris asked who does the economic
analysis. She said she will do that piece. Ned asked who is paying her for her services. She
stated that the City is. Chris asked what length of lease they are hoping for. Beth said she would
expect it to be a 20-year lease. Chris asked who would clean it up after the lease ends. Beth said
there would be language within the lease to address that. Ned asked what the track record of
survival for these projects. Beth said typically, there will always be an operator and the airport
will always have a right to step in. Chris asked for a motion to put this out for a proposal. David
proposed that we take this project to the next level of putting this out to bid and reviewing
responses. Ned seconded, so moved, favored, and passed.
Beacon Project:
a) Lenox Conservation Committee Assessment: Chris relayed an update on
their meeting with the Lenox Conservation Committee, and their question
of whether the airport has the right to use a trail. The Conservation
Commission hired an independent consultant, but we made it clear we
have no funding budget. Chris asked for a discussion about this. Ned said
when they asked us to contribute we told them we did not have the money
to pay for this private consultant. Jim said it is not unheard of, and they
did bring this up four months ago, which we relayed we did not have the
funding for it. David asked if Jim’s firm did not have the credentials to do
the work. Gail asked how can we can be expected to pay for something
with money we do not have. David and Chris did ask the mayor if it could
be considered an extra expense and Mayor Tyer said it could not. It would
David Keator – Vice Chairman
Airport Commissioners: Ned Kirchner; Robert Malhotra; Gail Molari
Pittsfield Municipal Airport – 832 Tamarack Road – Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 448-9790 or (413) 448-8006 fax
have to be put in the budget for next year and find the funds to pay for it
this year. Gail asked what the amount is, and Chris relayed it is about
$2,500. Chris said he might feel differently about it if Stantec did not have
the expertise to do the work, but they were able to do the work so the
independent contractor Lenox put in place was not needed and he doesn’t
feel we should pay for it. Chris asked if the Commission needs to take any
action on this. Ned feels we should not pay for it, don’t have the money for
it, so therefore that ends the discussion. David said we are trying to
resolve an issue that clearly is a problem, he feels that the airport and its
advisors have bent over backwards to provide a reasonable remedy.
Stantec has handled it well, he doesn’t feel we should pay for this.
b) Construction update: Jim gave a synopsis of the recent meeting with the Conservation
Commission. The Lenox Conservation Committee asked the City of Pittsfield Attorney to see if
we have the right to use the trail at Yokun Seat. Chris said that the Audubon Society raised a
concern that they wanted the trail gone. He has talked to Rich Mahoney and he will look into it
and advise. The Conservation Commission meeting is continued to October 6th.
Ned asked if that opinion is holding up any work. Chris said that at this point in time, most of the
restoration work would be done next spring. The commission doesn’t really see any issue with
the timeline. Jim said they have had some issues with the beacons.
Fee Discussion/Adaptation: Bob said as part of the fees that were discussed at the last meeting.
Mass DOT has supplied us with the printer and ID cards to produce the badges. The cost of
using the equipment will cost us about $900 - $1,000 per year. He recommends that the initial
issuance of the badges is $25, with a replacement fee of $35. Chris also feels that a
misappropriated use should have a significant fee. David felt the first badge should be free. Gail
said while she understands that, we should at least cover the cost of the card. Chris explained
that the $25 issue fee Bob suggested is the amount to cover the cost. Gail proposed we go with
Bob’s fee structure of $25, $50 and $500. Ned Seconded. So moved, favored and passed.
David asked Andy Day of Lyon Aviation what their procedure is if someone comes to work
without their badge. Andy relayed that the employee would be sent home to get their badge. If
that is not possible, they could only work in areas that a badge is not needed.
Bob brought up the question of landing fees. Andy asked Bob if Lyon is going to be engaged in
chasing tenants for landing fees or how they would do that. David asked if you are a based
tenant here, are you paying property tax here. Chris said no. Bob said part of the fees the grant
assurances allow to do both discounts. Chris reiterated that Andy’s concern is that some planes
should be charged a landing fee that were not charged previously and how to track them. Chris
suggested since it is only one or two aircraft we should negotiate with them individually to bill a
per use landing fee.
Wings, Wheels, Warbirds: Bob has been working hard on this event and has commitments that
will cover the cost for the aerobatic show. Andy has offered space in their hangar for a Corsair
war bird to be here for the show. Rhinebeck will bring a couple of their aircraft. The ReMax
balloon will do tethered hot air balloon rides. Bi-plane rides will be by John Race. There will be
David Keator – Vice Chairman
Airport Commissioners: Ned Kirchner; Robert Malhotra; Gail Molari
Pittsfield Municipal Airport – 832 Tamarack Road – Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 448-9790 or (413) 448-8006 fax
helicopter rides with portions of the proceeds to go to Special Olympics. Military vehicles will
also be on display for the event. Donovan Motorcars is bringing cars for display. Several car
clubs will be coming with Jaguars, Corvettes, Ferraris, Alpha Romeos, and BMWs on display. It
will be held on Saturday, October 8th 10:00 am – 5 pm.
Lyon’s Request for Office Space: Andy thanked the Commission for allowing him to be on the
agenda. They have had quite a bit of growth in the past 6 – 10 months. They are in negotiations
to build a much larger facility for storage and office space. In the interim, they need more space
for staff. They would like to lease the “pilot lounge” down the hall in exchange for that
consideration, they would agree to fix up the lounge area, and replace the furniture, carpet and
make it nice for people coming in. They would cordon off some corner of the room, add plants,
put a pilot TV on the wall to provide for a pilot lounge. David asked if Andy is envisioning the
pilot lounge to be private. Andy said it would be semi-private. Chris asked for a motion to
negotiate and preliminarily approve for space. Bob asked if the price per square footage be in
line with the existing price. David would like to see the rendering before this Committee before
things are solidified. Gail asked if there is a timeframe in which they want this to happen. Andy
said he would like to move quickly on the office space. Ned said he would be happy to receive
the rendering via email. Andy said they will do whatever the Commission would like to see
happen with this space. Chris made a motion that on approval, we would authorize a rate for the
office space, and a component for Lyon to transform the lounge to accommodate a Pilot Lounge.
Seconded by Ned. So moved, favored and passed.
Manager’s Report:
a) FY 17 Budget Expended $21,425.02 but will have other expenditures coming up for door
repair and back entrance gate.
b) FY 17 Revenues: $28,596.28. At this rate we will exceed last year’s revenue.
We are starting to get donations in for the Wings, Wheels, and Warbirds event. Hazard Beacon
cost:
July Cobo Payment: $225,382.75
Two year’s post construction and monitoring. He has a bill that says it is the final bill for
$5403.38 Jim from Stantec said that this bill from Audubon is separate than the five year
monitoring. Wild Acres has been completed except for $4593.45 that was held back.
c) Security Cameras/Fence Repair/Replacement: Chris relayed that since July the
front desk has been writing down the N number for every plane that comes in, which will help
augment the data. Bob relayed that Mass DOT has money for the security cameras. He relayed
that the fence repair and replacement where Mass DOT said they had the money, but they did not
get the money they were expecting. It will have to be postponed. He suggested that homeland
security may have the funds to repair the fence.
David Keator – Vice Chairman
Airport Commissioners: Ned Kirchner; Robert Malhotra; Gail Molari
Pittsfield Municipal Airport – 832 Tamarack Road – Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 448-9790 or (413) 448-8006 fax
d) Obstructions Runway 8-26 update - Bob said there were two pine trees
removed and they also topped the hardwood tree. The poles that are obstructions, Jim has
already submitted the 7460s to trim them. Seven Arborvitaes will be planted where the pine
trees were removed.
Bob mentioned a need to review the minimum standards review. David moved that the
minimum standards review be moved to a subcommittee. Ned seconded. So moved, favored
and passed.
Adjournment:
Motion made by David Keator to adjourn, seconded by Ned Kirchner, so moved and passed.
Motions Pittsfield Municipal Airport Commission Meeting
Wednesday September 7, 2016
1) Gail Molari moved to accept the previous meeting minutes for the June first meeting, and
Ned Kirchner seconded. So moved, favored, and passed.
2) Gail Molari moved to accept the previous meeting minutes for the June 28th meeting
minutes. Ned Kirchner seconded. So moved, favored, and passed.
3) Gail Molari moved to elect Chris Pederson as Chairman and David Keator as Vice
Chairman. Ned Kirchner seconded. So moved, favored, and passed.
4) Gail moved that we assign Chairman, Chris Pederson the authority to sign on behalf of
the Commission. Ned seconded. So moved, favored and passed.
5) David moved that we appoint Gail Molari as Reporting Secretary. Ned Kirchner
seconded. None opposed, so moved, favored and passed.
6) David moved that we subordinate our interest in this loan and authorize the chairman to
sign those documents, until 2023. Gail seconded, all in favor, no opposed, so moved.
7) Chris asked for a motion to put the solar project out for a proposal. David proposed that
we take this project to the next level of putting this out to bid and reviewing responses.
Ned seconded, so moved, favored, and passed.
8) Chris made a motion that on approval, we would authorize a rate for the office space, and
a component for Lyon to transform the lounge to accommodate a Pilot Lounge.
Seconded by Ned. So moved, favored and passed.
9) David moved that the minimum standards review be moved to a subcommittee. Ned
seconded. So moved, favored, and passed.
10) Motion made to adjourn to by David Keator, seconded by Ned Kirchner, so moved,
favored, and passed.
David Keator – Vice Chairman
Airport Commissioners: Ned Kirchner; Robert Malhotra; Gail Molari
Pittsfield Municipal Airport – 832 Tamarack Road – Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 448-9790 or (413) 448-8006 fax