Airport Authority - June 26, 2018 Minutes
The Regular Meeting of the Municipal Airport Authority of the City of Fargo, North Dakota, was held Tuesday, June 26, 2018 at 8:00 a.m. in the Airport Boardroom.
The members present or absent were as follows:
Present: Linn, Blazek, Lind, Haugen
Absent: Clark
Others: Bossart
Vice-Chairman Haugen presiding.
Approved the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Municipal Airport Authority Held June 12, 2018:
The minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Municipal Airport Authority held June 12, 2018 were approved without objection.
Approved the Airport Vouchers Totaling $50,577.87:
Mr. Blazek moved to approve the airport vouchers totaling $50,577.87.
Second by Ms. Linn.
On the call of the roll, members Linn, Blazek, Lind, Haugen voted aye.
Absent and not voting: Clark
The motion was declared carried.
Approved the Individual Voucher to Greater Fargo-Moorhead Economic Development Corporation:
Ms. Linn moved to approve the individual voucher in the amount of $1,650.00 to the Greater Fargo-Moorhead Economic Development Corporation for the 2018 Focus Investment.
Second by Blazek.
On the call of the roll, members Linn, Blazek, Lind, Haugen voted aye.
Absent and not voting: Clark
The motion was declared carried.
Approved the Individual Voucher to Moorhead Electric:
Ms. Linn moved to approve the individual voucher in the amount of $85.00 to Moorhead Electric for utility locates in connection with the Employee Parking Lot Reconstruction and Expansion Project.
Second by Mr. Blazek.
On the call of the roll, members Linn, Blazek, Lind, Haugen voted aye.
Absent and not voting: Clark
The motion was declared carried.
Approved the Individual Voucher to Sixel Consulting LLC:
Ms. Linn moved to approve the individual voucher in the amount of $3,824.09 to Sixel Consulting LLC for payment request for consulting services in connection with the ACI Jumpstart Conference, June 4-6, 2018, Cleveland, OH.
Second by Mr. Blazek.
On the call of the roll, members Linn, Blazek, Lind, Haugen voted aye.
Absent and not voting: Clark
The motion was declared carried.
Approved the Individual Voucher to Mead & Hunt:
Ms. Linn moved to approve the individual voucher in the amount of $8,564.43 to Mead & Hunt for partial payment request for engineering services in connection with the Employee Parking Lot Reconstruction and Expansion Project.
Second by Mr. Blazek.
On the call of the roll, members Linn, Blazek, Lind, Haugen voted aye.
Absent and not voting: Clark
The motion was declared carried.
Approved the Individual Voucher to Mead & Hunt:
Ms. Linn moved to approve the individual voucher in the amount of $36,896.26 to Mead & Hunt for partial payment request for engineering services in connection with the Taxiway A and A1 Reconstruction Project, AIP47.
Second by Mr. Blazek.
On the call of the roll, members Linn, Blazek, Lind, Haugen voted aye.
Absent and not voting: Clark
The motion was declared carried.
Received Request from ND American Legion Auxiliary Regarding Lease Extension for Eastside Terminal Office:
The communication dated June 8, 2018 from Marcy Schmidt, Department Secretary, ND American Legion Auxiliary, was received and filed without objection.
Mr. Dobberstein stated the Auxiliary has been a tenant in the Eastside Terminal for a few years now and is requesting a one-year extension of their lease. Mr. Dobberstein stated the standard 3% escalator will apply.
Mr. Blazek moved to approve the request from the ND American Legion Auxiliary for a one-year extension to their lease for space in the Eastside Terminal.
Second by Mr. Lind.
All members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Received Change Order #3 to Taxiway A and A1 Reconstruction Project, AIP47, for an Increase of $11,300.00 for Guidance Sign Modifications:
Mr. Dobberstein stated Change Order #3 to the Taxiway A and A1 Reconstruction Project, AIP47, is to comply with a request from the FAA control tower and the FAA certification inspector to change signage at the east entrance to the cargo apron at a cost of $11,300.00.
Mr. Blazek moved to approve Change Order #3 to Project AIP47, as requested by the FAA.
Second by Mr. Lind.
All members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Received Change Order #1 to the Employee Parking Lot Reconstruction and Expansion Project for an Increase of $2,444.75 for Guardrail Relocation:
Mr. Dobberstein stated the Employee Parking Lot Reconstruction and Expansion Project is almost complete. He stated Change Order #1 for an increase of $2,444.75 is to move an existing guardrail in order to create more space to more effectively remove snow. The new guardrail location will be within the footprint of the existing concrete.
Ms. Linn moved to approve Change Order #1 for an increase of $2,444.75 to the Employee Parking Lot Reconstruction and Expansion Project.
Second by Mr. Blazek.
All members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Received Update Regarding Proposed Storm Water Fee Structure Changes (Roger Kluck, City of Fargo, Presenting):
Mr. Dobberstein introduced Mr. Roger Kluck and Mr. Jody Bertrand from the Storm Water Division of the Engineering Department of the City of Fargo.
Mr. Kluck was recognized and stated for about the last 18 months the Storm Water division has been looking at how the city's storm water fees are generated and as part of that they hired the engineering firm AE2S to conduct a study to look at income generated, costs expended and how we can better fund this division. He stated right now their base budget is $1.7 million, which covers four staff members required to maintain all of the flood control system within the city. He stated we currently have 78 pump stations throughout the city. He stated they also maintain the legal drains within the city jurisdiction.
Mr. Kluck stated in addition to the budget they also receive special assessment dollars for drain projects.
Mr. Kluck stated the current monthly fee for residential properties is $3.00 and for commercial properties it is $15.00 per month per water meter. He gave the example of West Acres, who has only two water meters so they pay only $30.00 per month for a storm water fee even though they are one of the properties in the city that generates the most amount of storm water. He stated they are looking at the entire city and all of the impervious surfaces, hard surfaces, roofs, etc., and how we can charge those property owners that generate a bigger share of the storm water a bigger share of the cost.
Mr. Kluck distributed a handout on the Storm Water Utility Fee Study. He stated they tried to implement the new fee structure in 2018 but they are now looking at 2019 so that the larger public entities are able build the additional costs into their budgets. He reviewed existing storm water spending vs. proposed sources. He stated right now they are trying to mitigate the effects to the major storm water generators (Airport, Fargo Park District, City of Fargo, Fargo School District, and NDSU). He stated they have looked at a tiered system. He stated the residential fee has been $3.00 for 15 years so they are looking at increasing that to $4.00 a month.
Mr. Kluck stated the Airport is currently paying a little over $900 per year and that would increase to a little over $2,000 per month. He stated the original proposal last year without the tiered approach was about $15,000 per month.
Mr. Kluck stated he knows there have been questions relative to the legal drains within the city. He stated every property owner in Cass County pays storm water charges to the Southeast Cass and while they have helped us from time to time with repairing slides, etc., the lion's share of the maintenance is done by the City of Fargo.
Mr. Blazek asked Mr. Kluck if the City of Fargo maintains the county drains.
Mr. Kluck stated yes, within the city limits.
Mr. Blazek asked if that is an elective decision the City has made or does the County require that of the City?
Mr. Kluck stated he has been in this position only 18 months so he is not certain how or when that agreement was reached but that is the agreement in place.
Mr. Dobberstein asked Mr. Kluck if he was present at the meeting of the Southeast Cass Water Resource District on May 8, 2018, when board member Mr. Ken Pawluk (also former MAA board members) asked where the agreement between the City of Fargo and the Southeast Cass Water Resource District was?
Mr. Kluck stated he was at that meeting.
Mr. Dobberstein stated the FAA has to review all impact fees paid by airports and their question is why we are paying drain maintenance fees both to Southeast Cass and to the City of Fargo. He stated the Airport Authority will need a copy of the agreement between Southeast Cass and the City of Fargo in order to provide it to the FAA. He stated they will not allow us to pay both entities for the same service. He stated we need clarity on who is providing what service. He added that the Airport Authority has been maintaining the county drains on airport property.
Mr. Bertrand was recognized and stated the City of Fargo does the general maintenance and the mowing that Southeast Cass does not do. He stated it is two entities working together on the maintenance of the drains and does not think anyone is paying twice for the same service.
Mr. Dobberstein stated it would be in the best interest of both the City of Fargo and Southeast Cass to have an official agreement in writing. He stated that is what the FAA is requesting to see.
He stated the proposed fee of $2,048 per month is for all of the tenants on the airport property so he does now know how much of that would be the Airport Authority's share.
Mr. Kluck stated they would work with the Airport Authority on calculating a formula for those fees for each entity.
Mr. Kluck indicated he would visit with the City Administrator regarding a written agreement between the City of Fargo and Southeast Cass.
Received Communication from The Arts Partnership Regarding Proposed Airport Art Project:
Ms. Dayna Del Val, President & CEO, The Arts Partnership was recognized and also introduced Ms. Tania Blanich, Director of Operations.
Ms. Del Val stated The Arts Partnership is the local area arts council and represents local artists, art non-profits and art related businesses. She stated they advocate for arts in the community. She stated The Arts Partnership has had an advertisement near the top of the up escalator in the terminal for a number of years. She showed some examples of art displays and exhibits in other airports around the country. She stated one reason for having art in an airport terminal is to help passengers relieve anxiety about flying. She showed photos of the art display in the Rapid City Airport, which would be on a similar scale as what they are proposing for Fargo.
Ms. Del Val showed a photo of the wall space on the west end of the airport near baggage claim and there is a lot of wall space and light in that area. She stated they are proposing to hang art above the baggage area, which would eliminate the need for security for the art as it would be out of reach. She stated the art would be for sale and they would change the display about three times per year. She stated there would also be a thumbnail at eye level showing the pieces and giving details on each.
Ms. Del Val stated they would also like to display some pieces in the Departure Lounge and those pieces would not be originals but would be prints.
Ms. Del Val stated they think they can accomplish this one-year pilot program for about $3,000 and they are requesting the Airport Authority participate with $1,500. She added that the art would be appropriate for the public and will fit with the tone and tenor of the airport. She stated at the end of year one we can take a look at it and see how it worked for both parties.
Mr. Blazek moved to authorize the Executive Director to spend up to $1,500.00 to negotiate the one-year pilot art program in the terminal with The Arts Partnership.
Second by Linn.
All members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Received Proposal to Replace Ceiling Panels Above the Security Checkpoint:
Mr. Dobberstein stated the ceiling panels above the security checkpoint have been delaminating. He stated the company that manufactured the panels has gone out of business so we are looking for another solution.
Mr. Terry Stroh, TL Stroh Architects, was recognized and stated they have been monitoring the condition of the panels for a number of years. He stated the problem started after the warranty on the product was up. He stated TF Powers did some repairs a couple of times. He stated ceiling manufacturers no longer use real wood on curved panels so it has obviously been a problem industry wide.
Mr. Stroh stated the original installer was Flament Ulman who is one of the best ceiling and flooring companies in town. He stated after reviewing a number of products they are recommending an Armstrong perforated wood look metal panel, which is segmented. He stated the product is acoustical so it will absorb sound.
Mr. Stroh stated he proposed to Flament Ulman that the project should be done on a time and materials basis as a lot of the project has to do with how many times they will have to assemble and disassemble their scaffolding. He stated it will take almost 12 weeks to get the materials and traffic shows down in September, which will help the project, so the timing is right. He stated the checkpoint is a difficult place to work because scheduled vary so coordination will be important.
Mr. Stroh stated the $89,000 is a not to exceed price, but the time and materials basis would be the most fair to both the contract and the airport. He added that we will not have to move any of the light fixtures in the area. He also stated that TL Stroh will not be charging any architect fees. He added that the project is expected to take about two weeks.
Mr. Blazek moved to accept the proposal from Flament Ulman to replace the curved ceiling clouds at the checkpoint on a time and material basis, not to exceed $89,000.00.
Second by Ms. Linn.
All members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Mr. Dobberstein stated this will qualify for a sole source exception to our purchasing policy. He stated normally for this amount we would get three bids.
Vice Chairman Haugen stated he wished the TSA were here to comment on any concerns they have with scaffolding and their equipment but we will trust that they will offer their full cooperation on the project.
Discussed Payroll/HR Services Options:
Mr. Dobberstein stated as we continue our discussion with the City of Fargo and work on a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Fargo and the Municipal Airport Authority we will hopefully see this move forward now that the election is over. He stated ProResources would like to make a presentation to the Airport Authority on their HR and payroll services at our meeting on July 10. He stated if this is a direction we are going to take there will be a lot of work to be done before January 1.
It was the consensus of the board to have ProResources make a presentation at our meeting on July 10.
Mr. Dobberstein stated he was contacted by Commissioner Piepkorn and he advised that he will be the City Commission's new liaison to the Airport Authority starting at our July 10 meeting.
Certified Mill Levy to the Board of City Commissioners for 2019 Improvements, per Section 2-06-14 of the North Dakota Century Code:
Ms. Linn moved to certify to the Board of City Commissioners a mill levy amount of $1.2 million, not to exceed 2.0 mills, as per Section 2-06-14 of the North Dakota Century Code, for 2019 improvements.
Second by Mr. Lind.
All members present voted and the motion was declared carried.
Airport Construction and Security Update:
Mr. Jeff Klein, Mead & Hunt, was recognized and stated the Employee Parking Lot Reconstruction and Expansion Project is mostly complete, with the exception of some landscaping on the reconstructed lot and the sealcoat on the second lot.
Mr. Dobberstein stated Northern Improvement did complete some repairs to the pavement on Taxiway H and that taxiway is again open for use.
Other Business:
Airport Fire Chief David Bush gave a summary of the Triennial Emergency Exercise conducted on June 12. He indicated it was very successful with 200 participants and 78 volunteers portraying victims.
The meeting of the Municipal Airport Authority was adjourned until the next Regular Meeting to be held Tuesday, July 10, 2018 at 8:00 a.m.
Time at adjournment was 9:06 a.m.