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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-10-2026 Fairhope Airport Authority Meeting MinutesMinutes of Fairhope Airport Authority February 10, 2026 The Fairhope Airport Authority met February 10, 2026, at 5:00PM in the City of Fairhope Council Chambers at 161 N Section Street. Present: Pel Henry, Chairman, Don Ward, Ronnie Holyfield, Susana Freeman, Len Strickland, Jack Burrell, and Will Bruce. Josh Myrick, Attorney, was absent. Also present was Dave Friedel, Airport Manager. Cynthia A Boothe took the Minutes. The Minutes of the January 13, 2026, Regular Meeting, were considered and approved with a motion by Don Ward, second by Len Strickland and unanimously passed. Airport Manager's Report: Dave Friedel reported that the traffic count for January was 4,533, which is down because of bad weather. He stated that construction is progressing well, but they are waiting for good weather for final reflective paint on the runway and Alpha and the final work on the aprons will be this week. The Published Info (FAA Form 5010) updated faster than expected and sites like Airnav are pulling and showing the current data. The Runway weights are now 80 thousand pounds for a single wheel, 102 thousand pounds for a double wheel, and 159 thousand pounds for a tandem wheel. AT-hangar in row two has plumbing issues and Dowsey Plumbing will be out tomorrow to replace the grinder pump and controller. The cost will be $6,350.00. Dave has fence quotes and to move the west side and move the operator up near the Fire Station will cost $32,600.00 and to put a sliding gate and operator on the County Rd 13 construction gate will be $17,100.00. He stated that the Authority can decide if they want to do the work as a project or use grant money if available. When that is decided Dave will reach out to IT installer that Ethan used at the FBO and around other spots at the Airport. The Airport can link all gates to the FBO's system and have a single control system for all access points. Dave stated that he met with Derrick Owens, (FAA ADO), last week and showed him around the Airport construction projects. He said that Derrick and the FAA are happy with the progress and overall growth at the Fairhope Airport. Dave is getting two quotes this week from 2 vendors for the replacement of the AWOS. He received one form a third vendor who is not fully certified on all parameters. He will compare quotes when he is able to submit for grant money. Dave stated that in the past the AWOS has always been on a dedicated copper line. He learned that a dedicated copper line is no longer required for the AWOS from the vendors and the FAA Navaid inspector. He would like to switch to cellular or VOiP either as part of the new AWOS Project or as a separate project. The monthly cost would be significantly less than what is being paid now. He will see what the AWOS vendors are offering. Dave stated that last month there were three LO ls presented for the Southwest corner. He has deposits for two of them and the third one no longer wishes to continue the letter of intent. The three lots were side by side and the one who no longer wishes to build had the middle lot, so one of the remaining two wishes to move to the middle lot so that they are next to each other and can possibly share an apron. He asked if they could just change the lot number on one of the LO ls and Pel Henry suggested that they just do a new LOI for the one who wishes to change lots. Dave recently received a SASO request from 850 Aircraft Cleaning. He wishes to open a cleaning and detailing business at the Airport. Ethan will arrange a tie-down spot for him to rent while he gets his City permit. Don Ward made a motion to approve the SASO Request and authorize Pel Henry to sign said request for 850 Aircraft Cleaning subject to him acquiring the appropriate permits and insurance necessary for the City, a second was made by Len Strickland and it unanimously passed. Flightline First Report: Ethan McDonald reported that the fuel sales for January were 27,696 gallons of Jet-A , 4,779 gallons of AV-gas, for a total of 32,475 gallons. Ethan stated that he had gotten a quote for lighting for the ramp on the East Side. The light pole that is closest to the ramp, right next to the FBO gate, will be replaced with flood lights that will automatically turn on and off , but also have a manual switch. A light in the parking lot will also be fixed. He noticed that on Edward Laird Way, the first light coming off of County Rd 32 and the last light right inside of the gate also need to be fixed, so he will have the contractor fix those as well. He said that the Tuesday breakfast went well even though the fog delayed the participants flying in for it. Ethan stated that he changed the FBO ramp fees and overnight parking fees starting February 1 st _ Small single engine planes remains the same, but the larger aircraft will be charged a higher fee which will put them more in line with other airports of similar size and capacity. Aspire Aviation Report: No Report. Insurance Approval: Coley Boone from Thames-Batre Insurance presented the final insurance proposal for the year and went over the coverage included in the proposal. After a question-and-answer period with Authority Members, a motion was made by Jack Burrell to approve the proposal with a 3% deductible, second by Don Ward and unanimously passed. Engineer's Report: Luke Hicks stated that due to the weather the striping has not been completed in some areas. He said that once the PAPI lights have been installed completely they will do a flyover certification to make sure that they are good to go. Luke reported that for the Taxiway Light Project they are still waiting for the bases on some of the taxiway lights so that project can be completed. For the Seal Coat Project, Luke stated that they will be out there tomorrow to finish some items and hopefully will be done with the project. Luke stated that they should be able to close out all projects in the next month or two and he and Jordan Stringfellow will do the final walk-th roughs. Luke reminded the Authority Members that the AWOS will be a grant funded project and that the deadline for the application will be May 15th . The quotes for the project should be completed by the end of March so that the Authority can approve the quote at the April meeting. it will then need to be approved by the City Council at their first meeting in May so that they can meet the May 15th application deadline. The Taxiway Reimbursement Grant to cover design and construction from last year will be prepared by the next meeting so that he will be able to send it off after the Authority approves it. Treasurer's Report: Don Ward presented a Profit and Loss statement for January and went over all the Expenses and Revenues. He stated that everything looks like it is on track. Legal Report: No Report. Board Discussion/ Approval Request: Insurance was approved earlier in the Agenda. Other Business: No Report. Comments for Advisory Council Members: No Report. Comments from the General Public: No Report. Adjournment: A motion was made by Don Ward to adjourn the meeting, second by Len Strickland and unanimously passed. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:52PM.