Woodward city officials want more say in local airport issues

Jan. 25--WOODWARD, Okla. -- City Commissioner Steve Bogdahn said the city needs to be in control of its own assets.

That is why he and his fellow commissioners approved an ordinance Monday night revising city codes regarding the Woodward Municipal Airport.

City Manager Alan Riffel said the ordinance provided for the "revision of the composition of the airport authority to bring it more in line with the other commissions and boards that the city works with."

However, there were some in the crowd of around 2 dozen people who attended Monday night's meeting who felt the measure was being taken for other reasons.

Local pilot James Cline said he believed the city was trying to go around the airport authority after the board recently rejected an offer from a fixed base operator (FBO) to run the airport.

"I feel like someone's going around the back door," Cline said.

Dr. Don Dale agreed, noting "I think there's some politicking going on."

A pilot himself, Bogdahn assured Cline, Dale and the other pilots in the audience, who he referred to as "recreational pilots," that the ordinance revising the role of the airport authority would do nothing itself toward bringing an FBO in to the airport.

However, he said the changes made by the ordinance would mean that the next time the issue of an FBO was brought up, it would be the city commission and not the airport authority that would make the final decision.

But he and City Commissioner Gary Goetziner promised the pilots that their voices and the voice of the airport authority would still be taken into consideration if and when that decision is to be made.

Cline said he and his fellow pilots were against the idea of an FBO because of how it would affect fuel and hangar rental rates.

Based on a presentation that was made to the airport authority during a meeting in October 2011, Cline said having an FBO run the Woodward airport would likely mean "The fuel price would be raised $2 a gallon and the hangar rent would approximately double."

But Bogdahn and Mayor Roscoe Hill commented on the need for hangar rates to be increased no matter what.

One reason for the needed rental rate increase, Bogdahn said is because the airport isn't covering its expenses.

He mentioned several times a $71,000 deficit that the city has to supplement annually at the airport.

While Cline and others seemed to think $71,000 was worth the value of having an airport, Bogdahn said the city has a duty to show "fiduciary responsibility." If there was a way that expense could be reduced, he said the city has a responsibility to research that opportunity.

Especially when there are some much needed repairs that need to be made at the airport, particularly to the large round-top hangar.

For example, Bogdahn said if there was a $210,000 bid to repair the hangar, then "in 3 years we could pay for that by allowing an FBO to operate the airport" and thus saving the $71,000 the city was providing in supplemental funding each year.

While he doesn't necessarily think handing over full operations of the airport to an FBO is the answer, Bogdahn said it should be up to the city through the city commission and not the airport authority to ultimately decide what the right solution is since the airport is a city asset.

With the passage of the ordinance, the airport authority will become more of an advisory committee much like other boards throughout the city, such as the library board and the parks and beautification board. As an advisory committee, the airport authority would still be able to approach the city with ideas and recommendations for improvements, but it will be up to the city commission to make the ultimate decisions how to accomplish those improvements.

"All other boards come through here (the city commission), I see no reason why the airport authority shouldn't also come through here," Bogdahn said.

OTHER CITY AGENDA ITEMS

In other action Monday night, city commissioners approved:

--a $38,500 bid from Moore's Roofing for roof repairs at the Public Works Administration Building;

--a change order from Edward Don and Company for an increase in the amount of $480.82 to purchase a serving cart that was omitted from the original bid for tableware for the Conference Center; and

--an amendment to Siemens' lease of the spec building at the industrial park which extends the lease term to 2017 and allows for future 5-year lease renewal.

Woodward Industrial Foundation President LaVern Phillips said Siemens originally leased the 12,000 sq. ft. building for 11-months until a new 52,000 sq. ft. warehouse could be constructed. Phillips said Siemens has since discovered it has a use for both facilities, which is why the lease on the spec building needed to be extended to match up with the lease for the new facility.

Copyright 2012 - The Woodward News, Okla.