Minutes of 06-18-99 meeting of the Little River Airport Advisory Committee 1. Attendance: A. Members present: Scully, Brewer, Trent, Loy, Ahrens B. Guests present: Naomi Jarvie 2. The minutes of the previous meeting were accepted. 3. Correspondence: Copies of three letters from Bruce Raabe, of 05/28/99, 06/14/99, and 06/15/99 were distributed, along with Mr. Scully's replies. 4. Current Events: Tim Scully gave a verbal report that CDF is cutting brush at the end of the runway; weed removal and a slurry seal of the runway are due at the end of June; airport supervisor Dave Thorpe is asking that the seal be done after the July 4th weekend rush; the new fuel tank is due at the same time; and tree measurement by the pilots for the FAA is continuing. 5. Hangars subcommittee report, from Trey Loy: a bridge to the north hangar location is estimated to be very expensive. Mr. Loy wants to ask the County whether the County would like to be involved in hangar construction in order to avoid private ownership of hangars on the airport. Mr. Loy wishes to give a presentation to the County Bors of Supervisors, while Mr. Brewer just wants to ask the County this question. One way of moving ahead is to request agendization on a BOS HWPT subcommittee meeting in several months, perhaps September. Note that Stan Townsend and Chuck Boyer said in April that they see no reason why the present row of hangars cannot be continued further to the northwest. 6. Non-aviation uses of airport subcommittee, from Dave Brewer: Mr. Brewer met with Keith Paulson at a fact-finding meeting: Mr. Paulson wants 5 acres on which to build 50 self-storage units, with room for 100 more as demand warrants; roads - some paved and some rock - would be his responsibility; power and telephone are needed; water and sewage are not needed; there would be no on-site management; there would be no reversion to County ownership. Questions unasked: fencing, squatter prevention, traffic, and financing. The subcommittee feels that it needs input from County Administrator Scannell as to whether this business will sub- stantially reduce "the underperforming asset" problem for the County. Mr. Brewer will draft a letter, to be edited by Mr. Scully, and sent to the County, asking whether the County wants to finance this type of operation, in order to avoid private ownership of business on the airport, before continuing further study along these lines. 7. The three non-pilot applicants for the empty seat on the committee will be specifically invited to the next meeting of the committee. 8. The next meeting will be held on Friday, 16 July 1999, at 9:00am. 9. Adjournment: 10:25am. ********* The agenda for the next meeting is: Approve the minutes of the last meeting Communications (letters, FAXes, etc, sent/received since last meeting) Make recommendation for filling the open non-pilot seat on the committee Report on the status of the GPS approach Non-aviation uses of the airport Additional hangars at the airport Noise Abatement policy, what will we send to publishers of pilot guides regarding noise, flight training, etc.? The airport budget, actual income and expenses Reports from subcommittees Public comment Report on finances (contributions received, expenses incurred) Agree on a date, time and place for the next meeting Agree on agenda for next meeting Members of the Little River Airport Advisory Committee ------------------------------------------------------ Dick Ahrens pilot, airport neighbor Dave Brewer pilot, lives near airport Trey Loy non-pilot, lives near airport Tim Scully pilot, computer programmer, lives near airport commutes by air to Oakland weekly Willow Trent airport neighbor, non-pilot Susan Winding airport neighbor, non-pilot, business owner ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5/28/99 letter from Bruce Raabe ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bruce J. Raabe May28,1999 Tim Scully, Chairman Airport Advisory Committee Dave Thorp, Airport Supervisor Little River, CA 95456 Chuck Boyer Ukiah, CA 95482 Gentlemen: Because I will be flying to and from the Little River Airport frequently, it is essential for me to have a safe and protected storage facility for my airplane. After conversations with Tim Scully, I believe the most appropriate course of action at this time is to request permission to build one new hanger at the Little River Airport. This would be for my personal use. I am agreeable to the existing terms of your typical ground lease assuming the ownership of my hanger does not transfer to the County. It seems a suitable location exists at the end of the hanger row extending toward runway 11. I would build this hanger at no cost to the County. I realize there are some space constraints due to the drainage ditch to the rear of this area, but am confident an appropriate hanger can be build within these limitations. Please let me know what steps are necessary to proceed with this formal request. Additionally, I am still interested in building a larger cluster of hangers for the County if you determine the Airport would benefit from significant private investment. At that point I welcome the chance to discuss terms and conditions appropriate for both parties. Sincerely, Bruce Raabe CC: J. Iversen Mendocino County Board of Supervisors ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/14/99 letter from Bruce Raabe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: BJRinCA Sent: June 14, 1999 2:44 PM To: tim.scully Subject: Little River Airport Tim- We haven't spoken in awhile. I am still interested in building a hanger at the airport. In the meantime, I'd like to park my truck at the airport so when I fly in I can drive off. I am not comfortable leaving it outside. Do you know anyone who has a hanger big enough to include my truck? Are you interested in this? I'm not sure what you do with your vehicle. Most likely my truck would be at the airport most of the time as my visits are primarily during the weekend. Any help would be appreciated. Bruce Raabe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/14/99 email from Tim Scully ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tim Scully Sent: June 14, 1999 3:07 PM To: 'BJRinCA'; Tim Scully Subject: RE: Little River Airport As I tried to explain on the phone, the wheels grind very slowly at O48. I did present your letter about a private hangar to the committee, but I don't expect a final resolution until the issue of hangars in general is resolved, and that is likely to take at least a few more months. I don't keep a car in my hangar - it is explicitly forbidden in my lease. I also don't sublet space to anyone else since that too is forbidden. ... > -----Original Message----- > From: BJRinC > Sent: June 14, 1999 2:44 PM > To: tim.scully > Subject: Little River Airport > > > Tim- > > We haven't spoken in awhile. I am still interested in > building a hanger at > the airport. > In the meantime, I'd like to park my truck at the airport so > when I fly in I > can drive off. I am not comfortable leaving it outside. > > Do you know anyone who has a hanger big enough to include my > truck? Are you > interested in this? I'm not sure what you do with your > vehicle. Most likely > my truck would be at the airport most of the time as my > visits are primarily > during the weekend. > > Any help would be appreciated. > > Bruce Raabe > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/15/99 email from Bruce Raabe ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: BJRinCA Sent: June 15, 1999 6:36 AM To: tim.scully Subject: Re: Little River Airport Thanks for the reply. I have no intention of violating rules at the LRA, but how do you expect people to use and enjoy the airport with so many restrictions? At Gnoss Field almost everyone stores vehicles in their hangers while they are flying or traveling. Many hangers are also used to some degree for personal storage. All have airplanes in them of course, but what difference does it make if my plane and a car fit in my hanger? I am worried about leaving my truck outside for long periods of time. Vandalism and weather are both concerns. Don't you think the airport should look at the hangers as a resources and give the owners the flexability to maximize their utility? No wonder the rent at the airport is so low. How do I get a list of current owners/ renters? I'm assuming this is public information. When I asked for this from the airport manager I was told it was not available. Thanks again, Bruce Raabe --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------