Minutes of topics covered at the Little River Airport part of the Mendocino
County Health, Welfare, Transportation and Planning Committee Meeting
16 December 1996 (by Dick Ahrens)

Present:  Supervisor Charles Peterson, Supervisor Frank McMichaels, Budge
Campbell, Jack Reichel, Dick Ahrens, Recording Secretary.

LITTLE RIVER HANGARS
    After 1st District Supervisor Seiji Sugawara refused to vote for the
rescission order of the 1994 hangar minute order, Supervisor Peterson gave
him a package last week which included the study and the financial analysis
done by the Ad Hoc Committee.  Supervisor Sugawara was requested to study
this material so that he would be fully prepared for the Supervisors'
Meeting of 17 December 1996.  The rescission order has been on the agenda
enough times so that it can be voted upon on 17 December 1996.  Supervisor
Peterson specifically requested an Ad Hoc Committee member be present.

RESOLUTION
    The Resolution to create the Little River Airport Advisory Committee was
discussed.  It has not been on the agenda sufficiently long to be eligible
for final vote.  The Ad Hoc Committtee interest in Paragraph 3B of the
Resolution was answered by Supervisor Peterson, who indicated that he was
not interested in muzzling any Committee, because that certainly would not
work.  Supervisor Peterson also understood our reference to "resources" in
Paragraph 3F, (although Mr. Campbell did not appear understand it at first).
We approved the rest of Mr. Campbell's notes.  It seems likely that the
Resolution will go back to the attorneys for another pass, before going to
the full Board, perhaps in January.  The order of events should be:
resolution, appointing of members, bylaws.  Supervisor Peterson indicated
that there would be a lot of "familiar faces" on the new Advisory Committee.
There was upbeat discussion of the idea of money for DPW for help with the
airports and the Commmittee, but no promises.
 
AIRPORT SUPERVISOR
    Mr. Campbell received the letter about the airport closure from Mr. Becker
on last Friday afternoon.  He did not have any prepared statement about this
issue.  He did not appear to be exceptionally happy to receive the Pilots
Association volunteer letter.  He wants one, or perhaps two at most,
replacements for the full time.  He indicated that having multiple
volunteers would cause an exceptional paperwork load for his department, and
he did not seem to believe that a volunteer roster would work every day for
two whole weeks in a row.  I believe that the supervisors were not
particularly interested in discussing what must, to them, be a DPW internal
matter.
    Mr. Campbell thought that it might be advantageous to have the airport
manager be a county employee rather than an independent contractor.

FUTURE OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
    Supervisor Peterson indicated that he wants the Committee to be an official
county committee for several reasons:
    1.    He still has an agenda as yet undisclosed (that he will 
                disclose to the Committee).
    2.    He wants the Committee to be in the thick of the political 
                fray, getting all of the
        nasty telephone calls and other diatribes directly.
    3.    The Committee will be involved in things like new hangars, 
                land use, GPS, etc.

OTHER
    Supervisor McMichaels wanted to give his thanks for all of the Ad Hoc
Committee's work.
    There was discussion of funding a County Airport Supervisor (Little River
and Covelo).
    We gave our thanks for the Noise Abatement Policy progress.
    There was general discussions, friendly give and take, and a pleasant
atmosphere.



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