VERO BEACH AIRPORT COMMISSION MINUTES Thursday, October 3, :30 a.m. City Hall, Council Chambers, Vero Beach, Florida

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1 VERO BEACH AIRPORT COMMISSION MINUTES Thursday, October 3, :30 a.m. City Hall, Council Chambers, Vero Beach, Florida PRESENT: Chairman, Barbara Drndak; Members: Arthur Hodge, Louis Vocelle, Jr., and Gary Embrey Also Present: Eric Menger, Airport Director; Lisa Ross, Airport Business Specialist and Sherri Philo, Deputy City Clerk Excused Absences: Melvin Wood, William Jordan, and Mary Wood 1. CALL TO ORDER Today s meeting was called to order at 9:34 a.m. and the Deputy City Clerk performed the roll call. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A) July 25, 2013 Mr. Vocelle made a motion to approve the minutes of the July 25, 2013 Airport Commission meeting. Mr. Embrey seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. 3. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION 4. NEW BUSINESS A) New Lease Agreement Davis Development Mr. Eric Menger, Airport Director, briefly went over staff s report with the Commission members (please see attached). He reported that the tenant plans to do at least $300,000 in redevelopment. He said the building is in need of repairs and this would save the City money by not having to repair it themselves. He said this is a very well respected company and their financials are extremely well established. Staff recommends approval of the lease to move forward to the City Council. Mr. Vocelle said the company is based out of Georgia. He asked why did they choose Vero Beach. Mr. Shannon Barton, of Davis Development, reported that Mr. Davis is a resident of Vero Beach. Mr. Vocelle said there was an incident in a T-hangar where a plane caught on fire and they did not have any insurance. He asked what is City doing to maintain compliance with insurance certificates. 1 10/13/13 Airport Commission

2 Mr. Menger said it is a constant battle. He said it is possible that someone s insurance is cancelled and the City might not find out for 30 to 60 days. Mr. Vocelle made a motion to move this lease forward to the City Council for their approval. Mr. Hodge seconded the motion and it passed 4-0 with Mr. Embrey voting yes, Mr. Vocelle yes, Mr. Hodge yes, and Mrs. Drndak yes. B) New Lease Agreement Southeast Piper / Flightline Mr. Menger briefly went over staff s report with the Commission members (please see attached). Staff recommends approval of the lease to move forward to the City Council. Mr. Embrey made a motion to move this lease forward to the City Council for their approval. Mr. Vocelle seconded the motion and it passed 4-0 with Mr. Embrey voting yes, Mr. Vocelle yes, Mr. Hodge yes, and Mrs. Drndak yes. 5. OLD BUSINESS 6. CHAIRMAN S MATTERS Mrs. Drndak said every year the Commission is required to provide City Council with an Annual Report. She said in the past she has worked with Mr. Menger in putting this report together. The Commission members agreed to have Mrs. Drndak and Mr. Menger prepare the Commission s Annual Report. 7. AIRPORT DIRECTOR S MATTERS A) Vero Beach Air Show October 5 6, 2013 Mr. Menger gave the Commission members VIP passes to the Vero Beach Air Show. He said they have a lot of volunteers helping with the event and they look forward to having a great turnout. He said their next Air Show will be held on May 10 th and 11 th and the United States Navy s Blue Angels are scheduled to perform. B) Capital Projects Update Mr. Menger reported that they received Federal and State funding for the rehabilitation of Runway He said the project is scheduled to begin late October or early November. They also received Federal and State funding for the Airport Master Plan. He said they have been very busy with leasing activities with several interested parties. 2 10/13/13 Airport Commission

3 8. MEMBERS S MATTERS 9. NEXT MEETING DATE A) February 27, 2014 Mrs. Drndak reported that the next Airport Commission meeting will be held on February 27, 2014 at 9:30 a.m. Mrs. Tracy Carroll, Vice Mayor, asked will the government shutdown affect incoming flights for the Air Show. Mr. Menger answered yes. He said the United States Navy F/A-18 Demo Team and the United States Army Golden Night Parachute Team probably will not be there. Mrs. Carroll asked has the Commission discussed in the past leasing and the concern with some of the aging properties at the Airport. She said that she has been in communication with a member of the community who is working with some individuals who may be interested in leasing the old armory site. She understands that this building is aged and needs significant enhancements to bring it up to current code. She asked have there been any discussions in terms of how the City may or may not work with a private entity that wishes to rent one of these buildings that needs significant code enhancement. Mr. Menger said staff has had discussions, but they were not at the point to bring it before the Airport Commission. Mrs. Carroll asked Mrs. Helene Castletine, Economic Development Director and Coordinator for the Enterprise Zone, to give the Commission an update on what is going on with the Enterprise Zone. Mrs. Castletine reported that the Enterprise Zone program is under review. She said officially it would not sunset until 2015, but the State agencies are doing an analysis. At the local level, they are reaching out to our legislative delegation to make sure this program stays in place. They also are reaching out to other enterprise zone coordinators in the State of Florida and sharing their strategic plan. She put together a spreadsheet showing how much has been invested in the Enterprise Zone from private businesses in terms of equipment purchase, rehabbing facilities or construction of facilities. Mr. Vocelle said at the last Airport Commission meeting, he asked if they could publicize this more by having the Enterprise Zone s website linked to the City s website. He asked has anything been done on this. 3 10/13/13 Airport Commission

4 Mr. Menger said they are working on having their own website at the Airport. He said when it is complete they would tie it in with the Chamber, as well as with their tenants. Mr. Vocelle encouraged Mrs. Carroll and Mrs. Castletine to get together and link the websites so that people will become aware of what is happening. Mrs. Carroll said that she serves on the Tourism Council for Indian River County and that proposition was brought before them about six months ago. She said they did link the City and the Chamber of Commerce websites. 10. ADJOURNMENT Today s meeting adjourned at 10:28 a.m. /sp 4 10/13/13 Airport Commission

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