The Feb. 20 meeting of the Carroll County Airport Commission featured a light agenda, and commissioners were excited to spice up that meeting with a discussion about the possibility of working with the City of Berryville to organize a summer aviation camp for kids.
Assistant Parks Director Christina Gillison explained the city’s ambitious plans for a variety of special camps during the summer. The city will offer three-day camps with several themes, including basketball, volleyball, fishing, and theater. Gillison said that the camps would have three-hour sessions on each of the three days, for a total of nine hours. The $35 fee would include a tee-shirt and water bottle.
Gillison asked if the airport would consider hosting a camp session, and commissioners were enthusiastic in their approval. She explained that parents would drop off and pick up their kids on site, and the city would have a staff member on hand to regulate the sessions. The commission did not settle on a date, although they tentatively suggested the end of June.
Discussion wandered into which age groups would benefit from an aviation camp, and the commissioners thought it would work better for teens than for younger kids. The discussion also touched upon a possible agenda for the camp sessions. The airport has a flight simulator in place, which would fit nicely with an aviation camp. The question arose whether pilots could take kids up in the air, and more research will be needed before a decision on that topic can be made. At the least, the kids would need a specific waiver.
Several of the commissioners immediately volunteered time to help with a camp. They suggested that even if they are unable to offer rides for the students, having a series of landings and takeoffs would keep the kids interested. Pilots would still have the possibility of arranging flights at a later date.
In other business:
- A Fly-in was planned as a lunch session for the day following the meeting. The event was expected to remain on a small scale, because of the winter weather.
- Airport Manager Mark Pepple was on vacation and did not attend the meeting. He informed commissioners in advance that he was continuing to work with providers of the fuel system, which has encountered a variety of problems in recent months. The airport has only sold 760 gallons of fuel so far this month.
- Consulting Engineer Joey Wallace did not attend the meeting, but he had sent word that steel should arrive at the end of March for construction of a new six-bay hangar.
- A hangar tenant has received commission approval to install a tank for jet fuel. The airport does not currently sell jet fuel, and this tank placement will give the airport an upgrade. The tank will go to a contractor for servicing before its placement near the tank for aviation fuel.
- The terminal building still needs some external repairs.
- The airport has added new paved space outside the terminal, and lights and fans have been installed. Wind immediately damaged one of the fans, and the airport will have to locate fans with a more appropriate design.