Airport could approve new hangar with long-term lease

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In November, the Carroll County Airport Commission heard a proposal to build a large hangar at the airport, and that discussion continued at last week’s commission meeting.

A committee had compared the cost of a ground lease at other airports, and commissioner Dave Teigen said airports in Rogers and Harrison would charge as much as $19,000 per year for the ground lease on a building as large as the hangar under consideration. The Hot Springs airport offers lower rates, and commissioners agreed that Carroll County could not charge as much as those airports.

Chad Doyle plans to relocate soon, and he told commissioners in November that he really likes this area and this airport in particular.

Commissioners voted to let Teigen continue negotiations with Doyle. They did not set specific rates because those rates could depend on other provisions of the lease. For example, Doyle might pay a larger advance payment, to avoid cost-of-living increases later. He might also pay some infrastructure costs up front, in exchange for a reduced lease rate.

The lease terms could range from 25 – 35 years. Doyle’s proposed building, 100 ft. square, would fit in an open area on the south side of the runway. Doyle said he owns several planes and works on other planes. He may hire several employees.

Commissioners may call a special meeting to approve a lease, because Doyle said he has tax incentives for investing his money quickly.

Courtesy cars in insurance limbo

Justice of the Peace John Howerton has attended CCAC meetings in the past year, as a liaison with the quorum court. He told the commissioners that the quorum court had forgiven the last $13,000 of a loan the airport owes to the county. Commissioners asked Howerton to relay thanks to the full court.

Howerton asked the airport to stop using courtesy cars until the county can pursue insurance questions. He said the county discovered that its insurance only applies if a county employee drives a vehicle. Because of the slow time of the year at the airport, commissioners said grounding the courtesy cars temporarily would not impose a hardship. Consulting Engineer Dan Clinton said he would check with other airports to see how they handle insurance problems.

Cell tower placement and LEDs in the spotlight

Clinton discussed a cell tower proposed for a nearby location. The tower would be located on the west side of Hwy. 143, north of U.S. 62. Clinton said it was unlikely the commission could keep the tower from being built, but the tower might be required to have additional lighting because of its proximity to the airport.

Early in the discussion, commissioners thought the tower and its web of guy wires might lie close to the path taken on a missed visual approach, but further study showed that route would take planes due west, not toward the tower. Air traffic flies in from the Table Rock Lake area, however, and that tower would lie in that path. Airport Manager Michael Pfeifer will call the Federal Aviation Administration to find the procedure for registering objections.

Clinton also discussed plans for improvements. The new Master Plan will include some long-range goals, and the airport has immediate plans to replace runway lights with LED lights this year. Taxiway lights may be replaced next year. Those lights would operate more efficiently, and the transformers would be located in the same concrete can. A federal grant will pay the costs of moving the wind cone and its identifying segmented circle.

With the addition of Jimmy Kelley, the commission has seven members at the table. Noting how long the commission had operated without a full panel, commissioner Morris Pate joked, “We’re making history today.”