For the Carroll County Airport Commission, 2018 was a time of optimism and growth, anguish and frustration. Commissioners started the year with the news the Carroll County Quorum Court had again allocated $40,000 to maintain and operate the county airport in spite of the fact commissioners had made clear that amount was at best enough for bare bones operation but not enough to continue upgrading the facility. Nevertheless, there was plenty of good news.
Re-evaluating leases and fuel price
Toward the end of 2017, commissioners had increased the cost of short-term leases for hangars at the airport by $5 per month. In January, pilot and airport supporter Harper Goodwin. who has a long-term lease at CCA, pointed out he pays for his own electricity but such was not the case for all hangar lessees. He estimated CCA could save as much as $2500 annually by having anyone with a hangar pay for electricity used. Commissioner Dave Teigen, who also leases a hangar for his plane and gets his own utility bill, said he has paid electricity at every airport he ever leased in.
Commissioners agreed to leave the existing short-term leases as they are, but increase all new leases effective immediately by $15 to cover electricity. Existing leases would get the increase in 2019.
Commissioners also voted to charge $15 per month for personally-owned vehicles being stored in hangars, effective Feb. 1, and $30 per month for long-term (30 days or more) for outside tie-downs effectively immediately.
In May, Pfeifer stated there were more than 300 landings at CCA during April, and he sold 2331 gallons of fuel for $8245. Since gas prices were increasing, commissioners authorized him to set a fuel price at 15-30 percent above cost. At a subsequent meeting, Pfeifer reported pilots had no problem with the increase.
During June, there were 164 operations and 1213 gallons of fuel sold for $5401. In July, there were 183 operations and 1547 gallons of fuel sold for $6885.
Projects and improvements
Engineer and consultant Dan Clinton of Grimes Engineering continued to find grant funds for maintaining and improving the infrastructure at CCA. In January he reported the taxiway resurfacing was complete, and came in $5000 under the bid.
Next would be an upgrade to the PAPIs (Precision Approach Path Indicator) and REILs (Runway End Identifier Lights), the lights at both ends of a runway. Clinton said CCA would see a noticeable reduction in electrical expense because of more efficiency.
In February, a grant for $50,000 was approved to refurbish the 60×60-foot hangar on the south side of the property. Besides the hydraulic door and frame, other improvements would include new LED lighting, insulation and electrical wiring upgrade. Commissioners were confident the hangar, once refurbished, would house two planes, maybe three, for steady additional revenue for CCA.
By May, all hangars were leased and manager Michael Pfeifer had a waiting list of prospective tenants. However, Clinton told commissioners in June federal money for hangars had been limited to $250,000, so funding for an eight-bay hangar like the one they recently built would not be possible, but the commission could try for a series of four-bay hangars.
In July, Clinton said he would prepare a Request For Qualifications for someone to prepare the Master Plan, which he would submit in September, and also submit a grant proposal for federal funds to pay for it. He added he considered the increasing drop-off along the taxiway a county issue, but would prepare a 50-50 state grant to address it, which would also include sealing the ramps in front of hangars.
Pfeifer encountered difficulties finding someone to build the appropriate door for the 60×60-foot hangar, but in September he reported he had succeeded. The door would take as long as 20 weeks to construct. In October, Gary and Heather Robison told commissioners they had negotiated with Pfeifer to take possession of the 60×60 hangar as soon as repairs were completed.
The Robisons’ goal was to turn the hangar into a support center for the Raptor kit aircraft being developed which Gary predicted would change general aviation forever.
Clinton told commissioners in November everything was in place to begin the project to upgrade the runway lighting. The project was funded by an FAA grant. He said Congress had appropriated money from which they will get a grant for resealing all the hangar aprons, but the funds might not be released until spring 2019.
Also in November, Matt Truelove introduced a proposal in which his family, in conjunction with pilot Harper Goodwin, would build an 80×80-foot hangar on the southwest part of the CCA property.
Fly-ins and fundraisers
Pfeifer staged breakfast fly-ins on the third Saturday of each month, weather permitting. In January, he passed along this letter from recent attendees.
“My wife and I are new to flying and recently discovered the airport in Carroll County. In the last year, we have made four trips to the Carroll County Airport traveling to Eureka Springs and Branson. We love the airport and hospitality that Michael provides when we fly. The service is tremendous, and we plan on making lots of trips in the future. It has become our favorite destination!” Gary and DeLana Aylor.
Pfeifer reported at the May meeting a recent fly-in drew more than 50 aircraft and many locals who drove in. Volunteers helped feed everyone and CCA netted almost $600.
Working with QC
Commissioner Sandy Martin reported in July her experience with Quorum Court budget committee members had been positive and she saw residual disharmony fading. Commissioners assumed CCA would always need financial support from the county, but commissioner Dave Teigen contended, “If the county would help CCA get as many as ten more hangars on the south part of the property, we might not need to bug them again.” He pointed to tremendous growth in Northwest Arkansas.
Martin pointed out it was maintenance issues that deplete their budget every year. “If the Quorum Court would help with improvements on county property, CCA would move forward. It’s their investment,” she remarked.
However, in November Martin announced the initial 2019 budget announced by the Quorum Court budget committee again allotted $40,000 for CCA which she said would mean their budget would run dry during spring. Commissioners noted all the improvements to county property through Pfeifer’s hard work and state and federal grants plus CCA was becoming more popular among pilots.
Martin and commissioner Jason Tennant appealed to the budget committee and received a compromise allotment of $50,000 for 2019 plus $10,000 relief on a $19,000 loan. Commissioners commented the extra funding would simply delay what they were trying to avoid which was having no funds to maintain county property and remain in compliance with FAA regulations. Tennant pointed out their request of $60,000 for the year would allow them to operate at a bare bones level while some hangar maintenance, for example, would have to be deferred.
Martin suggested the county begin to prepare its exit strategy, insisting it appeared the budget committee either did not recognize the facts or was choosing to ignore them.
Teigen said he did not want to be a member of a sinking ship. He said if Judge Sam Barr could find a better commission, he would be ready to resign. Martin also said she would resign although she did not want to simply walk away and leave CCA dangling.