The fixed-base operator (FBO) for Shivley Airfield Kim Lorenzen said that the conditions of his hangar were “over-exaggerated” by Saratoga Airport Board Chairman Mike “Hack” Patterson at the Airport Board meeting on April 9.
“I think that Hack was a little bit over-exaggerating on the condition [of my hangar]. Two of the barrels with oil, which I have approval to have, there was a little bit of oil on top of the barrel and some oil on the floor on a one by two foot area. It got even further blown in the papers that there was oil flowing everywhere throughout the hangar, and that is totally ridiculous.”
At the March 12 meeting, Mike Patterson said that he was “disappointed” by Lorenzen’s hangar upon inspection. Patterson said that there was oil spillage over barrels and on the floor which needed to be addressed due to it being a fire hazard.
Patterson said at that meeting that letters would be sent to people in violation of hangar standards.
Lorenzen said that the board needs to vote on a decision to send out letters to people.
“If the attorney is going to be writing letters, there should be a vote of the board. And last meeting, there was no motion made for a vote. Mr. Patterson is not a dictator.”
Patterson was not present at the April 9 meeting.
Lorenzen said he has since cleaned up any oil in his hangar.
Saratoga resident and Shivley Airport hangar lessee Dave Worthington asked once again if the board meetings could take place at another time besides 1 p.m. on the second Wednesday every month.
“I have to take off work once a month just to go to this meeting,” Worthington said. “I think it would be nicer for the working-man if you could move these meetings into the evening.”
Several board members discussed the moving the meeting time into the evening, but would have to check for available dates in town hall chambers.
Worthington also asked the board if a hangar lease could change to allow subleasing of planes.
Board member, Jennifer Hamilton said that there needs to be language to allow a person to use someone else’s hangar.
“If it’s someone that you know, like if I had a hangar up there and one of my buddies came up in a plane and used my hangar for a week, I want to be able to do that.” Hamilton said. “Right now, that is something that we are not able to do with the language in the minimum standards … so I don’t like that part of it.”
“I think it is pretty GA (general aviation) unfriendly,” board member Bobby Chitwood said. “If I flew into an airport and was forced to hangar at an FBO, I would be pretty upset.”
However, Hamilton and several others on the board said that there is a flip side to allowing hangar subleasing.
“What I do not want to see happen is someone listening to the radio and waiting for someone to fly in who needs to use a hangar [and charge them],” Vice-Chairman Grubb said. “I want to be neighborly and everything, but I don’t want that to start happening.”
The board said they would put this issue on the agenda for the next meeting.
The next Saratoga Airport Board meeting will take place at 1 p.m., May 14 at the Saratoga Town Hall.
Editor’s note: In the March 19 edition of the Saratoga Sun it was reported that Lorenzen’s hangar “was covered with oil”, not “oil flowing everywhere throughout the hangar”.
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