Airport board discusses landing fees

Saratoga Airport Board chairman Mike “Hack” Patterson submitted a letter of resignation in April. Patterson did not cite a reason for his resignation in his letter.

The letter has already been seen by the Saratoga Town Council and was effective at the June meeting.

The board has already received a letter of interest from a Saratoga resident Tyler Trevillyan.

Vice-chairman Lance Grubb will take over the position of the chairman on the Airport board.

With low attendance at the meetings, the board voted to move their meeting time to 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday every month at the council chambers.

Board member Jennifer Johnson said the meeting will coincide board members’ schedules better, as their businesses and work tend to see more business in the summer.

Moving the date and time of the meetings was initially proposed earlier this year by Saratoga airport hangar lessee Dave Worthington. The difficulty with changing the meeting time, board member Jennifer Johnson said, was finding an open spot in the council chambers schedule that would work alongside the schedule of the board members.

The Airport Board also discussed landing fees, which would charge pilots and owners to land at Shively Airfield.

Board member Steve Wilcoxson said the fees would bring much needed revenue to the town.

“The town is scratching for everything it can get,” Wilcoxson said. He added other departments are making cuts or bringing in additional revenue as well.

Johnson said she is adamantly against all landing fees.

Board member Bobby Chitwood said there could be potential for charging some of the high-end planes landing at Shively Airfield, but would be against charging the smaller planes. He said as a pilot, he would personally stay away from the airfields which charge a landing fee.

The next Saratoga Airport Board meeting takes place at 6:30 p.m. on June 24 at Saratoga Town Hall.