Airport board waiting on leases

The new lease and rental fee for the Saratoga Airport Board was tabled for one more month because the new town attorney was still reviewing the leases, Lance Grubb reported to the board.

Erickson and Roberts LLC was appointed as Saratoga’s town attorney at the Feb. 3 council meeting, replacing Tom Thompson.

The new appointment has slowed the process of the leases.

In December, Dave Worthington had questions about the new lease and rental fee, but the item was tabled.

In January, the airport board did not have a quorum and as of the Feb. 11 meeting, the board members were still unable to answer the questions Worthington had.

Dave Shultz, with Sage Civil Engineering, reported to the airport board on the status of the 2015 Group Sealcoat Project, which is expected to take place in May.

The Sealcoat project is part of the Airport’s Master Plan, in which a sealcoating is applied to the runway every four years.

The aeronautics division of the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) will cover 90 percent of the cost and is collecting bids to sealcoat several airports in Wyoming to obtain a more competitive bid.

Before the sealcoating is applied, cracks in the runway will be filled Shultz explained to the board. He is currently waiting on a bid for that project.

Applications for the funding are due to WYDOT Feb. 23 and Shultz said he expects to meet that deadline.

In other business, Richard Raymer, the Saratoga Town Council appointee was welcomed to the board and officers were elected.

Serving as president is Lance Grubb, treasurer Bobby Chitwood and secretary Jennifer Johnson, who was reappointed to serve on the airport board at the Feb. 3 council meeting.

Currently, no one has been elected as vice president.

The board also discussed the advantages of having a web camera at the airport and what grants may be available to help fund it.

Since traffic at the airport has increased over the last six years and airport manager Kim Lorenzen expects the traffic to increase with Brush Creek Ranch’s popularity and being name the No. 1 vacation spot in the United States and second in the world, the board agreed that the cameras would add to the security of the airport and the planes that land there.

The next airport board meeting is at 1 p.m., March 11, at the Saratoga Town Hall.