Terminal termination?

At the regularly scheduled meeting of the Saratoga Airport Board at 1 p.m. on Nov. 14 at Saratoga Town Hall, the members of the board discussed further details regarding the removal of asbestos and demolition of the terminal tower at Shively Airfield. Fixed base operator (FBO) manager Bob Maddox also gave an update on landing fees collected by the FBO since their implementation on Oct 1.

The discussion over the old terminal building came during the report from Dave Schultz of Sage Civil Engineering. As was reported previously (see “Landing fees get off the ground” on page 1 of the Oct. 17 Saratoga Sun), the board had voted to follow through with both the removal of asbestos and the demolition of the building.

According to Schultz, during the November meeting, he felt that there was some hesitation on the building’s removal. The board, which had all members present, assured Schultz that there was no hesitation on their part and town council representative Richard Raymer stated that he was unaware of any hesitation on part of the town.

Schultz stated that he felt there might have been some hesitation due to the unique aesthetic of the building, but both Raymer and board member Ellie Dana pointed out that a new building could be built resembling the old one, but with better utilities. With that information, Schultz informed the board that he just needed the letter of hardship, written for the purpose of pursuing a 90/10 grant, on official town letterhead.

During the report from the FBO, Maddox informed the board that between Oct. 1 and Nov. 12, the Saratoga Jet Center had collected $3,400 in landing fees. This includes the $900 previously reported, making a total of $2,500 collected in six weeks.

“Looking at this, I’ll bet we’re on line for $30,000 or more per year collections,” said Maddox.

Maddox added that the FBO hadn’t heard many complaints from incoming flights, but were mostly fielding questions as to the purpose of the landing fees. Additionally, according to Maddox, the Jet Center had not had anyone leave without paying their fees. As for credit card rates and processing fees, Maddox stated “I don’t know what the credit card rate is or the FBO processing fees and I still don’t really care about that if you just want to kick that can down the road a little while.”

The next meeting of the Saratoga Airport Board will be at 1 p.m. on Dec. 12 at the Saratoga Town Hall.