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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-15-23 - Airport Commission Minutes Page 1 of 7 AIRPORT COMMISSION ACTION SUMMARY MINUTES OF REGULAR ADJOURNED MEETING Wednesday, November 15, 2023 – 5:30 P.M. _____________________________________________________________________ 1. CALL TO ORDER: Vice Chairman Corcoran called the Airport Commission Meeting to order at 5:30 P.M. and Vice Chairman Corcoran asked Commissioner Park to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. The meeting was held in-person and via videoconference. 2. POSTING OF THE AGENDA: Posted on November 9, 2023. 3. ROLL CALL: Commissioners Present: Dave Banks (Palm Springs) Margaret Park (Riverside County) Robert Berriman (Indian Wells) Jan Pye (Desert Hot Springs) Daniel Caldwell (Palm Springs) M Guillermo Suero (Palm Springs) Kevin Corcoran (Palm Springs) - Vice Chair Rick Wise (Indio) David Feltman (Palm Springs) Kevin Wiseman (Palm Desert) J Craig Fong (Palm Springs) Keith Young (Rancho Mirage) Tracy Martin (Palm Springs) Commissioners Absent: Aftab Dada (Palm Springs), Denise Delgado (Coachella), Todd Burke (Palm Springs), Kathleen Hughes (La Quinta), Tony Michaelis (Cathedral City) Staff Present: Jeremy Keating, Assistant Airport Director Victoria Carpenter, Airport Administration Manager Jacob Colella, Airport Maintenance Superintendant Geremy Holm, City Attorney Christina Brown, Executive Program Administrator Others Present: Ryan Evers, AECOM Palm Springs Airport Commission Action Summary Minutes of Regular Adjourned Meeting November 15, 2023 ______________________________________________________________________ Page 2 of 7 4. ACCEPTANCE OF THE AGENDA: ACTION: Accept the Agenda as presented. Moved by Commissioner Wise, seconded by Commissioner Pye, and unanimously approved noting the absence of Commissioners Burke, Dada, Delgado, Hughes and Michaelis. 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None 6. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: ACTION: Approve the minutes of the Airport Commission Meeting of June 21, 2023. Moved by Commissioner Pye, seconded by Commissioner Wise and approved by the following roll call vote: 8 Yes; 5 Abstain; and noting the absence of Commissioners Burke, Dada, Delgado, Hughes and Michaelis. 7. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS: 7.A In-Line Baggage Handling System Vice Chairman Corcoran stated that this item was more of a clarification. Assistant Airport Director Keating introduced the Airport’s Baggage Handling System consultant Ryan Evers who would be making the presentation for the In-Line Bagge Handling System. Ryan Evers, Program Director at AECOM for the Baggage System Projects in the West Region and Senior Architect Michael Monis presented the PSP Baggage Handling Systems In-Line Screening Architectural Alternatives to the Commission. Commissioner Young posed a question regarding Mr. Evers’ use of the term “redundant” and whether it simply meant that the plan allows for one or more components of the system to be down and to still operate. Mr. Evers confirmed Commissioner Young’s understanding of the baggage program, and he provided additional technical details. Assistant Airport Director interjected to introduce Airport Maintenance Superintendent Jacob Colella. Commissioner Fong had a question regarding Alternative 1 and Alternative 2, as one provided more shade and cover than the other, and he asked which Alternative was more expensive. Mr. Monis replied that Alternative 1, with the full roof, would be the more expensive alternative. Mr. Evers added that the options were interchangeable with the façade and elevations. Mr. Keating clarified that the goal for today was not to select the roof, it was to select the architectural renderings. Commissioner Fong said that he believed that the option with the full roof would be a better option as it provides more cover and shade for the employees, especially with the desert summer weather. ITEM 6 Palm Springs Airport Commission Action Summary Minutes of Regular Adjourned Meeting November 15, 2023 ______________________________________________________________________ Page 3 of 7 Commissioner Wiseman inquired about the number of people who would be working inside the building on a regular basis. Mr. Evers explained that there would be an operations and control room that would include two workstations plus a supervisor’s station with a maximum of three to four people working in that room, he said that there would also be a space for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for approximately four to six people, and he noted that in 2042, the two spaces could have a maximum of eight to ten people and that it would probably be more in the range of six to seven people. Commissioner Wiseman asked if in the typical workplace location, would the employees be experiencing the benefits of the natural light or would they be in an office within the building. Mr. Evers said it would be an office environment and that parts of the building would benefit from natural lighting in the mornings. Mr. Monis added that another consideration would be glazing versus non- glazing for the windows, which would help with lighting and diminish the need for artificial lighting in the building during the day. Commissioner Wiseman asked about the impact that this would have on cooling costs for the building during the summer months. Mr. Monis indicated that there would be an overhang and the windows would potentially be frosted to help with the cooling costs, and he said that they had not calculated the difference in HVAC cooling costs between having the overhang and the frosted glass and not having the items. Commissioner Feltman asked how the inline Baggage Handling System (BHS) alternatives would intersect with the various terminal proposals in the long-term Master Plan. Mr. Evers acknowledged that he had asked the same question in the last Master Plan meeting, and he said that they would coexist in harmony. He said that they had worked with the Master Plan team to do some overlays to ensure that the development of the Master Plan objectives would not be impacted by the BHS alternatives and that the two projects could coexist throughout the evolution of the Master Plan, and he noted that the space was not a primarily allocated space for any of the Master Plan projects. Vice Chairman Corcoran asked if the alternatives had been designed to meet the demands in the 20-year long range plan, what happens if the Commission were to pick Option 3 which is building a whole new airport, would any of the BHS equipment move to Option 3 or would the Airport have to start over. Mr. Evers said that if a brand- new airport was to be built, adjacent to the existing terminal, typically a new system would need to be designed to fit within that space as part of the design process of the new terminal. Commissioner Berriman inquired about the process for physically clearing baggage that requires additional TSA screening. Mr. Evers reviewed the system process for rerouting the 20% of failed bags that require additional TSA screening. Commissioner Martin asked for clarification regarding the purpose of the open canopy area with a carousel, especially with the desert winds, high heat, and dust, and he said that he was seeking to understand the logic. Mr. Evers provided technical details regarding the baggage carousel, and he said that the reason the baggage carousel Palm Springs Airport Commission Action Summary Minutes of Regular Adjourned Meeting November 15, 2023 ______________________________________________________________________ Page 4 of 7 would be located outside was because the airlines would be loading the baggage from the baggage carousel on to carts and tugs and the baggage would be transported to the airplanes, and he said that due to the size of the baggage carousel which can be the size of a football field, it would be difficult to enclose the baggage carousel. He said that it would be a good idea to provide shade and misters in the locations that it would be appropriate. Before voting on the recommendation, Commissioner Caldwell asked if the staff had a recommendation. Airport Maintenance Superintendent Colella stated that the staff would like to move forward with recommending the option that includes the windows because staff believes that this option would reduce power consumption from the lighting which would reduce the overall cost of ownership of the system over the course of 15 years. ACTION: To recommend that the City Council approve architectural concept design #1 with windows. Moved by Commissioner Caldwell, seconded by Commissioner Fong and approved by the following roll call vote: 12 Yes; 1 Abstain; and noting the absence of Commissioners Burke, Dada, Delgado, Hughes and Michaelis. Commissioner Martin added that he abstained from voting on the motion because he was struggling to approve a motion without fully understanding the financial implications. Mr. Evers stated that they do have a professional estimator on their team who is running the Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) estimates as required. TSA has a strict process on how the Airport can use the TSA grant funds for the design and that the AECOM team was creating a round one schematic design estimate for the alternatives presented, as required. He noted that there were two canopies that needed to be added to the design and that the AECOM team would be providing the project costs to the Airport staff. Mr. Keating said that it was staff’s plan to come back to the Commission once AECOM had moved further down with the design and that having the Commission make a recommendation on the design alternative was a key piece that staff needed to identify to decide on how to move forward. Commissioner Young asked if the presumption was that if the Commission were to select Alternative 3 in process the next couple of months, the inline BHS design process would need to be fully stopped, and if the assumption is correct, would the Commission then look at alternate solutions to improve the current bag situation during that presumptively long interval until Alternative 3 is selected. Mr. Keating said that the current system must be fixed immediately, and the BHS project cannot wait on the Master Plan process. Commissioner Feltman inquired about the timeline for the BHS project. Mr. Evers said that this type of project typically takes 20 to 24 months. 7.B Measure J Projects Update Assistant Airport Director Keating stated that the Measure J Commission meeting was set for the following day, and that he and Commissioner Feltman would be presenting Palm Springs Airport Commission Action Summary Minutes of Regular Adjourned Meeting November 15, 2023 ______________________________________________________________________ Page 5 of 7 the four projects that the Airport Commission voted to recommend at the last Airport Commission meeting. Vice Chairman Corcoran added that he had had an opportunity to meet with the Measure J Oversight Committee Chairperson Naomi Soto and that he had given her a heads up on the thought process that led the Airport Commission to land on those four recommendations. 7.C Financial Summary Update Airport Administration Manager Carpenter provided an overview of the financial summary ending October 31, 2023, which was provided in the agenda packet. 7.D Concessions Update Airport Assistant Director Keating noted that the updated concession projected opening dates schedule was provided in the agenda packet, and he also noted that he included the permit status of the projects, per the Commission’s request. He said that the schedule reflects that almost every project was expected to start in December. He added that for the most part, all the retail space has been ready to permit and that staff was waiting for the contractor to be selected, as permits cannot be issued until there is a contractor in place. Paradies and The Marshall Retail Group (MRG) reported that they had been struggling with finding bidders, and Mr. Keating said that staff was confident that both Paradies and MRG were close to selecting their preferred contactors and that the projects would start sometime in the December timeframe, and he said that this may slightly delay a couple of the opening dates. Commissioner Feltman said that while he agreed that it may be difficult to find contractors, he found it hard to imagine that the Airport cannot find anyone, and he asked if there was a cost reason for this issue. Airport Assistant Director Keating noted that these were Paradies and MRG’s projects and that the Airport was not the one bidding the projects out, he said that Paradies and MRG had reported that they have had to reach out to private companies due to the lack of success during their first and second bidding rounds with local vendors, who did not demonstrate interest in the projects and that the private companies were expressing more interest, and staff had walked five or six contractors around the Airport to view the project sites. Mr. Keating said that Paradies and MRG were feeling more confident about being able to hire contractors, they were currently reviewing the contractor’s documentation and that they should be selecting their contractors soon. Commissioner Wiseman shared his concerns with the new opening date for El Marisol and Coachella Valley Coffee and meeting the coffee needs of the travelers during the peak season. Mr. Keating said that PSP Coffee was still open, which has been meeting these needs for the past two years and that El Mirasol is a new restaurant, therefore, nothing is closed at that location. Commissioner Wiseman asked whether the commissary inside El Marisol would be completed sooner. Mr. Keating said yes, a bit sooner because they got a head start on the commissary, and he clarified that it Palm Springs Airport Commission Action Summary Minutes of Regular Adjourned Meeting November 15, 2023 ______________________________________________________________________ Page 6 of 7 is all one project because the commissary cannot be used until the front of the house is open. 7.E 2024 Airport Commission Meetings Executive Program Administrator Brown noted that the schedule for the 2024 Airport Commission Regular Meetings was included in the agenda packet. She said that the regular meetings would continue to be held on the third Wednesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. except for the June Commission meeting which falls on the Juneteenth holiday and that the new proposed date is Tuesday, June 18th for this Commission meeting. Vice Chairman Corcoran requested that calendar invites be sent to all Commissioners. ACTION: Approve the 2024 Airport Commission Meetings Schedule. Moved by Commissioner Wise, seconded by Commissioner Park and approved by the following roll call vote: 13 Yes; and noting the absence of Commissioners Burke, Dada, Delgado, Hughes and Michaelis. 7.F Marketing Update The Marketing updates were provided with the agenda packet. Vice Chairman Corcoran reported that Deputy Director of Aviation, Marketing and Air Service Meier was attending an event. 8. COMMISSIONERS REQUESTS AND REPORTS: Vice Chairman Corcoran reported that the Palm Springs Air Museum received the Palm Award for Visitor Experience from Visit Greater Palm Springs. Vice Chairman Corcoran reported that Commissioner Gerald Adams had resigned, and the City would be filling the Palm Springs vacancy as soon as possible. 9. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTIONS: 9.A. Past City Council Actions 9.B. Future City Council Actions 10. RECEIVE AND FILE: 10.A Airlines Activity Report October 2023 10.B Airline Activity Report Fiscal Year Comparison 11. COMMITTEES: 11.A Future Committee Meetings Palm Springs Airport Commission Action Summary Minutes of Regular Adjourned Meeting November 15, 2023 ______________________________________________________________________ Page 7 of 7 Vice Chairman Corcoran announced that there were openings in some of the Airport Commission sub-committees, and he suggested that this matter be postponed until December to allow Chairman Dada additional time to work on assigning the new committee members to the sub-committees with vacancies. For those Commissioners that were interested in being appointed to a sub-committee, especially the new Commissioners who have not been appointed to a sub-committee, Vice Chairman Corcoran asked that those Commissioners send a note to Executive Program Administrator Brown to express their interest in serving on a sub-committee. Ms. Brown noted that there were vacancies in the Budget Committee, the Marketing Committee, and the Ad Hoc Design Review Committee. Vice Chairman Corcoran noted that the Airport Commission Strategic Planning Session and Master Plan Update meeting was currently scheduled for December 6, 2023, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and he asked Airport Assistant Director to provide some information regarding what was being planned and how staff was going to use that time. Mr. Keating reported that most of the time would be dedicated to matters that the Airport Commission met about at the previous year’s Strategic Planning Session and that much of the information would be project-based which would include reviewing the projects that had been scheduled, the progress of the previous projects, and the projects moving forward. Vice Chairman Corcoran stated that he and Chairman Dada would be meeting with the Airport staff on December 1st to review the agenda and to provide their feedback before the December 6th meeting. ADJOURNMENT: The Airport Commission adjourned at 6:30 P.M. to a Special Meeting on December 6, 2023, at 1:00 P.M. ____________________________ Paula Pak Executive Administrative Assistant