Many of the items discussed at the March 7 meeting of the Airport Advisory Board were follow-ups to discussion at the Jan. 20 meeting.
Board president Tyler Naramore asked Salem City Administrator Ray Walden about the retention of that grant.
According to Walden, the grant is not in jeopardy and construction is expected to start by spring of 2023.
• The board discussed the new fuel pump needed at the airport—the $8,525 purchase of the pump was unanimously approved by the Board of Aldermen at their Feb. 7 meeting. Walden informed the advisory board that the necessary parts for the new pump are expected to arrive by the end of the month with the installation to follow soon after. The general response of the board was positive as the airport has been in dire need of a new fuel pump for quite some time.
• The airport has been in the process of acquiring a new gate opener—however, according to information that Naramore has been looking into, the cost at present for the installation of such a piece of equipment would be somewhere in the ballpark of $6,000 and that price is likely to go up.
“We would love to have that if the money is there, but I can’t see that cost being justified,” said Naramore. The gate, while important, isn’t the highest priority at the moment, according to Naramore. No one on the board contradicted his statement.
• Naramore said that he has been happy with how much the city has stepped up to take care of the poor lighting conditions at the airport, which has historically been plagued with delays. There are some other lighting-related issues that have been brought up, but the city has been addressing each of them in a timely manner. One is that the strobe lighting is not working properly; however, that lighting is not essential for basic airport operations, though it is very helpful when doing an instrument landing. Another is the precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights on the north side are only working intermittently and need to be maintenanced.
• The board also discussed possible future changes to hangar lease agreements in order to improve the operation and safety of the airport.
• Naramore also stated at the meeting that he and other pilots are grateful to Brian Johns for all of the work that he has been doing to take care of some smaller safety concerns around the airport.
• Naramore also mentioned the board’s continued desire to renovate the pilot’s lounge.
• Naramore also mentioned that the city might consider raising the fuel prices at the airport. “Like any pilot, I don’t want to pay any more than I have to,” he said. However, Naramore thinks the city can make better than 25 cents per gallon while remaining competitive with other airports in the area.
