HomeMy WebLinkAbout05 05 1989 City airport board dissolvedDA
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Advisory board holds last meeting
On Tuesday, the. Sebastian Airport Advisory Board held Morrow and Ted Ahneman. The advisory board members
its last meeting. The Sebastian City Council passed an are seated at the same table at which the City Council
ordinance Wednesday night which calls for disbanding would vote to do away with the volunteer board, slightly
the board. Present for the board's last meeting were more than 24 hours later. Sun photo by George Ricker
Kenneth Meguin, left, Ed Paluch, Chairman Robert
citv air ort board dissolved
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been involved with this airport for 17
years now. "
Van Antwerp observed that many
changes are going to occur at the air-
port hi Ehe new future.
Because of the recent charter
amendments, the city will have to
impose landing fees and noise restric-
tions at the airport.
While the council has made ar-
rangements to have the appropriate
ordinances drafted, Van Antwerp said
both the noise limit and landing fees
also will require that attention be paid
to the "nuts and bolts" of enforcing
them.
He observed the city already has a
part-time airport manager and is now
proposing to hire a part-time airport
director. When the ordinances need to
be enforced, he suggested the city will
need a full-time administrator at the
airport.
In view of the restrictions imposed
by the referendum and by an airport
moratorium that has been in place for
See related story on Page 6-A
By George Ricker
The Sebastian Airport Advisory
Board died in the chambers of the
. baati n City Council Wednesday
night.
By a 3-2 vote, the City Council
approved an ordinance, which had
been requested by Vice Mayor Mc-
Carthy following last month's elec-
tion, terminating the existence of the
advisory board and redefining the
relationship between the airport man-
ager, the city manager and an airport
director, who has not been hired yet.
Before the vote, the City Council
heard from three members of the
public, who expressed concerns about
various aspects of the proposed ordi-
nance.
Airport Manager John Van
Antwerp acknowledged it might seem
strange to see him addressing the
council in a public hearing.
"But I am a member of the public,
too," Van Antwerp said, "and; I have
some time., he suggested that the only
thing the airport director will be able
to do is to supervise the activities of
the airport manager.
Van Antwerp also noted the city
was proposing to pay the legal fees
associated with the airport referen-
dum out of the airport enterprise fund.
However, he said the cost of litigation
might exceed the money in that fund.
"Why hire a director who doesn't
have a lot to do and spend money from
a fund that is already at risk?" he
asked.
Van Antwerp suggested the City
Council should amend the ordinance
to either merge the positions of airport
manager and airport director or re-
move all reference to an airport direc-
tor from the ordinance and wait to see
what is left in the airport fund after the
legal fees are paid.
Former Councilman George Met-
calf said, "I would like to point out
See Board Page 5-A