It’s been a busy past few weeks at Obion County’s Everett-Stewart Regional Airport and the schedule is not slowing down for airport manager Jo Ann Speer and the airport commission.
She met early today with the airport commission for a meeting that lasted just over an hour. The board’s 11-item agenda was highlighted by a series of reports about recent and future airport projects.
“It’s about to get busy again,” airport engineer Randy Hudgings told the commission. “We’ve got a lot of projects about to kick off.”
His statement came as he announced final inspections have been completed on the runway extension and there are some minor changes being made to bring the runway extension project into compliance with Federal Aviation Administration guidelines.
Hudgings also reported work is progressing on new fencing that is planned around the airport property and an airport layout plan is being developed. That airport layout plan is expected to be completed in about six months, according to Hudgings.
With all the projects being planned at the local airport, Mrs. Speer formally presented the board with two major state aeronautics awards — the 2011 Governing Body of the Year Award and the 2011 Red Carpet Award. She also gave a glowing report on this past weekend’s CornFest Airport Extravaganza.
“We had a great air show,” she told the commission. “We had a good lineup.” A slide show featuring photos taken during the two-day air event was shown during today’s commission meeting.
Looking to the future, Mrs. Speer reported grant contracts are currently being reviewed by the county attorney for three airport projects — the planned removal of underground storage tanks, new row hangars and a drainage ditch. Mrs. Speer also reported the local airport will be hosting a state delegation next week.
The delegation will include a group of foreign economic development officials and the visit is being coordinated by the Obion County Chamber of Commerce.
Two other major projects were also brought up during this morning’s meeting. The airport commission voted to proceed with plans to bring a new agriculture/aviation operation to the airport and will begin work on establishing a new area at the airport to locate the airport’s agriculture/aviation businesses. The commission will consider locating cropdusting services away from the existing hangars at the airport to an area near the south end of the airport runway.
There are two sites being considered and the commission will work with the three cropdusting services as well as with a church that is located at the south end of the runway — Stanley’s Chapel United Methodist Church.
“We definitely need to move our ag operators from where they are,” Mrs. Speer said.
With all the projects the airport has going on, all Mrs. Speer’s hard work as the airport manager has not gone unnoticed.
Two committee meetings, the Personnel Committee and the Maintenance/Capital Improvements Committee, met prior to today’s 8 a.m. airport board meeting. The Personnel Committee finished up work on a job performance evaluation of Mrs. Speer, which was presented to the full board.
Mrs. Speer was evaluated on five areas and “she excelled at all of them,” Personnel Committee chairman Mike Holman said. “She is an excellent ambassador for the airport.”
Others on the airport commission voiced their praise of Mrs. Speer’s work, including longtime airport commission member David James.
He pointed out that he has served on the airport commission for about 28 years and in that time, “You’re the absolute best (airport manager) that’s ever been here.”
“I think Jo Ann is doing an excellent job,” commission member Jimmy Westbrook said.
Mrs. Speer’s positive job evaluation preceded the board’s approving a bonus and three additional holidays for the airport manager. Also, based on a recommendation from the Personnel Committee, the six non-salaried workers at the airport will receive pay raises. Mrs. Speer was given the authority to determine the amount of the pay raises for her employees.
Also during this morning’s meeting, it was announced that bids will be opened at 1 p.m. Oct. 17 for lease proposals for the airport’s farmland.
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