The Choteau Airport now has an attendant on site weekdays under a management services contract signed on Oct. 11.
The Joint City-County Airport Board has been meeting with Mark Scharf, representing 3 Rivers Aircraft Management Services L.L.C. of Great Falls, since March. Three Rivers leased space in Harold Yeager’s building at the airport and Scharf has been working on a way to provide the oversight services while building his airplane inspection and repair business.
In a follow-up e-mail, Scharf said he was pleased with the signing of the contract with the Airport Board. He said it was a complex negotiation, not from a lack of interest by all parties, but because of the requirement to comply with city, county, state and federal rules and regulations.
Under the terms of the contract, 3 Rivers will dispense jet A fuel and monitor the low-lead aviation fuel system, ordering the fuel and keeping records of the sales.
Its compensation for its services will be 80 percent of the profits from sales of Jet A fuel after subtracting what the board paid for it. Three Rivers will also receive 50 percent of the profits on aviation fuel.
Three Rivers will turn in a monthly claim for the fuel sold and check that aircraft lights are working, that areas are mowed or plowed and notify the board of any issues. The company has been given the first right of refusal to rent the city/county owned hangar that the Teton County Road Department is using temporarily while it new shop is under development on State Highway 220.
“Three Rivers looks forward to providing the Choteau airport with a permanent presence in place for day-to-day fueling operations, as well as basic maintenance of the airfield per the contract. This will be especially helpful as winter comes around. We intend to keep Choteau airport open as much as possible to support our aircraft maintenance business as well as our affiliated flying service (primarily flight instruction and aircraft rental), which has seen a definite increase in interest,” Scharf said.
The airport board had submitted an airport improvement grant to the Federal Aviation Administration last year, but it was put on hold when the FAA determined that the privately-owned Yeager building, whose owners have a long-term ground lease at the airport on what the FAA deemed prime airport property, was not being used to house an aircraft-related business.
Scharf, who retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel from the Montana Air National Guard in August, has now met the FAA’s condition of having an aircraft-related business in the building. The business address is 1503 Airport Road, Choteau, and his phone number is 406-466-3781.
Steve L. Engebrecht, a civil engineer for the FAA in the Helena airport’s district office, said he reviewed several versions of the management contract and offered suggestions, a process that has kept the FAA “in the loop.”
He said, “We want to make sure we don’t have issues. It’s good for the airport to have that operator. Hopefully things will work out.” When he heard that the final version of the contract had been signed, he said, “I would say we are good to go to issue a grant for improvements.”
Engebrecht was referring to a new round of grant applications for airport improvements, this time projects under $50,000, to pave the taxi lane by the fuel pump, and to “fog seal” the runways. The board’s contracted engineer, Stelling Engineers, attended the Oct. 11 board meeting to ask whether the board was ready to pursue grants again.
Jeff Walla and Michael Beckhoff representing Stelling Engineers, suggested a $200,000 project for engineering and pavement maintenance, something that should be done every five years, but upon getting the board’s direction, they said they would work on the limited scope of the taxi lane paving first.
Commissioner Arnie Gettel was optimistic seeing the final version of the management contact penned. “If it works out, it’s the best thing to happen in a long time up there. If it works, it will take a load off the board,” he said.
In other business, the board learned that Yeager’s business, The Repair Shop, could service the Jet A fuel truck for an estimated $450, not including repairing the hand throttle. In addition, the city of Choteau will sweep the ramp and taxiway of debris that has accumulated during the course of takeoffs and landings.
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