(Wiarton) -
Changes are coming to the Wiarton-Keppel International Airport.
The
Joint Municipal Service Board, which governs the facility, has decided
to terminate Politiri Aviation's contract, effectively removing the
Airport Manager.
Chair of the board, Dwight Burley, tells
Bayshore Broadcasting News Ken Hamilton was appointed as the Airport
Manager in October of 2012, and his contract was to be reviewed in
November of 2015.
Burley, who's also the Deputy Mayor of Georgian
Bluffs, says the board is exercising its right to discontinue to
contract because of the management team's lack of synergy.
He tells us the atmosphere of conflict worsened and decisive action was required.
Hamilton was informed of the decision on Friday morning.
The Accountable Executive has now appointed an interim management team for the airport.
It is J-B Property Management Group with Brad Gault and Don Jensen.
A
Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued, but with the municipal
election scheduled for October 27th -- Burley says the new board will be
tasked to review the applicants and hire Hamilton's replacement.
The
Chair concedes that Hamilton and his company (Politiri Aviation
Holdings) were qualified to manage the struggling facility, however the
cons outweighed the pros.
Under the contract, Hamilton must have 60 days notice before leaving the post.
The future of the airport remains in limbo as it needs million of dollars in repairs to keep its certification.
As
you may remember, last summer's federal audit/examination found the
5,000-foot-long runway had deteriorated and needed to be replaced or
repaired.
The approach lighting also needs to be upgraded.
The
Wiarton-Keppel International Airport was downloaded to the
municipalities from the federal government in 1999, and very little
maintenance has been done since.
Any repairs require the approval of South Bruce Peninsula and Georgian Bluffs.
Source: http://www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca
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