Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Greeneville-Greene County Municipal Airport (KGCY) Forced To Move Weather Equipment




The Greeneville-Greene County Airport Authority heard bad news and good news on Monday.

The bad news was that the Automated Weather Observation System that was installed years ago at the airport was not put in place properly and must be moved. The good news is that it will not cost the authority a penny to do so.

Authority Chairman Janet Malone told the authority that the AWOS units, which collect and transmit weather information, were improperly installed at general aviation airports all across the state, usually by being placed too close to other structures, as is the case in Greeneville. Thus the AWOS devices are being moved at state expense at every airport where they were not properly installed.

The authority voted to authorize Malone to sign the needed agreement to let the work be done.

The AWOS installation at the Greeneville-Greene County Municipal Airport is too close to above-ground fuel tanks. Proximity hampers the accuracy of data the equipment gathers, Malone has been told.She also informed the authority that a little over a month of work is likely to begin soon at the airport as the planned Med Trans site development project is likely to start within the next two to three weeks and take a month to a month-and-a-half to complete.

In 2014, Med-Trans submitted a letter of intent to the Airport Authority, indicating a desire to place a new hangar and offices at the facility to accommodate the medical helicopters, their crew and maintenance staff on an around-the-clock basis.

The authority also approved purchase of a 2004 Chevy Impala from the Greeneville Police Department to be used as a “crew car” at the airport. Crew cars, sometimes called courtesy cars, are made available for the use of flight crews who use the airport and may need short-term, short-distance car transportation during wait periods.

The Impala replaces a Jeep that had been used as a crew car. The Jeep was recently sold for just over $1,000, and that is the same price needed to buy the Impala.

The airport group also voted to hold a called meeting Friday at 9 a.m. to make budget plans for the next fiscal year. It also voted to retain, for at least one more year, its current auditing firm.

At Malone’s suggestion, the authority also voted to review its current Tennessee Municipal League insurance plan to see if changes are needed.

After Friday’s called meeting, the next regularly scheduled Airport Authority meeting will be Tuesday, May 30, the day after Memorial Day, at 9 a.m. in Greeneville’s Town Hall.

Original article can be found here:   http://www.greenevillesun.com

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