Airport board elects officers

The airport board is finally back up in the air after six months without a formal meeting.

As Jennifer Hamilton and Bobby Chitwood joined the ranks of board members, the Saratoga Airport held their monthly meeting on Feb. 12.

The board realigned officers for the new board. Mike Patterson, a long time veteran to the airport board, became the new president.

“Mike has been on the board long enough to know how this operation works,” said former board president Lee Tromble.

Additionally, Lance Grubb, the second longest serving member on the board assumed the role of vice president.

New board members Jennifer Hamilton and Bobby Chitwood took on the roles of Secretary and Treasurer, respectively.

Michael Haak, of Sage Civil Enginnering, discussed the upcoming projects for the Shively Airfield Master Plan. Haak discussed the extension to the taxi lane.

Saratoga resident Dave Worthington asked if there would be a place set aside for a potential entrepreneur to offer a fueling service to airplanes. Board members discussed the idea, but decided against it due to the potential setbacks it could cause to the airport master plan.

Near the end of the meeting, Steve Wilcoxson brought up the idea of a landing fee for larger airplanes. He said that it was a suggestion that many people asked him to bring up.

“The government is giving us a lot of money here and we need to be as responsible for that money as possible,” Wilcoxson said. He said that larger airplanes cause more wear and tear on the airport runway.

However, Hamilton said that she would not be in favor of any landing fees.

“I’m against any landing fees,” Hamilton said. “I’m just telling you all that right now.”

The next airport board meeting will take place at 1 p.m., March 12, at the Saratoga Town Hall.