LR’s Airport Commission elects ex-lawmaker Walker as chair
William “Bill” Walker Jr. was elected chair of the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission after a short executive session during a meeting Tuesday morning.
A first-term commissioner who was appointed under Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr., Walker previously served as secretary of the seven-member panel.
He is a businessman and former state lawmaker. Additionally, Walker served as the director of what was then known as the Arkansas Department of Career Education during the administration of former Gov. Mike Beebe.
Walker, 63, replaces Jill Floyd as chair. She had served in the role since 2022.
Along with Walker’s appointment Tuesday, Commissioner Patrick Schueck was elected vice chair/treasurer, replacing Stacy Hurst, whose term on the commission expired at the end of December.
Commissioner Tiffany Mays O’Guinn was elected secretary, replacing Walker.
The officer positions on the panel and Floyd’s status as chair were the subject of a dispute among commissioners for a period of time last year.
Tuesday’s meeting was the first of the year for the Airport Commission.
Upon assuming the role of chair, Walker asked for a moment of silence for the pilot who died in a single-engine airplane crash on Sunday.
The plane piloted by William Cope, 62, crashed shortly after taking off from Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field, authorities have said.
As part of Tuesday’s agenda, commissioners approved updates to the travel policies that apply to commissioners as well as staff.
The rules allow the airport to reimburse authorized travel and meeting expenses of commissioners while they
attend meetings, conferences and conventions on airport business.
Changes include a new option for commissioners to be able to be reimbursed for business class seats, or a similar class of seats, on flights of four hours or more. A similar provision was inserted into the airport’s policies governing reimbursable travel expenses for staff.
Under the previous version of the policy, commissioners had to pay the difference in fares if they wanted to book a higher class of seat beyond economy, economy comfort or a similar class of seats, regardless of a flight’s duration.
Also on Tuesday, commissioners authorized an agreement for the firms Clark Contractors and Con-Real to provide pre-construction services tied to a new central utility plant in exchange for up to $255,680.
The panel last month gave approval for officials to begin negotiations with the two firms.
The pre-construction work is expected to take six months.
Officials will have to return to the Airport Commission to get the approval of a guaranteed maximum price amendment in order for the two firms to proceed as the so-called construction manager at risk after the pre-construction phase.
Construction of the new central utility plant is meant to allow the airport to carry out long-term redevelopment plans.
An $8 million grant in support of the central utility plant project has been awarded to the airport as part of the Biden administration’s bipartisan infrastructure law.