Airport manager to retire in May

CHICO >> Airport Manager Sherry Miller will retire in early May, but the city hopes to find a replacement before she leaves.

Public Works Director/Operations Eric Gustafson made the announcement at Tuesday’s meeting of the Chico Airport Commission, with Miller there in attendance.

Miller was hired in 2016 after the position had been vacant for a number of years. Others on the city staff, including City Manager Mark Orme, have filled in with airport duties.

Gustafson said recruitment to fill the airport manager’s position will start next week. There will be a few changes in the position’s job duties, including more economic development responsibilities.

Miller will be leaving Chico to move to Arizona with her husband.

The city is in the midst of efforts to attract a commercial airline to Chico, and Miller said before the meeting that she didn’t expect her departure to negatively impact that effort.

Chico lost commercial air service in 2014, and Miller has been approaching numerous airlines about potential air service here.

Gustafson said the city hopes to have a replacement by April so Miller can update the new manager before she leaves.

Gustafson said he imagines two groups involved in interviewing the applicants, including one of city staff that would include two members of the

Airport Commission, and another community based one.

Miller has spent much of her time updating the airport’s lease agreement policy, keeping the airport’s general aviation operations going, along with talking to airlines about Chico, among other efforts.

Also on Tuesday, Gustafson noted the city is looking at a federal grant to reconstruct one of the runways, which has been identified to have “failure points” by 2026 in various locations.

It looks like the city will qualify for a $12.6 million federal grant which will cover 90 percent of the project cost, and then have to come up with or identify a funding source for the city’s 10 percent match.

If the city gets the grant, which looks likely, the design work would occur this fiscal year, with construction over 202021.

A new runway would be attractive to commercial airline service, along with existing airport businesses, Gustafson noted.

The runway could be closed as long as three months, but the city would try to work around businesses at the airport, along with Cal Fire-Butte County’s air attack base.