Board increases annual permits at airport in Colt

Board chairman says agricultural services not following DRAA rules

Members of the Delta Regional Airport Authority on Thursday agreed to increase the cost of permits for using the facility due to a problem with agricultural services.

Cropduster pilots using the airport as a loading zone, according to board chairman Shannon Hobbs, are not abiding by the airport’s rules.

"Agricultural use of this airport has always been a controversial issue," said Hobbs. "They way that I have been trained since I became associated with the Delta Regional Airport is that we cannot deny someone the use of a public airport for agricultural use. We can deny them for liquid application because we do not have a liquid loading facility or any way to catch it if they have a spill. That is not an issue. Fertilizers seem to be the issue."

According to Hobbs, there are fertilizer piles in multiple places that range in height from small to large.

"We had a customer come in yesterday and bring me his annual use permit, which costs $1,500," said Hobbs. "We deposited that into our account and they showed up shortly after here at the airport. Danny was here on site and I told Danny that Garver has asked for not over 50,000 pounds gross be on the ramp on a semi. The first load in here was just shy of 70,000 pounds. They got a little smart when we asked them about it. They got it out, used the airport, and when they were done and gone, we got pictures of the fertilizer piles that were left all over the ramp. Danny will have to come out in the morning and get the piles cleared off. We don't want a jet landing and sucking up fertilizer into its turbines."

Hobbs said people who are using the airport to load and applicate fertilizers are not following any of the guidelines.

"This is a constant issue," said Hobbs. "This is a customer who doesn't have anyone doing his flying so he is bringing a person from out of town to take care of it, and they are leaving the ramp a mess. I don't think we can deny them use of the airport, but we have to do something. We have an issue every time they come here to use the airport. We ask them to load in the far corner of the ramp, but when we come out here, they are loading at the entrance of the ramp instead."

"Well, one thing is to tell them if they can't follow the rules, then no more," said board vice chairman Chad Runsick. "However, as you are saying, we cannot deny them the use of the airport. The other option would be to make it so expensive that they can't use the facility."

"That's where I was going," said board treasurer Corbin Brown.

"Do we have any written guidelines that say they cannot come onto the ramp with more than 50,000 pounds gross?” asked board member Kendall Owens.

"No, but I can get Garver to write something up," said Hobbs. "Does the board have a problem with entertaining $2,000

(Continued from Page 1) of a deposit instead of $1,500?"

“If they are not willing to follow the rules, the only way you will be able to stop it is by having a conversation with the farmer," said Owens. "We would have to tell them that these issues are about to force our hand to make the rate to use the airport so high that you wouldn't want to use it. We don't want to do that, we would rather do business with you, but we can't have your people leaving our property like this."

"Why are we calling the farmers?” asked Brown. "They don't have an airplane."

"Because they are paying the bill," said Owens.

"I understand they are paying the bill, but they are not landing the airplane," said Brown. "I agree," said Owens.

"I am with you on raising the rate," said Brown. "Let's hash out a contract that they will have to sign, but we need to get the pilot, the ones doing the load and application. It is their responsibility. The farmer wants it done so he calls the pilot."

The board agreed to increase the deposit to use the airport to $2,500 per permit.

According to Hobbs, Spatco, the company that installed the Jet A fuel system, is pushing for the airport to back off late fees.

"Spatco calls themselves complete on the job and Garver has given the check-off," said Hobbs. "We started assessing the damages, and it is going to equate to about 11 to 15 days of damages. I say damages, but it is late fines. Those fines are going to accumulate somewhere between $10,000 to $15,000 that will come off of the project cost upon completion. I think everything is up to par. I am going between Spatco and Titan now, trying to get Titan everything they need and he promised me that we could get to business soon.

“Spatco is wanting us to lay off of them a little bit and I am having no mercy,” continued Hobbs. “We started this project back in June and we should have been done in November. We missed a lot of money. We missed some today. We had a plane in today from the Texas Department of Corrections loading inmates out of Cross County that needed jet fuel and we couldn't sell to them. We are close and we are going to get there."

During the meeting, the board also accepted a bid for baling hay at the property.

The largest of the bids was submitted by Bobby Huckaba for $16.77 an acre, with the second from Allen Doane for $15 an acre. Bids were also received from Eddie Raper for $10 per acre and Arlis Cummings for $6 per acre. The board approved the bid from Huckaba to bale the hay on the airport property for four years.