Plymouth Airport manager, Bill Sheley told the Board of Airport commissioners at Tuesday’s meeting that he has had verbal assurances that Culver Military Academy will move their aviation program to the Plymouth airport beginning in 2018. That will require some remodeling of the airport office space. Ancilla College is also interested in creating an aviation program at the airport.
Sheley also told the board that he is planning to switch fuel companies. The current pumps need to be replaced at a cost of $12,000. He doesn’t feel that Phillips 66 has adequately maintained the old pumps and tanks. Avfuel could take over that and would provide new pumps. They want a ten year contract to supply fuel. The cost of fuel should be the same. The proposed contract has been examined by city attorney Sean Surrisi.
Both Sheley and his assistant took and passed the IDEM underground storage tank testing and are certified to maintain the underground tanks.
Two companies are interested in building private hangers on the airport grounds. They are examining that possibility. The only problem is that they would have to build a taxiway to connect those properties to the runway.
The airport has signed the paperwork for grants to re do the airport plan. Those grants amount to just over $200,000.
They are putting on hold a city offer to repave the access road and the parking lot. There is a possibility that they might have to move the road under the new plan. That decision to pave current road should be made at a later date.
Jim Kunze Correspondent
