Martha’s Vineyard Airport Commission is exploring options to fund upgrades to the wastewater treatment facility.
“It looks like we can, at some point, make a decision about how much money we would want to contribute to reduce the amount of debt that would go with that project,” commission treasurer Richard Knabel told his fellow commissioners. “Now, I understand also that the bid documents are going to go out shortly and we should get back … a better idea of what the final costs might be when that all comes through.”
Airport director Geoff Freeman said the advertisement for the bid “went to the general registry [on July 13],” and is now live. Sub-bids are due by August 3 at 1 pm, and general bids are due by August 17 at 1 pm. The invitation for bids is currently available on the airport website.
“It’s important to note that if we use any of our surplus cash in order to reduce whatever we need to borrow for the wastewater facility that [it] does not change the impact of our grant assurances in terms of recovering cost from that, from non-aviation use of it,” commission chair Bob Rosenbaum said. Knabel agreed with this precaution.
Meanwhile, Freeman reported that enplanements increased to 10,876 in June 2022 compared with 9,405 enplanements in June 2021, with Delta Airlines “beginning to dominate” this year. The operation of small aircraft (e.g. air taxi, military, etc.) decreased 5 percent in the same time period, from 5,960 in June 2021 to 5,678 in June 2022.
Freeman also told the commission that former Dukes County treasurer Ann Metcalf will be joining the airport as financial controller to replace Edward Christofono, who will be leaving for a job opportunity elsewhere.
Rosenbaum said he has contacted the commission chairs of New Bedford Regional Airport and Nantucket Memorial Airport with hopes of organizing periodic informal gatherings to discuss airport management, similar to the Massachusetts Airport Management Association.
“I actually had breakfast with the chair of the New Bedford Airport,” Rosenbaum said. “They are in.”
The next commission meeting will be on August 11 at 2 pm.
