California, MD – The Airport Advisory Board (AAB) met for their January meeting Monday, Jan. 28 for a discussion on the proposed airport rules. The meeting followed contention on draft documents that spurred a public backlash.

During the Jan. 15 meeting of the St. Mary’s County Commissioners (SMC BOCC), John O’Connor [R-District 3] described the draft by stating, “you can only put so much lipstick on a pig.” He then went on to suggest that the county may need to bring in an outside consultant to help in drafting the new rules.

O’Connor’s proposal forced the AAB into action, electing to hold a public hearing during their regular monthly meeting in which they took comments from those in attendance. Commissioner President Randy Guy [R] attended and spoke at the meeting, along with John Deatric, director of the Department of Public Works and Transportation. Deatric believes that the board addressed the issues expressed during the meeting, explaining that they “came up with solutions for everything.”

The AAB meeting was seen as productive by many other than just Deatric, including the commissioners and members of the board. Vice Chair Ted Klapka stated that he thought the meeting was good and the dialogue between the “different factions” helps drive everyone “towards a consensus.”

A large part of the contention was over the way maintenance of aircraft was outlined in the document–namely, the implication that maintenance had to be done at the “designated maintenance area,” and a “limiting” statement on the use of maintenance beyond the on-airport providers. Both of these issues were addressed during a slideshow presentation by the AAB that had suggested edits to make the rules less restrictive.

During the BOCC meeting the morning of Jan. 29, Deatric and airport manager Allison Swint presented the progress made by the board. “We had a fantastic meeting last night, I’d have to say the best meeting ever,” stated Deatric, who also noted the turnout, totaling 40 people from the aviation community. The commissioners were pleased to hear about the progress, with Eric Colvin [R-District 1] stating, “You’ve really righted the ship, this is the best I’ve felt about it in a long time.” O’Connor commented on his threat from the previous meeting, explaining, “sometimes it takes telling them somebody from the outside is going to come in.” He then continued that “the option is still there if you don’t stay getting along,” in reference to the AAB.

In addition to the pilots in the area expressing their concern during the public hearing, Atkinson Aeronautics & Technology Inc. had two representatives present who expressed their desire to establish a fixed base operator (FBO) at the airport. Currently located in Virginia, the FBO would aid Airtec as the airport grows according to Deatric.

According to the current “Way Forward” chart created by the AAB the current plan is to have a draft of rules, minimum standards, and standard operating procedures document to be voted on during their Feb. 25 meeting. However, Deatric was hesitant to declare it would be ready in time, stating that it will more than likely “take more than a month.”

You can view the presentation in the archive of the St. Mary’s County Board of County Commissioners meeting on the county YouTube page.

Contact Jerold Massie at staffwriter@thebaynet.com.