The meeting was called to order by president Alan Wright at 7:00 PM. Present were: Craig Cowles, Lois Martin, Gail Hill, Gary Van Horn, Alan Wright, Ted Boer, Carole Gabel, Greg Smith, and Robert English.
The minutes of the previous meeting, which had been passed around, were read by all in attendance. Gail Hill made the motion to approve the minutes and Gary Van Horn seconded. All approved by voice vote.
Treasurer’s report: Gail passed the most recent balance sheet around. She explained that there were a couple of properties that had not tendered their homeowner’s dues yet as well as three properties that had not paid the ingress/egress agreement yet - she has just received payment for one, bringing the four down to three. The current bottom-line total is $107, 812.11. The most recent flap about an errant deposit that went into the wrong account was fully explained, and the money is now where it is supposed to be.
Maintenance: Craig described the spraying and mowing that he and Lynn are currently engaged in, with a side-bar discussion about one certain neighborhood character that took umbrage at this activity. There was also the future activity of slurry-coating the taxiways and some clean-up. Carole mentioned that it would be great if there was someone else with a riding lawnmower that can help out right now, since the grass is growing so fast this time of year. Gary put forward the idea about getting a real tractor for this particular job since it needs more machining power. This started some general discussion about what type of machine and what kind of maintenance will be required for it. No actual decision was made. Craig went on to describe what kind of drainage pipe that some people put in, some of it woefully inadequate, and that the architectural committee needs to enforce the existing regulation about the pipe size. Alan said that this had been a continuing problem, and that the IAHA really didn’t have any means of enforcement besides letter-writing.
Architectural: Greg Smith said he’d only received one application since the last meeting, and that was from the north end. The consensus from the discussion that followed that was that there would be more soon.
The next item on the agenda was the ingress/egress agreement: the most recent meeting on this was between the two lawyers, and this proved very productive and helpful. When the next revision comes back we’ll be reviewing it again and hopefully it will be something that the IAHA can sign. The big change was that the ODA can block a specific individual who is not in compliance with paying the fee by blocking their access to the taxiway. This is in addition to IAHA’s ability to put a lien on the property for that fee. Many demands in ODA’s original draft were softened to suggestions, such as using runway 34 on a calm-wind day. Alan stated that he did not like a stipulation that ODA wanted to include about hazardous waste transportation, which could allow IAHA to be drawn into a quarrel with which it has no business being involved. Alan held up his copy of the draft that went to ODA, saying that anyone who did not receive a copy by email could read it. Gary has been working on bring some historical weight to bear on these negotiations, most notably the language of earlier contracts which said the ODA “shall offer” a new contract at the expiration of the old agreement.
Gary continued the discussion from here, describing the positive reaction from his stipulation about the whole neighborhood being built with the understanding that the runway access being offered in perpetuity. The current point that Gary is working on is whether the money that had been paid in the beginning was a right to access “forever”. Also, if this point cannot be made, how we may influence the expenditure of that money that will be collected for ingress/egress for the benefit of this airport. Gail said the bill from the attorney was $5,000.00, and she considered it to be money well spent since it sped up the process immeasurably and we would still be struggling with basics if it weren’t for that. The consensus of the discussion that ensued from there was it was worth a few thousand more to finish this process correctly. Alan said that the next point worth pushing is whether the “30-year rule” (whether the money paid 30 years ago amounted to permanent access or not). Another point that entered into discussion is the recent shake-up in ODA, and what kind of mindset this newer group of ODA board members has in relation to its airport properties. Expenditures are such that the ODA is looking into divesting itself of airports, though Independence and Aurora are the current money-makers for them and they are not likely to divest themselves of either airport. Gary said the attorneys being at the table proved to be a good move on our part since the ODA now knows that they are negotiating straight across rather than dictating terms. As a last point, Gary said that the politics in Oregon are such that institutions have some long-term memory and that administration changes do not shake everything up completely (like they do in Nebraska).
The next point on the agenda had to do with a special fee schedule that the ODA has in relation to “unimproved land, facility, improved land rent” which limits fee increases to 3 percent. The potential positive outcome of that would be a 3% increase every two years instead of an arbitrary increase. More research was needed on this point, since we need to know if there were negative side-effects to this plan that would not suit us. The discussion that ensued from this point had to do with whether we would be better off using the standard rate increase or this other plan which is tied to the consumer-price index. Gail chimed in with a point about a recent Federal review of the ODA in which it was criticized for what was seen as “preferential treatment”, so the ODA was now on the defensive about airports being self-sufficient in order to be awarded any treatment that might be considered preferential. There was also some discussion about the cost of fossil fuels impacting everything done on this airport including slurry for the taxiways. Alan said he was leaning toward a cap on potential rate increases, which would
The next point had to do with any additional expenditures that might be necessary for the attorneys fees for the ingress/egress fees. Gail suggested an additional $3,000.00, which had a positive reaction from the others in attendance given the discussion we had earlier in the meeting about this. Craig seconded the motion. All approved by voice vote.
The IAHA hangar was the next point: Craig started by saying the basic estimate for putting up the basic structure was $50,000.00, and that the rest of it could be done by people in the airpark making this truly a community building. Alan had two basic points: one was a new board position which had to be created, and finding a way to access the money. The silence was deafening. Discussion which ensued had to do with what kind of person needed to be in this position. Alan said he probably would not be able to do this job justice given the amount of time he has, and it would be best if it wasn’t seen as the “president’s project” (which it really isn’t). As far as the money is concerned, Gail made her basic point which is that money raised for a certain purpose needs to be spent on that purpose alone and not funneled into something else. Gary stated that anything that was raised for this needed to be from this point forward rather than going back to money that had already been raised. Another point was brought up about the proposed building: if it was put up with anything but “donated” money it could have tax and liability consequences that no one wants. The North Annex’s potential involvement was also brought into discussion, as well as ramifications of people who would want to “buy in” after the building is up which could ignite emotions on the part of people who had been involved from the beginning. During the ensuing discussion, Gary said that until we found a “champion” for this project it probably wasn’t going to happen. Frank Cook, Rod Gable, and Dave Martin were brought up as possible candidates. Carole suggested the Horns might be a possible candidate to spearhead this, and they would be back in a couple of weeks. Further discussion from this point had to do with the process that might happen from there. Alan said it would be best to move forward as quickly as possible, due to the fact that there was only one piece of land that could be used, while keeping due process in mind. Gail made the motion to allocate $1,500.00 to the attorney to review the CC&Rs so that the legal work is accomplished by the time everything else is in place. Craig asked whether this would send a signal that the Board is already going ahead with the project. The explanation was this was for legal fees only, which serves as groundwork for the language necessary to make the proposal to the general membership. This is a concept only at this stage – the finalization process will come later. Lois seconded the motion for the allocation for legal research. All approved by voice vote.
Next, Gary delivered a report from the ISAS quarterly meeting which was held Monday the 10th (yesterday). The survey stakes that are up are part of a project that is currently ongoing to build an apron, an area for helicopters, and fencing on the south end to keep stray pedestrians off the airport property. The restaurants should be open by the end of the month, and the new owner should be available to do the barbequeing for the Memorial Day Fly-By celebration. Independence Airport is one of 11 airports which is being allotted Federal funds for state-owned airports, which amounts to $150,000.00 per year, and ISAS needs to be vigilant to make sure that Independence gets its allotment (the work currently ongoing is being funded by these monies). The county building inspectors have been through the area and have made some comments about a lack of preparedness for fire or earthquake. Also, there are 80 people who are currently signed up to “watch” the airpark as part of the Airport Security Watch.
The next topic was the new ISAS by-laws – some discussion was tendered on this, with some details being read by Gary. Lois brought up a basic point that eluded everyone up until now: the definition of the board as the “ISAS Group” might be confusing, and changing it to “ISAS Board” would be clearer. Some finer points of representation within the ISAS structure were discussed. The ISAS meeting to discuss this draft is to be Wednesday the 12th (tomorrow night), so each point was gone over with that in mind. While this was going on, the usual methods of ISAS opinion research were discussed and points brought up that would be brought to the meeting the following evening. Alan’s main point was that ISAS have an established channel of communication between it and the various groups that form its base. Gary asked Alan to write up a general point about this for inclusion in a future draft of the By-Laws. It would be included under “Duties”.
The update on the CC&Rs that was approved in December has not been filed yet, as the definitions of the property covered (which is listed in the back of the CC&Rs) is riddled with errors. Alan had to go back to the original plats to get an accurate description. The attorney is reviewing it, and when it comes back from him it needs to be signed and sent in for recording. Next week is a likely target.
Marquis Spa, coming under stricter laws regarding emissions, has requested to raise their stack height to keep the styrene fumes away from airpark residents. The company has had nuisance complaints lodged against it for excess fumes, and the cheapest thing they can do is to raise the stack (which they want to raise as little as possible). They would like to raise it 3 meters (9 feet approx.), which will make the lots more livable, but an additional meter would make it better. There was an opportunity for the company to put in a treatment center that would reduce the emissions to practically nothing but that was too expensive for them. The discussion turned to Medallion briefly, as their fumes are affecting the south area to a greater degree than Marquis, but there will probably be an opportunity to deal with them later. Carole made a motion to suggest a 3-meter extension to the existing stacks. Gail seconded with the proviso that Alan write an article about it for the neighborhood newsletter (Lois is now editing it). All approved by voice vote.
There was no new business. Carole mentioned that there would be fiber optic lines laid soon, though they have to stop at the railroad tracks (they will not grant right-of-way for placing cable under the tracks).
The meeting was adjourned at 10:05 PM.
Respectfully submitted by Robert English, secretary