CITY COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM

Department:	Public Works - Airport		Commission Meeting Date:  February 6, 2018
Staff Contact:	Charles F. Soules, Director of Public Works
Recommendations/Options/Action Requested:
Adopt procedures for Parachute operations at the Lawrence Municipal Airport and approve the Minimum Standards for Commercial Aeronautical Operators.
Executive Summary:		On February 7, 2017, the City Commission received a memorandum from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding the Parachute Landing Area Assessment.  The Commission moved to refer the item to the Aviation Advisory Board for review and development of standards and policies to conduct such operations and report back within 90 days. The Aviation Advisory Board appointed a subcommittee to research and develop a Draft Policy and Procedures and revise the Airport Minimum Standards (attached). The draft policy and procedures considered both the United States Parachute Association’s (USPA) and the FAA’s guidance on the operation of a parachute landing area at the airport.  The draft was submitted to the USPA’s Director of Government Affairs for review and comment.  Additional resources are attached. The Draft was submitted to the FAA on April 19, 2017 for review.  The City has requested the FAA’s review and comments on this draft several times (4/19, 5/11, 6/23, 8/8, and 9/22) and has received no response.  On October 4, 2017 the Aviation Advisory Board held a meeting to receive public comment.  This meeting can be seen at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYxEFEEFTkI After receiving comments, the Board directed the subcommittee to review those comments and recommend any changes. The City also had a legal review of the Proposed Policy and Minimum Standards.  The review concluded that the Proposed Policy and Minimum Standards are in accordance with FAA and USPA guidance, and the policies do not provide for unauthorized exclusive rights to other airport users. The Board approved, forwarding the Policies and Procedures and Minimum Standards to the City Commission for approval on December 14, 2017.
Strategic Plan Critical Success Factor		Economic Growth and Security
Fiscal Impact (Amount/Source):		There is no immediate fiscal impact to the City from adopting the procedures as recommended. The City will incur future costs to accommodate private parachuting activities, including work needed to provide a landing area, insurance costs and revising the Airport Layout Plan.  Fees for skydiving will need to be established to offset facility and personnel costs to monitor these events. As the fiscal impact of these factors become clear, these costs and offsetting fees will be addressed through future budget processes.
Attachments:		Policy & Procedures/Minimum Standards Memo Policies & Procedures (Draft) Minimum Standards (Draft) Resources History of Requests for Skydiving

Reviewed By: (for CMO use only)

☐TM ☐DS ☐CT ☒BM