Airport users urge council to keep fuel service as budget draft omits purchases
December 04, 2023 | Lock Haven, Clinton County, Pennsylvania
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Local aviation stakeholders and business owners urged the Lock Haven City Council to preserve fuel service at the city airport after the council's draft budget showed no fuel purchases budgeted in its initial version.
Ron Rommel, president of the Piper Aviation Museum, told the council the city's apparent plan to stop buying fuel "makes absolutely no financial sense" and asked whether the omission was "a result of poor management or a deliberate attempt to destroy our airport?" He said loss of fuel sales would reduce visitors, harm museum attendance and affect downtown businesses that benefit from museum visitors.
Niles Mayes Ortiz, who said he has worked with the airport since 1972 and holds a degree in airport management, told council members he had "never seen a time where the airport has been more mismanaged" and urged a detailed audit of airport figures after inconsistent budget numbers were presented. Several speakers emphasized that an airport without fuel quickly loses hangar tenants and business activity: "you can't have an airport without fuel," a pilot and hangar owner said.
City staff told the council the draft budget did not include fuel purchases but that final budgets can change; because the airport fund's checking account was shown as overdrawn by about $380,000, any fuel purchase would require a transfer from the city's general fund into the airport fund so the city could pay for fuel purchases in the near term. Council members discussed forming an airport authority and exploring county partnership options; speakers said a proposed solar farm on airport property could have generated roughly $150,000 a year but conflicted with FAA grant conditions requiring airport-generated income to remain with the airport.
What happens next: council members said they will continue work on the budget and that the airport fund and fuel purchases will be addressed in the finalized budget in the coming weeks; stakeholders were encouraged to meet with county commissioners and staff to explore authority or partnership options.
Ron Rommel, president of the Piper Aviation Museum, told the council the city's apparent plan to stop buying fuel "makes absolutely no financial sense" and asked whether the omission was "a result of poor management or a deliberate attempt to destroy our airport?" He said loss of fuel sales would reduce visitors, harm museum attendance and affect downtown businesses that benefit from museum visitors.
Niles Mayes Ortiz, who said he has worked with the airport since 1972 and holds a degree in airport management, told council members he had "never seen a time where the airport has been more mismanaged" and urged a detailed audit of airport figures after inconsistent budget numbers were presented. Several speakers emphasized that an airport without fuel quickly loses hangar tenants and business activity: "you can't have an airport without fuel," a pilot and hangar owner said.
City staff told the council the draft budget did not include fuel purchases but that final budgets can change; because the airport fund's checking account was shown as overdrawn by about $380,000, any fuel purchase would require a transfer from the city's general fund into the airport fund so the city could pay for fuel purchases in the near term. Council members discussed forming an airport authority and exploring county partnership options; speakers said a proposed solar farm on airport property could have generated roughly $150,000 a year but conflicted with FAA grant conditions requiring airport-generated income to remain with the airport.
What happens next: council members said they will continue work on the budget and that the airport fund and fuel purchases will be addressed in the finalized budget in the coming weeks; stakeholders were encouraged to meet with county commissioners and staff to explore authority or partnership options.
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