PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Airport Study Group will wrap up its work next month.

 

The group was convened by the mayor at the request of City Councilors Christopher Connell, Melissa Mazzeo, and Donna Todd Rivers. The group met throughout the year to review airport management, including a consideration of whether or not to privatized it.

 

Chairman Tom Sakshaug crafted a list of the recommendations expected to be voted in January. The group is not planning to recommend the privatization option but instead ask for other ways to raise revenues. The airport has not been bringing in enough revenue to cover expenses and the city pays some $100,000 annually to keep it running.

 

The group will be asking the Airport Commission to annually review landing fees, hangar fees, and jet fuel flowage fees on an annual basis. The airport charges fees for some 17,500 small planes and 1,500 corporate jets which fly in and out of there but nearly all of the small plans are exempt from landing fees.  That is one step toward lowering the city's annual contribution. 

 

Many planes, however, come in at night and are sometimes missed because there is no staff. The group is asking the Airport Commission to do an audit of its video surveillance system and follow up billings for those landings.

 

During the study, some councilors suggested that the airport is being used regionally, yet only the city pays for its operations. Another recommendation would be to consider a livery fee in the future to charge out-of-town resorts. 

 

The group will also be asking Mayor Linda Tyer and Director of Finance Matthew Kerwood to create a revolving account for the airport. Right now the revenues from the airport go to the city's general fund but airport officials say the goal is to become revenue positive. A revolving account would separate the books so if the airport does become revenue positive, those gains will remain in the hands of the Airport Commission.

 

Another big revenue booster is the idea of a solar photovoltaic field on airport land. It is estimated such an array could generate another $200,000 in revenues. The study group is recommending that the mayor, City Council, and the Airport Commission continue to pursue it.

 

Additional revenue could come from building a new T-hangar that could bring in as much as $30,000 a year. Airport officials say there is demand for hangar space and the city's current facilities are not adequate to meet that demand.

 

The study group is recommending that the Airport Commission come before the City Council every year to present an annual report. And finally,  the group is asking the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct a review of all of the leases the airport has signed with various entities.

 

Sakshaug said the recommendations are expected to be voted on Jan. 30 and the full report will be sent to the mayor and City Council in the spring.