An incursion into the topic of hangar rentals was on the agenda for the Board of Aviation Commissioners (BOAC) at the group’s regular monthly meeting this week.

Last month, BOAC vice president Dr. Jon Dooley suggested coming up with a way to deal with and maintain procedures for the hangar waiting list. This week, Dooley presented his fellow commissioners with a resolution, containing a proposal to change the existing rules. According to Dooley, the resolution he had written coincided with the desires of the commissioners discussed at the previous meeting. Dooley explained that the resolution “outlined the procedures to be followed in maintenance and utilization of the waiting list for proposed hangar tenants at the Greensburg Municipal Airport.”

The outlined rules within the resolution included: the airport manager will maintain the waiting list; offering the hangar rentals in a fair and unbiased manner; priority will be given to tenants who have been on the waiting list the longest; hangars will only be rented to a person or business who has an aircraft if the hangar is suitable; and if the next person on the waiting list declines or cannot meet the guidelines or use the hangar, that person or business will be moved to the bottom of the list.

Commissioner Ed Dwenger was the first to give the resolution his support, followed by Commissioners Gerald Hall and Jim Pruett.

BOAC president Bill Ernstes next brought up a troublesome hangar renter who was behind on the rent payments. Ernstes said he would be “grandfathered” in. Dooley explained that sub-leases are possible, but tried to steer the board back in the direction of the resolution.

Pruett openly wondered about the proposed resolution, and worried that some people or businesses may be shut out of the process. Future businesses that wanted to rent a hangar may be left out.

“Most people, if they’re coming in to put in a business, are not going to want to wait around for six months or a year for a hangar to become available,” Hall said.

SkyDive Greensburg owner Bob Dougherty suggested that the commissioners could add to the resolution something that says only through “unanimous approval of the board” could something be different from the proposed rules, in case of businesses who wanted to work at the Greensburg Municipal Airport.

Dooley suggested re-examining the issue at the meeting in July. Ernstes added that businesses who lease the facility could be given a higher rate if necessary. The commissioners considered separate leases and looked at business operations being put on the waiting list. They also considered what might happen for someone who wants to purchase a plane and needs an immediate place to store it.

The next topic for the BOAC was payment, late fees and expulsion regarding the hangars.

Pruett suggested that 90 days was too long for a grace period for non-paying hangar renters.

“We can’t just keep letting it to and letting it go,” Ernstes said. “I know times are hard for everybody, but we just can’t.”

Dougherty brought up the next discussion for the BOAC, and said that the airport’s nearby dumpsters were causing concern. They were becoming increasingly full, and weren’t getting taken out as much, he said. The agreement, Dougherty noted, was reached for the airport to utilize the dumpsters the fairgrounds. It had not become an issue until recently, he said.

“What’s plan B?” Dougherty asked.

Pruett asked about getting the airport its own dumpsters, and the commissioners agreed to investigate.

Ernstes explained that Mayor Gary Herbert had requested that the airport board join the city of Greensburg’s Website, incurring a one time charge of $300. The site would feature the meeting minutes, resolutions and more. The commissioners approved the creation of the Website unanimously.

Before adjourning, Ernstes presented the commissioners with information regarding the finances and income. Don Manley of Butler, Fairman and Seufert requested that Ernstes sign an application for a grant request in the amount of $106,639, which the board approved unanimously.

The next scheduled meeting for the Board of Aviation Commissioners is set for 7:00 p.m. on July 27 at City Hall.