"Aberdeen, S.D., Airport Board Considers Store despite Small Claims Judgment"

Friday, October 5, 2002

Aberdeen, S.D., Airport Board Considers Store despite Small Claims
Judgment
The American News, Aberdeen, S.D.


The South Dakota Made Store still has a chance to lease space in the
Aberdeen Regional Airport terminal. 

Airport board members decided Thursday that recently obtained
information about small claims judgments against Tim Conlon of the
Bristol store didn't show a "real history of bad business practices,"
Airport Manager Tom Wylam said. 

Aberdeen city commissioners tabled action on leasing the establishment
18 square feet of terminal space last month when Janice Mohr of Mohr
Fencing of Aberdeen told them of her business' problems with Conlon. The
issue was sent back to the airport board for consideration. 

Conlon has said he was overcharged by Mohr Fencing. And he said because
the South Dakota Made Store is owned by his wife, Robbyn, the two issues
should not affect each other. 

The South Dakota Made Store sells products made within the state,
including crafts, art, food and furniture. The Conlons spoke to Aberdeen
Airport Board members in August about leasing the terminal space to sell
some of their products. 

They are the only business owners that have expressed interest in
leasing the space. 

Board member Dr. Kennon Broadhurst said there are no rules against
leasing airport property to people with judgements against them, so the
board didn't feel there was any justification in denying entering into a
lease agreement with the store. 

The board decided to recommend that the city commission approve leasing
the space for a term of more than 120 days and for an amount exceeding
$500 annually. 

Board members also formed a committee to come up with a new aircraft
storage policy. 

The current policy charges $50 per year for parking an aircraft on the
airfield, Wylam said. But he said this policy was not enforced by
previous airport managers and was only brought to the board's attention
at last month's meeting. 

The storage policy is being discussed because an aircraft has been
sitting at the airport for about a decade, Wylam said. The aircraft,
parked on an unused portion of the airport near private hangars, belongs
to Walter and Wendy Wenz of Akaska. At some point, Wenz did not renew
his airman's medical certificate due to failing health, Wylam said. He
can't fly without it, so the aircraft has remained in Aberdeen. 

Broadhurst said there have been several storage-related policies written
since 1988; the committee's job is to come up with a single policy.
Airport board vice chairman Chuck Benson was appointed committee
chairman, but Broadhurst said the rest of the committee was not
appointed Thursday. 

The committee will eventually come back to the whole board with a
policy. 

In other action Thursday, the board: 

   --Reviewed the airport's 2003 budget. Wylam said expenses are
expected to be approximately $1.6 million; revenues should total
$311,500. Both figures are pretty average, he said. Board members had no
problems with the budget itself, but some questioned the fact that it
wasn't run by them before being sent to the city commission. Broadhurst
said it is the board's function to approve the budget before it is
submitted to the city. But he said he realized it was an unintentional
oversight. 

   --Reviewed a $118,926 Federal Aviation Administration grant the
airport has received. Wylam said this will be used to grade parts of the
runway safety area that aren't graded properly. This is basically the
shoulder of the runway, he said, and needs to be graded at a certain
slope for rain water to drain properly. The airport also received $1.7
million from the FAA to be used for the terminal project. 

   --Approved the low bid of $4,545 from RDR Plumbing and Heating of
Aberdeen to replace the maintenance shop heater. 


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