Speakers target training facility, turf; Airport’s 2016 a ‘year of ascension’ – BlueRidgeNow.com

Derek Lacey Times-News Staff Writer @BRNDerek

The Asheville Regional Airport is set to complete its parking garage this fall and its ongoing runway construction project next year, Executive Director Lew Bleiweis told the Henderson County commissioners Wednesday.

Commissioners were updated on the airports 2016 successes by Bleiweis, who called 2016 a year of ascension in his annual report. The airport rose to new heights literally and figuratively," the report says.

Those heights include the third year in a row in which passenger numbers broke the airports all-time record, he said, for a total of 826,648 passengers flying into or out of Asheville, a 5-percent increase over 2015's numbers.

Weve had our third great year in a row, he said. Passenger numbers have never been higher, so the success continues, though he did show some trepidation, saying hes just waiting for that balloon to pop.

New routes to Jacksonville, Fla., the Washington, D.C. area and the New York City area were added, and existing routes to Charlotte and Atlanta grew, the report shows.

The airport's four carriers Allegiant, American Airlines, Delta and United split flights in 2016 at 31 percent, 24 percent, 34 percent and 11 percent, respectively, Bleweis said.

Allegiant isnt expected to continue its seasonal non-stop flights to Jacksonville, Fla. this year, he said, and the airline has already stopped its direct flights to Palm Beach, Fla., opting instead for Fort Lauderdale, almost doubling Ashevilles flights there.

The five-story parking garage is set to open in November, Bleiweis said, for a total of 1,300 parking spaces, with 200 reserved for rental cars and 1,100 for public parking. A covered walkway will connect it to the terminal building.

Phase 3 of the airports airfield redevelopment program is complete, he said, which included grading and drainage of the new permanent runway, and Phase 4 is now underway.

Bleiweis said the project is set to be fully complete in 2018, with the permanent runway to be commissioned Dec. 7. Once thats operating next spring, the temporary runway will be reconfigured back to a permanent taxiway with all work concluded by June 18.

The airport also completed several smaller renovations with new office space in the main terminal, enlarging a conference room and updating the Guest Services Welcome Center.

The airports assets exceed its liabilities by $115,004,382 as of June 30, 2016, the report shows, stating an increase of more than $16.7 million from 2015, and an increase of more than $29.4 million from 2014.

In other business:

Commissioners awarded Environmental Supervisor of the Year to Seth Swift, and approved a request to close the county Register of Deeds Office on July 11, for training and implementation on a new electronic birth recording system.

Two public speakers addressed the board, starting with Nancy Glowacki, who spoke on the decision-making process for the planned $20 million Law Enforcement Training Facility the county is looking to construct at Blue Ridge Community College. She asked how, where, why and with whom was this decision made?

She also asked if a needs assessment had been conducted and if a realistic operating budget had been established for the facility. She asked whether its time to adopt a best practices policy for decisions like this, suggesting a board of residents be a part of that process. She said she honors Sheriff Charles McDonald for his willingness to speak with and listen to residents, and honors the Board of Commissioners for the same.

Dennis Justice spoke on the county project to install artificial turf at three county high schools. He said the decision by the Henderson County Board of Public Education to not install shock pads with the artificial turf recklessly endangers athletes who play on the surface, comparing it to driving a Lamborghini without airbags.

He said his children would not play on it, and his son is no longer on the track team and would sit out graduation in protest. Justice called for the project to be delayed and an emergency session of the school board to remedy the decision, saying that we should have the best for our kids, not safe enough.

As part of its consent agenda, commissioners approved the sale of the Sixth Avenue Clubhouse property in Hendersonville to Dr. Leon Elliston for $286,000 after an upset bid process.

The property consists of two parcels at 714 Sixth Ave. According to information provided with the meeting agenda, the total tax value of the parcels, including buildings, is $372,400. But the Henderson County engineer and capital projects manager believe, after a survey of the building, that the renovation cost for any effective use of that building exceeds its quoted tax value.

Acting as the Cane Creek Water and Sewer District, commissioners approved a request to apply for an Asset Inventory and Assessment Grant from the state Division of Water Infrastructure to fund CCWSDs regulatory-required work to map the system and develop a master plan.

According to County Engineer Marcus Jones, an anticipated $75,000 is needed for GIS mapping of the system and another $75,000 for the master plan, for a total of $150,000. Jones said the deadline is April 28, and that the outlook is positive, but a local match of some amount would most likely be required.

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Speakers target training facility, turf; Airport's 2016 a 'year of ascension' - BlueRidgeNow.com