Saturday, October 01, 2016
Berlin News to Know September 16, 2016
BERLIN NEWS TO
KNOW September 16, 2016
*
This communication
is put together and distributed on a volunteer basis by resident Corinne
Stridsberg simply in an effort to share information and build community, it is
not from the town of Berlin.
Please share this
with your Berlin friends and neighbors. If you're not already
receiving this news directly by email, send an email to request this to corinnestridsberg@gmail.com.
*
For current news
look for "Berlin, Vermont" on facebook for a constant flow
of information. You don't need to be a facebook user to access it, but if
you do use facebook, be sure to "Like" it:
For historical news
look for "Berlin, Vermont Memories" on facebook.
***********************
Note:
We all have different opinions on what is important to spend time
and money on. I hope everyone will take
the time to find out more about the upcoming facility renovation bond for our
elementary school before voting November 8th (or by early/absentee
ballot). More details on the work being
proposed will be included in the next News to Know - important work for sure,
however, it does means an increase in taxes.
Below you will find:
FRIENDSHIP PARK AWAITS YOUR VISIT
SEPTEMBER IS PREPAREDNESS MONTH
NATIVE TONGUE AT TUNBRIDGE FAIR’S FRANK FEST
APPLE PICKING AT VTC
VERMONT AVIATION EXTRAVAGANZA
AT KNAPP AIRPORT
HARVESTIVAL AT FRESH TRACKS
COMMUNITY POTLUCK
1838 MURDER AT BERLIN POND?
CHICKEN PIE SUPPER AT THE BERLIN CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
COMMUNITY
FORUMS REGARDING SCHOOL FACILITY RENOVATION BOND
HOWARD
COFFIN: VERMONT AND THE CIVIL WAR
POTATOES
STILL GROWING
INFANT
/ TODDLER / PRESCHOOL CHILD CARE AVAILABLE
SEPTEMBER
MEETINGS
SEPTEMBER
IS SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH
TAKE A WALK AND LEARN SOME BERLIN &
MONTPELIER HISTORY
BERLIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY AT KELLOGG-HUBBARD
LIBRARY
JOSH FITZHUGH SEEKS ELECTION
TO THE VERMONT SENATE
INTERVIEW WITH ANNE DONAHUE
NOVEMBER 8TH –
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
STATE AIRPORTS BUSINESS PLAN
REAPS BENEFITS
***********************
FRIENDSHIP PARK AWAITS YOUR
VISIT
The sunflowers are in bloom and two picnic tables have been
installed at Friendship Park just off Vermont Route 12 on Muzzy Road. Take a walk around the path. Enjoy.
***
***
SEPTEMBER IS PREPAREDNESS
MONTH
Information is your greatest tool in any disaster or weather
event. The Vermont Alert system allows
you to receive weather, transportation, or other incident updates via text,
email, or phone. The system allows you
to select the areas for which you want to receive alerts, and how you receive
them.
The account is free and it only takes a few minutes to sign-up. Visit www.vtalert.gov for more information or
to register.
Please note you don’t have to have a computer to sign-up, so if
you have neighbors, friends, or relatives who don’t have a computer, share with
them that they can call 800-347-0488 for assistance signing up, and alerts can
go to their telephone.
Family Emergency Preparedness Workbooks are distributed by the
Vermont Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) and can
be accessed on line at: http://demhs.vermont.gov/sites/demhs/files/DEMHS%20Family%20Workbook.pdf
or call the above number to request a free copy be mailed to you.
***
***
NATIVE TONGUE AT TUNBRIDGE
FAIR’S FRANK FEST
Saturday, September 17th 5pm Native Tongue will take
the stage at the grandstand. Join them
for about an hour of fantastic music during the Frank Fest, Best of Area
802. Bands start at 3:30pm and include
Two Token Joker, Shout at the Devil (S.A.T.D. – New England’s Tribute to Motley
Crue), Stone Bullet, and Bonfire (Vermont Tribute to Bon Scott & AC/DC)
***
***
APPLE PICKING AT VTC
The Vermont Tech Orchard will open on September 24. Hours are Saturday and Sunday 10am – 5pm;
Monday & Friday 3-5 pm (Tues-Thurs CLOSED).
Prices: $11 per half bushel.
Weather permitting.
***
***
VERMONT AVIATION EXTRAVAGANZA AT KNAPP AIRPORT
Saturday, September 24th
(rain date Sept 25) 10am – 4pm Knapp State Airport, 2000 Airport Rd,
Berlin. Aerobatics & Skydiving;
Helicopter & Glider Rides; Aviation Displays; Activities for kids; Food
& Refreshments. Don’t miss the Berlin
Historical Society display which will be there regarding the airport.
***
***
HARVESTIVAL AT FRESH TRACKS
Saturday, September 24th at Fresh Tracks Farm Vineyard
& Winery 1pm - 8pm on VT Route 12.
Includes live music from multiple bands, crafts & games for the
kids, and amazing food. This is a
benefit concert for the Vermont Foodbank, there is no entrance fee. Please pre-register your two team of two
people for the grape stomp contest. http://freshtracksfarm.com/upcoming-events/harvestival
***
***
COMMUNITY POTLUCK
Oct 1st – Community Potluck at Capital City Grange the
first Saturday of the month at 6pm. Bring
a dish to share, a loaf of bread, or perhaps a beverage. Vintage dishware provided. Free and open to the public. http://capitalcitygrange.org/event/community-potluck/2016-10-01
***
***
1838 MURDER AT BERLIN POND?
October 8th 2pm Vermont History Center, 60 Washington
Street, Barre
Vermont Historic Society Assistant Librarian Marjorie Strong will
examine an intriguing document found in the vault, the deathbed confession of
Charles Crane – he describes witnessing the murder of a peddler at Berlin Pond
in 1838… or did he? http://vermonthistory.org/visit/events-calendar
***
***
CHICKEN PIE SUPPER AT THE
BERLIN CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
October 8th – Two seatings, 5pm & 6:30pm and take
out is also available. The scrumptious
menu includes their famous biscuits topped with chicken and gravy, squash,
peas, mashed potatoes, cranberry, cider, and homemade pies for dessert.
$10 adults; $5 ages 7-12; Free to those 6 & under. Reserve your seat soon by calling 223-5748
(this event usually sells out)
The First Congregational Church of Berlin is located at 1808 Scott
Hill Road
***
***
COMMUNITY FORUMS REGARDING SCHOOL
FACILITY RENOVATION BOND
There are several opportunities coming up to
learn about the facility renovations bond for the Berlin Elementary School:
Monday, October 10th, 6:15pm
Monday, October 24th, 6:15pm
Monday, November 7th, 6:15pm,
These meetings will be held at the school and information
will be presented and questions can be asked regarding the $2,997,476.00
facility renovation bond for the Berlin Elementary School. This bond question will be on the local
ballot November 8, 2016.
Over the next few weeks there will also be
information posted and distributed.
Renovation committee members will try to attend community events to be
available to answer your questions. Become
informed on the details and then cast your vote.
*
Note - If you’re not yet a registered voter, the
deadline is Wednesday, November 2nd at 5pm to be able to vote
November 8th (contact the Town Clerk 229-9298 or visit the Secretary
of State’s website www.olvr.sec.state.vt.us)
***
***
HOWARD COFFIN: VERMONT AND THE CIVIL
WAR
October
10TH at the Middlesex Town Hall 5 Church Street at 7pm
From
Cedar Creek to Gettysburg, Vermonters were central to the Union cause. Vermont author and Civil War historian Howard
Coffin addresses the Vermont contribution to the Civil War. Free and open to the public. A Vermont Humanities Council event hosted by
Middlesex Historical Society.
***
***
POTATOES STILL GROWING
Pick-Your-Own
Potatoes – is delayed. The plan is to
still have this one day event at the Chappelle’s in Williamstown, the potatoes
just need a bit more time to grow after a dry season.
The
date will be announced out as soon as it is available.
***
***
INFANT / TODDLER / PRESCHOOL CHILD CARE
AVAILABLE
Stepping
Stones Day School from Waitsfield is opening a new location - 89 Karl Circle Infant/Toddler
Slots available! Preschool age slots open as well!
(formerly
at this location was the Montessori School which is now located in Barre Town)
***
***
SEPTEMBER MEETINGS
Selectboard, Monday,
September 19th 7pm Town office
The Development Review Board
will NOT meet in September
Sewer Commission Monday,
September 26th 7pm Town office
Berlin Elementary School
Board full board “carousel” meeting September 28th 6pm at Berlin
Elem.
***
***
SEPTEMBER IS SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH
There
were tragic losses from suicides this summer which along with losses over the
years, will forever be felt. Good
people, gone too soon and leaving such a void for their family and friends.
Stuck
in Vermont put together a good segment for Suicide Prevention Month that you
can watch here:
www.wcax.com/…/32…/stuck-in-vermont-suicide-prevention-month
More on Suicide Prevention can be found at:
More on Suicide Prevention can be found at:
http://healthvermont.gov/family/injury/suicide_prevent.aspx
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255
***
***
TAKE A
WALK AND LEARN SOME BERLIN & MONTPELIER HISTORY
Manny Garcia will lead a walk on Thursday,
October 17th. Meet on the
Pavilion porch (109 State Street, which is on the corner of Gov. Davis Ave) at
1pm. The walk will go along the Winooski
River (heading toward Main Street) with lots of wonderful information shared
about Berlin and Montpelier history. The
Winooski River (formerly called Onion River) was the boundary between Berlin
and Montpelier until the annexation February 1st, 1899.
***
***
BERLIN
HISTORICAL SOCIETY AT KELLOGG-HUBBARD LIBRARY
Exhibit and Program
If you missed the Vermont History Expo this
summer, you’ll get a taste of it during the month of November, when the Berlin
Historical Society will have their “Water, Water, Everywhere” display on
exhibit down at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main Street, Montpelier. The display includes information on the
bridges that have spanned the Winooski River near Shaws, Montpelier
Manufacturing (formerly Berlin Mill) where Bob’s Sunoco and Champlain Farms now
are; the Pioneer Mill; a map showing where many of the mills were located; Acid
Rain Damage to Gravestones; Benjamin Falls; Davis Bros Granite which used water
power in Riverton; Camping at Berlin Pond; and a model sawmill with a working
waterwheel.
On Wednesday, November 9th 7pm in
the Hayes Room at Kellogg-Hubbard Library the Berlin Historical Society will
present information regarding this exhibit.
When you stop down at the library, Berlin
residents who have not yet signed up for a library card are welcome to, they
will ask for proof of Berlin residency.
***
***
JOSH FITZHUGH SEEKS ELECTION TO THE VERMONT SENATE
The Bridge has an article of
interest on Josh Fitzhugh. There is
information on his background and Josh offers four reasons why folks should
vote for him.
www.montpelierbridge.com/2016/09/josh-fitzhugh-seeks-election-to-the-vermont-senate
***
***
INTERVIEW WITH ANNE DONAHUE
From Vote For Vermont – “Rep. Anne Donahue is running again as a Representative
from Washington 1 - Northfield/Berlin. Anne is so knowledgeable and as I say in
our interview - she is one of a handful of legislators who reads EVERY bill.
She fights hard on the floor for the things she believes in and is an
outstanding legislator in all regards. Please view the attached link and get to
know Anne Donahue. “
https://vp.telvue.com/preview?id=T01221&video=288182
https://vp.telvue.com/preview?id=T01221&video=288182
***
***
NOVEMBER 8TH – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
You may request an early / absentee
ballot by calling (229-9298), emailing (berlintownclerk@berlinvt.org), or visiting the Town Clerk’s office (108 Shed Road) 8:30 –
3:30 Monday – Thursday.
*
Local ballot – $2,997,476 bond
request for facility renovations at Berlin Elementary School.
*
November 2nd 5PM deadline to become a registered
voter. Town Clerk’s office is open 8:30
– 3:30pm on Nov 2nd
*
November 8th –
Polls open 8am – 7pm at the Berlin Town office
***
***
STATE AIRPORTS BUSINESS PLAN REAPS BENEFITS
Pub. 9/11/16 Times Argus by
Neal Goswami
MONTPELIER — Six years ago, Vermont’s 10
state-owned airports were running deep in the red and lawmakers — and to some
extent the public — were growing increasingly wary of the purpose they served.
After significant changes in operation and maintenance, those same 10 airports
are nearly breaking even and state officials expect them to generate revenue,
perhaps as early as two years from now.
What caused the turnaround? Some, including Agency of Transportation Secretary Chris Cole, say it is Guy Rouelle, the pilot and all-around aviation enthusiast who heads the agency’s Aviation Division. Rouelle, who admits that he “eats, sleeps and breathes” aviation, began leading the small division in 2011, just as it was being challenged by lawmakers to find a way to balance its books or face closure.
Rouelle said he brought no magic bullets to the job, and the changes put in place likely could have been led by many others.
“I’d like to take credit for all these things. Although I led the process, I would say that anybody could have stepped in at any moment as long as they had the tenacity and could withstand the scrutiny of the public and the Legislature,” he said.
Perhaps, but the challenges were not insignificant.
Former Seven Days reporter Andy Bromage highlighted some of them in an April 2010 article. A state-commissioned report on the small, regional airports shed unflattering light on their needs and the article questioned the path forward.
“Beyond lengthening runways, building more hangars and ramping up marketing campaigns, the airports’ business plans are filled with quirky, one-off schemes for making them profitable, some of which VTrans officials say are worth considering. They include opening a restaurant in the Franklin County State Airport … renaming the Newport State Airport the “Newport-Northeast Kingdom Regional Skiport” to capitalize on its proximity to Jay Peak and Burke Mountain resorts; and partnering with Lyndon State College to launch an aviation program,” Bromage wrote. “Clever ideas, but the bottom line is not encouraging.”
In 2011, lawmakers passed a bill that was signed into law requiring the Agency of Transportation to eliminate as much as possible the operating deficits at the state airports by June 30, 2015. The Aviation Division was given a chance to turn it around.
“It was, which airports are we closing, or, I spoke up at a legislative session and said, ‘I don’t think we should close any airports, but come up with a plan.’ I already had the plan in my head and so we did. We came up with a business plan,” Rouelle said. “They were just kind of things that should have been done that were never done.”
In the 2011 fiscal year, the airports had about $558,000 in expenses and were generating just $269,000 in revenue. In the 2015 fiscal year, the airports are generating $640,000 in revenue. Overall, the airports were running operating deficits of more than $500,000 in 2011, which is down to about $80,000 now.
Some of the turnaround can be attributed to the discretionary funding that the state has received from the federal government — nearly $63 million in the past several years. That has allowed the state to upgrade facilities, including runways and terminals.
“We built very strong relationships with our congressional delegation and with the FAA. There’s a level of trust that I have directly with both of those entities that they know if I say I’m going to build a project, we’re going to build a project — no exceptions,” Rouelle said. “Leadership is based on influence. In order to have influence you have to have relationships. I built those relationships.”
The state receives $1.9 million in static funding from the federal government every year. It would have taken the state 33 years to collect the cash without the discretionary funding. That discretionary funding and the improved aviation infrastructure around the state is now generating private development in and around the airports.
In Rutland — one of two state airports still operating in the red — a $4 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to upgrade facilities is having the intended effect, Rouelle said.
“We now have investors knocking on our door saying we want to construct a bunch of new buildings,” he said.
The same thing is happening in Berlin, where state officials are negotiating “a large lease” with a company that will pay for all of the operating expenses at the Knapp State Airport.
And at other airports around the state, upgraded runways, terminals and service is encouraging new business and hangars, which help generate revenue for municipalities through property taxes.
“The towns get paid the property tax. That’s a huge revenue for the town when we generate hangars on airports,” he said.
In Highgate, if a planned runway extension is completed, the community is likely to see private investments in a 144,000-square-foot industrial complex adjacent to the airport that will create jobs.
“We have some runway work that we have to do … but now we have a private investor that said, ‘While you’re doing that work can we build an industrial park?’” Rouelle said. “It will bring a lot of new jobs to the airport and it will bring a lot of activity to the airport.”
Upgrading the state’s airports took some convincing. Not everyone has always viewed them as critical to the state, Rouelle said.
“You hear people say, ‘Oh it’s just for rich people playing with their discretionary toys.’ Well, they bring in a lot of revenue every year,” he said.
Rouelle’s boss at the agency recognizes the impact the grants have made.
“Under the leadership of Guy Rouelle, we’ve actually done a very good job of securing discretionary grants from the FAA. We have been making investments in the infrastructure,” Cole said. “I do believe we’re going to see some payoffs in additional employment opportunities from the infrastructure investments.”
The Aviation Division also embraced operational chances. When Rouelle took over, the airports had been managed by the agency’s Highway Division for about 10 years.
“Frankly, there was not much of a financial system in place. It was a line item on a district highway budget,” he said. “They would just level-fund it every year and that’s what it was. There was no real focus on lease revenue, fuel revenue, generating business.”
The Aviation Division began to take the accounting of the airport’s revenues and costs more seriously.
It became apparent that physical changes to buildings and other airport assets would be needed. In Springfield, the 1,800-square-foot terminal building was heated with baseboard electrical heating and cost $18,000 a year to heat.
“That’s the size of a double-wide trailer,” Rouelle said. “We tore the electrical heat out and we put in $2,000 (gas heaters) and now our heating bill is down to … under $2,000 a year.”
At the airport in Rutland, a 62-kilowatt solar array was installed and the state no longer pays anything in electrical costs — a $26,000 per year savings. Other buildings had more efficient windows, insulation and automated lighting installed.
“We went around the entire state and we refurbished every terminal … so our overall operating costs were greatly reduced,” Rouelle said.
Also, maintenance at the airports changed with modern plans to manage the grounds in summer and winter.
“The airports were all being mowed like they were golf courses. But in a lot of cases they weren’t being mowed to FAA standards,” Rouelle said. “We wrote vegetation- and snow- and ice-control plans … and we, just by implementing those plans, we shaved thousands and thousands, and thousands of dollars off of our maintenance.”
Revenues have increased, too, while expenses were reduced. Officials say there was no real accounting of the leases private individuals and companies had on state airports. Rouelle said he now knows “to the dollar” how many leases there are and what they bring in.
“When we dug into those, we found that a lot of the leases … were lapsed and people had not paid. Many were not accurate and people were not paying enough,” he said.
In 2011, the state collected $106,000 per year in leases. Today, it is nearly $400,000. Officials found that some of the leases were so cheap “that it was almost a giveaway.” In recent years the lease costs were revamped and rates were raised to reflect current costs, and the state now uses the consumer price index to determine when rates will rise.
The investments at state airports have helped increase traffic, which has generated additional revenue from fuel sales. In 2011, fuel revenue was $100,000. Now, it is $240,000.
Cole said he is pleased with the efforts made to address lawmakers’ concerns.
“Tremendous efforts were made to reduce that operating deficit. Since we did that, the airports, with the exclusion of Rutland, are more or less paying for themselves. So that was good work,” Cole said. “Hopefully, we will see some growth in this area. They are very valuable, depending on where you are in the state.”
If trends continue, officials believe the airports — as a whole — will soon be generating revenue for the state. Rutland, which is the only state airport that provides daily commercial flights to a major hub, will continue to see losses, but those will be offset by the other nine airports, Rouelle said.
“Once we lock up a couple more business leases on our airports, I think, with the exception of Rutland, two years from now our airports will be operating in the black,” he said.
neal.goswami @timesargus.com
What caused the turnaround? Some, including Agency of Transportation Secretary Chris Cole, say it is Guy Rouelle, the pilot and all-around aviation enthusiast who heads the agency’s Aviation Division. Rouelle, who admits that he “eats, sleeps and breathes” aviation, began leading the small division in 2011, just as it was being challenged by lawmakers to find a way to balance its books or face closure.
Rouelle said he brought no magic bullets to the job, and the changes put in place likely could have been led by many others.
“I’d like to take credit for all these things. Although I led the process, I would say that anybody could have stepped in at any moment as long as they had the tenacity and could withstand the scrutiny of the public and the Legislature,” he said.
Perhaps, but the challenges were not insignificant.
Former Seven Days reporter Andy Bromage highlighted some of them in an April 2010 article. A state-commissioned report on the small, regional airports shed unflattering light on their needs and the article questioned the path forward.
“Beyond lengthening runways, building more hangars and ramping up marketing campaigns, the airports’ business plans are filled with quirky, one-off schemes for making them profitable, some of which VTrans officials say are worth considering. They include opening a restaurant in the Franklin County State Airport … renaming the Newport State Airport the “Newport-Northeast Kingdom Regional Skiport” to capitalize on its proximity to Jay Peak and Burke Mountain resorts; and partnering with Lyndon State College to launch an aviation program,” Bromage wrote. “Clever ideas, but the bottom line is not encouraging.”
In 2011, lawmakers passed a bill that was signed into law requiring the Agency of Transportation to eliminate as much as possible the operating deficits at the state airports by June 30, 2015. The Aviation Division was given a chance to turn it around.
“It was, which airports are we closing, or, I spoke up at a legislative session and said, ‘I don’t think we should close any airports, but come up with a plan.’ I already had the plan in my head and so we did. We came up with a business plan,” Rouelle said. “They were just kind of things that should have been done that were never done.”
In the 2011 fiscal year, the airports had about $558,000 in expenses and were generating just $269,000 in revenue. In the 2015 fiscal year, the airports are generating $640,000 in revenue. Overall, the airports were running operating deficits of more than $500,000 in 2011, which is down to about $80,000 now.
Some of the turnaround can be attributed to the discretionary funding that the state has received from the federal government — nearly $63 million in the past several years. That has allowed the state to upgrade facilities, including runways and terminals.
“We built very strong relationships with our congressional delegation and with the FAA. There’s a level of trust that I have directly with both of those entities that they know if I say I’m going to build a project, we’re going to build a project — no exceptions,” Rouelle said. “Leadership is based on influence. In order to have influence you have to have relationships. I built those relationships.”
The state receives $1.9 million in static funding from the federal government every year. It would have taken the state 33 years to collect the cash without the discretionary funding. That discretionary funding and the improved aviation infrastructure around the state is now generating private development in and around the airports.
In Rutland — one of two state airports still operating in the red — a $4 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to upgrade facilities is having the intended effect, Rouelle said.
“We now have investors knocking on our door saying we want to construct a bunch of new buildings,” he said.
The same thing is happening in Berlin, where state officials are negotiating “a large lease” with a company that will pay for all of the operating expenses at the Knapp State Airport.
And at other airports around the state, upgraded runways, terminals and service is encouraging new business and hangars, which help generate revenue for municipalities through property taxes.
“The towns get paid the property tax. That’s a huge revenue for the town when we generate hangars on airports,” he said.
In Highgate, if a planned runway extension is completed, the community is likely to see private investments in a 144,000-square-foot industrial complex adjacent to the airport that will create jobs.
“We have some runway work that we have to do … but now we have a private investor that said, ‘While you’re doing that work can we build an industrial park?’” Rouelle said. “It will bring a lot of new jobs to the airport and it will bring a lot of activity to the airport.”
Upgrading the state’s airports took some convincing. Not everyone has always viewed them as critical to the state, Rouelle said.
“You hear people say, ‘Oh it’s just for rich people playing with their discretionary toys.’ Well, they bring in a lot of revenue every year,” he said.
Rouelle’s boss at the agency recognizes the impact the grants have made.
“Under the leadership of Guy Rouelle, we’ve actually done a very good job of securing discretionary grants from the FAA. We have been making investments in the infrastructure,” Cole said. “I do believe we’re going to see some payoffs in additional employment opportunities from the infrastructure investments.”
The Aviation Division also embraced operational chances. When Rouelle took over, the airports had been managed by the agency’s Highway Division for about 10 years.
“Frankly, there was not much of a financial system in place. It was a line item on a district highway budget,” he said. “They would just level-fund it every year and that’s what it was. There was no real focus on lease revenue, fuel revenue, generating business.”
The Aviation Division began to take the accounting of the airport’s revenues and costs more seriously.
It became apparent that physical changes to buildings and other airport assets would be needed. In Springfield, the 1,800-square-foot terminal building was heated with baseboard electrical heating and cost $18,000 a year to heat.
“That’s the size of a double-wide trailer,” Rouelle said. “We tore the electrical heat out and we put in $2,000 (gas heaters) and now our heating bill is down to … under $2,000 a year.”
At the airport in Rutland, a 62-kilowatt solar array was installed and the state no longer pays anything in electrical costs — a $26,000 per year savings. Other buildings had more efficient windows, insulation and automated lighting installed.
“We went around the entire state and we refurbished every terminal … so our overall operating costs were greatly reduced,” Rouelle said.
Also, maintenance at the airports changed with modern plans to manage the grounds in summer and winter.
“The airports were all being mowed like they were golf courses. But in a lot of cases they weren’t being mowed to FAA standards,” Rouelle said. “We wrote vegetation- and snow- and ice-control plans … and we, just by implementing those plans, we shaved thousands and thousands, and thousands of dollars off of our maintenance.”
Revenues have increased, too, while expenses were reduced. Officials say there was no real accounting of the leases private individuals and companies had on state airports. Rouelle said he now knows “to the dollar” how many leases there are and what they bring in.
“When we dug into those, we found that a lot of the leases … were lapsed and people had not paid. Many were not accurate and people were not paying enough,” he said.
In 2011, the state collected $106,000 per year in leases. Today, it is nearly $400,000. Officials found that some of the leases were so cheap “that it was almost a giveaway.” In recent years the lease costs were revamped and rates were raised to reflect current costs, and the state now uses the consumer price index to determine when rates will rise.
The investments at state airports have helped increase traffic, which has generated additional revenue from fuel sales. In 2011, fuel revenue was $100,000. Now, it is $240,000.
Cole said he is pleased with the efforts made to address lawmakers’ concerns.
“Tremendous efforts were made to reduce that operating deficit. Since we did that, the airports, with the exclusion of Rutland, are more or less paying for themselves. So that was good work,” Cole said. “Hopefully, we will see some growth in this area. They are very valuable, depending on where you are in the state.”
If trends continue, officials believe the airports — as a whole — will soon be generating revenue for the state. Rutland, which is the only state airport that provides daily commercial flights to a major hub, will continue to see losses, but those will be offset by the other nine airports, Rouelle said.
“Once we lock up a couple more business leases on our airports, I think, with the exception of Rutland, two years from now our airports will be operating in the black,” he said.
neal.goswami @timesargus.com
***
# posted by Corinne's blog of Berlin and area happenings @ 7:15 PM 
