Legislature(2023 - 2024)BUTROVICH 205
02/09/2023 01:30 PM Senate TRANSPORTATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overview: Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (dotpf) Division of Facilities Services | |
| Overview: Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (dotpf) Division Aviation Overview | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE TRANSPORTATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 9, 2023
1:31 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator James Kaufman, Chair
Senator David Wilson, Vice Chair
Senator Löki Tobin
Senator Jesse Kiehl
Senator Robert Myers
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEW: DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC FACILITIES
(DOTPF) DIVISION OF FACILITIES SERVICES
- HEARD
OVERVIEW: DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC FACILITIES
(DOTPF) DIVISION AVIATION
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
JASON SAKALASKAS, Director
Division of Facilities Services
Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOTPF)
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided an overview for the Division of
Facilities Services
CHRISTOPHER HODGIN, PE
Division of Statewide Public Facilities
Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOTPF)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Responded to question about the Division of
Facilities Services overview
JOHN BINDER, Deputy Commissioner
Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOTPF)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided an overview of the Division of
Aviation
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:31:13 PM
CHAIR JAMES KAUFMAN called the Senate Transportation Standing
Committee meeting to order at 1:31 p.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators Wilson, Tobin, Kiehl, Myers and Chair
Kaufman.
^Overview: Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
(DOTPF) Division of Facilities Services
OVERVIEW: DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC FACILITIES
(DOTPF) DIVISION OF FACILITIES SERVICES
1:32:36 PM
CHAIR KAUFMAN announced the consideration of an overview on
facility services from the Department of Transportation and
Public Facilities (DOTPF).
1:33:25 PM
JASON SAKALASKAS, Director, Division of Facilities Services,
Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOTPF),
Fairbanks, Alaska, presented an overview of the Division of
Facilities Services.
MR. SAKALASKAS began with slide 2: Division of Facilities
Services.
Mission: Division of Facilities Services delivers,
improves, and maintains safe and reliable facilities
across Alaska.
Vision Division of Facilities Services strives to be
the premier facilities service provider for Alaskans.
We achieve shared goals through strategic
collaboration, planning, and continuous improvement.
We leverage experience, technology, and industry best
practices to optimize our facilities and make
evidence-based decisions.
Core Values Integrity: Doing the right thing, even
when no one is watching. Doing what we say we are
going to do Excellence: Commitment to continuous
improvement, innovation, and quality Respect:
Unconditional positive and professional regard for
team members: customers, stakeholders and coworkers
Service: Diligently fulfill the needs of our customers
to prepare for Alaska's future Safety: Provide safe
facilities and promote a safety culture
MR. SAKALASKAS continued with slide 3: Facilities Initiative.
Division of Facilities Services (DFS) is a shared
services initiative intended to deliver a holistic
approach to facility construction and design services,
facility maintenance, and leasing services across the
State of Alaska.
With a united purpose, DFS utilizes its knowledge,
resources, and expertise to maximize efficiency and
improve public facilities across Alaska.
1:35:54 PM
MR. SAKALASKAS continued with slide 4: Where we are now.
Resources are in the hubs of Fairbanks, Anchorage and Juneau.
He pointed to satellite rural locations. The slide detailed
Position Control Numbers (PCN) for maintenance and operations
forces, statewide public facilities, administrative and leasing
groups.
1:36:41 PM
MR. SAKALASKAS moved to slide 5: DFS Functional Areas. He
highlighted the department's four functional areas.
Statewide
Public Facilities
• Personnel in
Fairbanks,
Anchorage, Juneau
Maintenance &
Operations
• Major Hubs:
Fairbanks,
Anchorage, Juneau
• Personnel around the State
Administration
• Personnel in
Fairbanks, Anchorage,
Juneau
Leasing
• Personnel in
Anchorage
1:37:10 PM
MR. SAKALASKAS continued with slide 6: Our Team and Function.
Facilities Services (Component)
Statewide Public Facilities (SWPF)
• Registered Professional Architects, Civil, and
Mechanical Engineers
• PMI Project Management Professionals (PMP)
• Certified Energy Management Professionals (CEM)
• Construction Contracting Officer
MR. SAKALASKAS moved to slide 7, "Statewide Public Facilities."
The State's vertical design and construction authority
for new facilities, deferred maintenance and energy
efficiency retrofit projects
• Facilities projects include multiple Federal and
State funded programs supporting airports,
transit, roads, executive branch departments and
more
• Total Capital & Deferred Maintenance Projects:
170+
• Total Budget of Projects: $390M+
DOT&PF Statutes on Public Facilities
• AS 35 Planning, design, construction and
maintenance of public facilities
• AS 36 - Procurement and control over the
construction of all state public infrastructure
transportation, roads, bridges and facilities
• AS 44 - Planning, design, construction and
maintenance
• AS 44.42 State of Alaska Energy Efficiency
Program - energy efficiency retrofits of public
buildings
1:38:38 PM
MR. SAKALASKAS continued with slide 8: Statewide Public
Facilities.
Project Delivery: Planning, Design & Construction
Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) & Deferred
Maintenance
• From small scale roof replacements to large
multi-year projects as the State Library Archives
and Museum and MEHS Aquatic Center.
Project Management Best Practices
• Project Charters, Earned Value Management, Scope,
Risk and Stakeholder Management
Expertise in multiple project delivery methods
• Professional Services Term Agreements HazMat,
A/E
• Design Bid Build / Design Build / Best
Value
• Construction Manager General Contractor
• Job Order Construction Contracting
• Energy Savings Performance Contracting
Recent Major Projects
• DEED Aquatic Center, DPS Crime Lab, DEED
Statewide Museum, ANC Jet Bridge
1:40:22 PM
MR. SAKALASKAS continued with slide 9: Energy Program. He
calculated $4.2 million in annual savings with the division's
energy program. He reported approximately $40 million in state
project savings. The cost savings provide tremendous benefit to
the state.
1:41:14 PM
MR. SAKALASKAS moved to slide 10: Our Team and Capabilities.
Facilities Services (Component)
Maintenance & Operations (M&O)
• Maintenance professionals spanning all building
trade disciplines carpentry, plumbing,
electrical, HVAC, building automation
• Services include Preventative Maintenance,
Emergency Repair, Complex system replacement
• State Facility Asset Management, Protection, and
Deferred Maintenance
Identification/Implementation
1:42:18 PM
MR. SAKALASKAS continued with slide 11: Maintenance and
Operations.
The statewide, programmatic approach for delivering
facilities maintenance and assessing facility needs.
Over 1,900 State owned facilities amongst all
departments
731 DOT&PF Owned Facilities
Currently 835 Facilities maintained by DFS
10+:1 Facility to technician (Filled PCN) ratio
Responsible care for DOT&PF, PBF, and portions of
DEED, DOH, DOL&WD, DPS, DNR, and Alaska Courts
facilities
Current M&O Focus:
• Maintenance & repairs to support Service-Level
Agreement (SLA) partners mission
• Balancing maintenance responsibilities and
deliverables while staying within budgetary
parameters
• Deploying strategies to efficiently overcome
geographical challenges to meet the needs of
State of Alaska facilities
• Developing a comprehensive Facility
Condition/Needs deployment strategy
1:44:12 PM
MR. SAKALASKAS moved to slide 12: Our Team and Capabilities.
Facilities Services (Component)
Administration
• Business support functions
• Budgeting, spend analysis, accounting team
liaison
• Costs are tracked at the building level
Leasing (Component)
Leasing Team
• Leasing Contracting Officers
• Process and manage statewide leases for Executive
Branch agencies
• Process and manage occupancy agreements for
tenants in State owned buildings
• Contains leasing indirect budget authority
Leases
• Contains the Interagency Receipt Authority to
process payments for statewide leases
1:45:25 PM
MR. SAKALASKAS continued with slide 13: Leasing.
LEASING PROGRAM
• Division of Facility Services leasing program is
responsible for evaluating, negotiating,
procuring, managing, and administering leases and
contracts for space from the private sector and
State property owners on behalf of the Executive
Branch
• Negotiate lease terms and consolidate private
leased space into state-owned facilities when
economies can be realized
• Provide oversight and management of lease terms
and conditions to ensure compliance
• Urgently address and remedy tenant concerns and
hold private lessors accountable for all cure
issues relevant to the lease
LEASING OTHER DUTIES
• Occupancy Agreement Management
• Construction Delegations
• Provide Office Closure Recommendation
1:46:40 PM
MR. SAKALASKAS moved to slide 14: Key Summaries.
Design & Construction:
• Full-service project management, program
planning, and management of design and
construction
• Facility renewals, preservation, renovations, and
new construction
• Federal, state, airport, deferred maintenance,
and capital improvements
• Energy efficiency program for state public
facilities Programmatic Maintenance and Care:
• Juneau, Anchorage, and Fairbanks maintenance hubs
to serve rural and urban locations
• Broad, all-encompassing services to maximize
building and equipment life to ensure facilities
perform as intended.
• Preventative maintenance, reactive maintenance,
emergency responses, property management,
repairs, sustainable practices and more
• Evaluating state facility conditions and
projecting needs Leasing & Space:
• Administering leases and contracts for space from
the private sector and State property owners on
behalf of the Executive Branch
1:47:46 PM
MR. SAKALASKAS referred to slide 15: Computerized Maintenance
Management System (CMMS).
Facilities Management Software
Saves time and money by managing buildings, assets and
occupancy more efficiently and effectively
Asset Management
A complete asset inventory gives our organization
greater visibility into utilization and maintenance
costs, helping maximize the useful life of assets
Real Estate & Lease Management
Manage entire portfolio of properties and leases from
the owner or tenant perspective
Capital Improvement
Provides Assessment/Needs Analysis (Capital Planning)
and Capital Project Management
1:50:02 PM
MR. SAKALASKAS continued with slide 16: SFS FY23 Budget
Authority. The slide detailed the facilities services and the
leasing components.
MR. SAKALASKAS moved to slide 17: DFS Appropriation Authority.
He mentioned various components including the facilities
services general fund, Interagency Committee of Aviation Policy
(ICAP), interagency receipts, public building fund, program
receipts and lease agreement interagency receipts.
1:51:01 PM
MR. SAKALASKAS detailed slide 18: Challenges.
Divisional
• Recruitment and Retention Highest Vacancy Rates
in SWPF at 26% and 19% M&O.
• DM Backlog Statewide - $703,493.1K (excluding
University)
Maintenance and Operations
• Statewide Personnel and Material Transportation
Coordination
• Maintaining Optimal Service Level With Drastic
Commodity/Service/Utility Cost Increases
• Aging infrastructure (35+ years avg) requiring
increased repair/replacement with Operating
resources
Statewide Public Facilities
• Volatility of construction economy, and material
pricing impacting project costs
• Constrained resources on available professional
Architectural/Engineering professional services
and Contractors
1:54:27 PM
MR. SAKALASKAS continued with slide 18. He mentioned service
agreements with utility cost increases. Utility costs incur 30-
50 percent of the active budget; fluctuations affect the ability
to deliver services. He noted that the aging infrastructure adds
to the deferred maintenance backlog.
1:55:48 PM
MR. SAKALASKAS moved to slide 19: Backlog $703,493.1 (excluding
University). The graph details the various agency backlog. The
data breaks down the number of buildings.
MR. SAKALASKAS slide 20: Relationships and Goals.
RELATIONSHIPS
• State Facilities Council
• Organization and Facilitation
• Leveraging knowledge across all department.
• Understanding statewide issues across all
departments
• Facilities Maintenance, Management, and project
delivery topics
• Common dissemination of information
• OMB
• Support on varied facilities topics
• Deferred Maintenance Prioritizations
• Divestment Initiative
STRATEGIC PLANNNG GOALS
• Striving for continuous improvement
• Highlight Goals:
• Increasing continued improvement expertise and
growing culture
• Continued savings in consolidated contracts
• Increasing realized energy savings
• Strengthening safety
• Expanding successful maintenance practices and
technology
• Expanding project delivery tools and facilities
planning
1:57:49 PM
MR. SAKALASKAS reviewed the slides in the appendix referencing
state-owned facilities by agency.
CHAIR KAUFMAN asked about the challenges related to material
costs and staffing availability. He asked about other areas of
concern.
1:58:54 PM
MR. SAKALASKAS stated that the department could overcome other
challenges if the material and staffing issues were solved.
CHAIR KAUFMAN asked about deferred projects and mitigating
inflation.
MR. SAKALASKAS replied that projects are selected strategically
because of the effects of inflation.
2:00:07 PM
CHAIR KAUFMAN asked about deferred maintenance and strategic
project assessment.
MR. SAKALASKAS responded that the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) provides the department with project needs lists
for each agency. He mentioned a committee with a member from
each agency that scores projects for criticality. He noted that
projects are ranked and scored within the committee and then
moved to OMB.
2:02:38 PM
SENATOR MYERS asked about the division maintaining other
agencies facilities. He wondered about the other agencies
maintenance needs.
MR. SAKALASKAS replied that contracts were established with some
agencies because of a fostering of resources and relationships.
2:03:58 PM
SENATOR MYERS asked if the university performed its own
maintenance.
MR. SAKALASKAS replied yes, the university was responsible for
its maintenance. The university also has a deferred maintenance
backlog.
2:04:28 PM
SENATOR TOBIN asked about the energy retrofit program. She
wondered about a recent court case and the tenuous contracting.
She requested an update.
2:05:05 PM
CHRISTOPHER HODGIN, Professional Engineer (PE), Division of
Statewide Public Facilities, Department of Transportation and
Public Facilities (DOTPF), Anchorage, Alaska, responded that the
statutory requirement for the facilities was met in the energy
efficiency program. The department retrofit over 70 of state
facilities. He stated the goal for program expansion. He
contended that the court case had not interfered in the efforts.
2:07:10 PM
SENATOR TOBIN wondered how to extend the maintenance program to
education facilities.
MR. HODGIN replied that application for education facilities
requires a change in statute.
VICE-CHAIR WILSON asked about leasing facilities. He asked the
department purview when canceling or renewing a lease.
MR. SAKALASKAS responded that contractual obligations with
tenants are reviewed first. The department works with groups
asking to relocate and active engagement is accommodated.
2:09:22 PM
VICE-CHAIR WILSON asked about a hypothetical person or entity
wishing to discontinue the lease. He wondered if a cost analysis
was warranted.
MR. SAKALASKAS replied that the department provides analysis
prior to a move. Additionally, a review of alternative locations
is performed.
MR. HODGIN replied that he would get back to the committee with
details about lease analysis.
2:10:37 PM
SENATOR KIEHL appreciated the department's ongoing work with
energy efficiency. He presumed that energy efficiency was a
component of other deferred maintenance projects. He asked how
savings are tracked from such improvements.
2:11:20 PM
MR. HODGIN responded that the ability to track energy savings
with deferred maintenance projects allows the investigation of
appropriate funding sources for the projects.
SENATOR KIEHL repeated the question
MR. HODGIN stated that energy efficiency projects sought synergy
and the opportunity to leverage the funds with the energy
efficiency project. He mentioned the annual reports documenting
energy related accomplishments.
2:14:08 PM
SENATOR KIEHL asked about the division's analysis of new energy
sources.
2:14:53 PM
MR. HODGIN replied that considerations included cogeneration at
different facilities. He mentioned the technology's success and
the anticipated cost savings.
2:17:25 PM
At ease
^Overview: Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
(DOTPF) Division Aviation Overview
OVERVIEW DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC FACILITIES
(DOTPF) DIVISION AVIATION
2:18:16 PM
CHAIR KAUFMAN reconvened the meeting and announced the
consideration of an overview of the Division of Aviation.
2:18:50 PM
JOHN BINDER, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Transportation
and Public Facilities (DOTPF), Juneau, Alaska, provided the
presentation: Division of Aviation Overview.
MR. BINDER began with slide 2: Mission Statements.
Alaska DOT&PF
"Keep Alaska Moving through service and
infrastructure"
Alaska International Airports System (AIAS)
"To keep Alaska flying and thriving"
Statewide Aviation (SWA)
"To sustain and improve the quality of life throughout
Alaska"
2:20:13 PM
MR. BINDER continued with slide 3: Organization/Leadership. He
explained that he oversees the entire aviation system. The
system is separated into statewide and international airport
systems. The international systems are self-sustaining and
require no state funding. Rural airports rely on the general
fund for operations.
2:20:47 PM
MR. BINDER moved to slide 5: Alaska International Airport System
(AIAS) Structure. The international system generates revenue via
the airlines operating in Anchorage and Fairbanks. The rates and
fees are set with cost predictions and adjustments.
2:21:22 PM
MR. BINDER continued with slide 6: Annual Revenue and
Operations, Maintenance and Debt Costs. He provided a FY22
example showing the total of $123.52 million in revenue sources
and $122.45 million in operating costs.
2:22:12 PM
MR. BINDER talked about slide 7: Cargo Tonnage. He detailed the
graph displaying monthly cargo in metric tonnes.
2:22:50 PM
MR. BINDER moved to slide 9: Aviation System Planning. He noted
that the department had a website devoted to the system plan.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandates that airport
sponsors have a system plan. In Alaska, the state is the airport
sponsor for most airports. The FAA allows for continuous system
plans, which the state opted for.
Why?
• Required through FAA Advisory Circular 150/5070-7
The Airport System Planning Process
• Primary purpose is to determine the type, extent,
location, timing, and cost of the airport
development needed in a state or metropolitan area
to establish a viable system of airports.
• Plan includes all public airports across Alaska and
is funded through annual AIP grants.
2:24:04 PM
MR. BINDER continued with slide 10: Continuous Aviation System
Planning. He stated the benefit of a continuous plan involves
the active contract. He detailed the three phases listed on the
slide
Phase I
2008 - 2013
• Continuous Planning Process
• Website & CIMP Establishment
• Videos: Lifeline and Counting the Cost
Phase II
2014 - 2019
• Needs Collection
• Capital Projects Database
• Digital Project Evaluation Process
• CIMP Application Development
• Needs Directory & Reporting Tools
• Economic Impact
• Rural Lighting Analysis
Phase III
2020 - 2025
• Performance Measures
• Digital Capital Improvement Plan
• Capital Inspection Process Update
• Data Connections
• Air Carrier Outreach & Comment Map
• Airport Resiliency Study
• Other Special Studies
2:25:31 PM
MR. BINDER continued with slide 10 and the challenge of
gathering data. He explained that the website captured all the
data related to statewide aviation. Airports and projects,
current and future are listed on the website.
2:27:18 PM
MR. BINDER moved to slide 11: System Challenges.
Hearing our customers the AASP team is currently
creating a comment map to report airport related
issues directly to DOT&PF staff.
Accurately capturing needs across the system:
An estimated 3,500 airport needs exist totaling over
$4B from runway resurfacing to wind cone replacement
to crack sealing.
So much data collecting it and making it available!
How to tell Alaska's story Upcoming videos
Community relocations and airport resiliency
2:28:39 PM
MR. BINDER moved to slide 12: Centralized Aviation Database. He
mentioned the changes in technology including connectivity to
other systems via the centralized aviation database. The system
allows the division to submit documents electronically to the
FAA. Scoring and document collection are done via the website
too. He mentioned the performance metrics for the various
airports.
2:30:01 PM
MR. BINDER continued with slide 14: Capital Improvement and
Maintenance Program (CIMP).
An airport inspection program that:
• Captures capital needs
• Collects discreet data for system analysis
(lighting/instrument systems, surface condition,
etc.)
• Facilitates stakeholder outreach
Application-based for mobile devices
• Reduces airfield experience requirements
Time & travel intensive
• Goal: to conduct inspections that capture needs,
to then be developed into capital projects
through the AIP program.
2:32:40 PM
MR. BINDER continued with slide 16: Aviation Project Evaluation
Board (APEB). The board is made up of himself, the Airport
Improvement Program (AIP) manager and one representative from
each region. The board reviews proposed airport projects and
provides a prioritized spending plan. A planner captures the
needs and stakeholder influence to select a proposed project for
board approval. He stressed that an emergency project would take
priority.
2:36:30 PM
MR. BINDER moved to slide 17: Aviation Project Development. The
process following the board approval was displayed on the chart.
He noted that the FAA will not issue a grant until the project
is ready.
2:37:41 PM
MR. BINDER continued with slide 19: Airport Improvement Program
(AIP) for Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
(DOTPF) Airports in FFY 2022. He mentioned project improvement
funding for both cargo and passenger programs. He spoke about
primary and non-primary entitlements, as outlined in the slide.
Every state has an apportionment based on their land size and
population. Alaska tends to receive approximately $20 million
annually in state apportionment.
CHAIR KAUFMAN asked if the apportionment is beneficial because
of the land size.
MR. BINDER replied yes and noted that Senator Stevens was
responsible for the Alaska Supplemental apportionment of
approximately $19 million. The annual improvement funding
amounts to approximately $100 million. The remaining $100
million is discretionary funding. Alaska's projects score well
on the national priority ranking.
2:40:08 PM
MR. BINDER continued discussing slide 19. He stated that funding
for Anchorage or Fairbanks remains in the international system.
For the rural system, funds are pooled and directed to any rural
airport that year.
SENATOR KIEHL referenced slide 19 and asked if the $256 million
was a statewide allocation.
MR. BINDER responded that $256 million went to DOT in FY22. He
moved to slide 20: AIP Rural System Capital Funding FY 2016
through FY 2022. He shared that the funding varies significantly
because Alaska is its own FAA region, and each region is
allocated a certain amount. Generally, the state contributes a
5-6 percent match of project eligible costs.
Federal Capital Funding
• Rural System AIP annual average FFY 2016 - 2019 =
$132.9M
• FFY 2020 AIP = ~$198.9M
• FFY 2021 AIP = ~$184.2M
• FFY 2022 AIP = ~$236.4M
• FFY 2022 BIL = ~$19.6M
Rural Airport System State Match
Required
• Generally, 6.25% of project eligible costs
• A few Essential Air Service (EAS) airports in
designated economically distressed communities
qualify for a 5% match of project eligible costs
2:43:16 PM
MR. BINDER highlighted slide 21: Airport Improvement Program
(AIP) for DOT&PF Airports in FFY 2022. He noted that the
dashboard was currently active on the system plan website. The
site is interactive and reflects the active projects in zones
and legislative districts.
MR. BINDER continued with slide 23: PFAS: Airports.
What is PFAS?
• Family of chemicals
• Do not break down easily
• Widespread
Products & Sources
• Aqueous Film Forming
• Foam (AFFF)
• Consumer Products
• with non-stick and
• stain-resistant
MR. BINDER informed the committee that PFAS is a family of
chemicals that many people interact with daily. The chemicals
were created to provide waterproofing for certain products like
tents, raincoats and dental floss. He stated that PFAS are a
component of the aqueous film-forming firefighting foam that has
entered the ground and contaminated soil and ground water. The
FAA requires airports to use the foam. He spoke about cross
contamination related to old landfills. He noted that most
airports were tested, and changes were made appropriately. Some
municipal water sources are known to be contaminated with PFAS.
Soil contamination impacts capital projects. He shared that 632
total wells have been sampled with 144 deemed above action
level.
MR. BINDER continued with slide 24: PFAS: Work to Date. He
stated that a new fluorine-free foam is available, and the
legislature can expect a capital request to swap out the PFAS
foam and trucks.
2:47:34 PM
MR. BINDER continued with slide 25: Aircraft Rescue and Fire
Fighting.
PFAS Mitigation
• Long-term Solution Implementation
• Site Characterization
• Development Projects
Challenges
• Funding
• No industry guidance for transition (clean-out)
• F3 Inventory
• Evolving Regulatory Guidance
• Development Projects
2:48:36 PM
SENATOR KIEHL commented on the PFAS issue. He noted that the
division was required to use PFAS and was not at fault. He asked
about a disposal solution for the remaining PFAS foam.
MR. BINDER replied that two or three vendors had the approved
foam. He would provide the committee with additional information
about required quantities. He noted that the closest approved
disposal location was in Oregon. He anticipated that FAA would
help with the procurement of the fluorine-free foam and the
disposal of the PFAS foam. He believed that federal dollars
could be used to replace some foam-dispensing trucks. He
expressed uncertainty about the cleaning portion of the request.
2:50:50 PM
SENATOR TOBIN expressed interest in retention and recruitment of
employees. She wondered what resources might be required to
ensure that rural airports are well staffed and remain open.
MR. BINDER responded that airport vacancy rates varied. He
stated that the current budget did not offer adequate funding to
fill the vacancies. He mentioned that rural locations were
challenged to find employees with adequate training or
certification.
2:53:23 PM
SENATOR TOBIN asked about the offroad Commercial Driver's
License (CDL). She wondered if the lack of the offroad CDL
option might impact the ability to recruit contractors to rural
areas.
MR. BINDER responded that he would provide further information
to the committee.
SENATOR MYERS referenced a report from the FAA about weather and
safety. He noted the issue with rural airports and their
monitoring equipment. He wondered about the status of the issue.
MR. BINDER replied that weather reporting was lacking in the
state. He explained that weather-reporting systems were
expensive to install and maintain. Currently the FAA or another
federal entity maintains the systems. The last FAA
reauthorization bill allowed for building eight weather
reporting systems. He pointed out the weather camera program.
2:56:22 PM
SENATOR MYERS asked about issues with lighting at the rural
airports. He recalled that vandalism was the cause of the faulty
lighting.
MR. BINDER replied that some locations saw this problem in a
cyclical pattern. The division reemphasized education for school
children to help communicate the consequences of airport
vandalism. He pointed to work with the Department of Public
Safety (DPS) to track the issue and raise public awareness.
2:59:50 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Kaufman adjourned the Senate Transportation Standing
Committee meeting at 2:59 PM.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 2.9 DOTPF DFS Overview.pdf |
STRA 2/9/2023 1:30:00 PM |
|
| 2.9 DOTPF Aviation Overview.pdf |
STRA 2/9/2023 1:30:00 PM |
|
| DOTPF DFS-Aviation Follow Up Answers to Questions 3.20.23.pdf |
STRA 2/9/2023 1:30:00 PM |
Follow Up |