OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Airport Commission Meeting Summary - February 3, 2026

Boards and Commissions — Thursday, January 29, 2026
BodyRochester, Minnesota
SessionBoards and Commissions
DateThursday, January 29, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 26:09

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

Okay, so we're gonna call the airport commission meeting of February 3rd, 2026 to order at 2 p.m.

0:12

And we have no one here from the public.

0:16

So the open comment period, we will just move through.

0:20

Um we have a quorum.

0:25

And um is there any can we get an approval of the order of the agenda?

0:31

Some old second all in favor?

0:34

I thank you.

0:36

That's two of you.

0:37

The rest of you I should say any nays, no nays.

0:43

Okay, it passes.

0:44

Um so we do have the consent agenda, which has the minutes of December 2nd.

0:50

Is anybody look those over?

0:51

Are you um I have it?

0:53

Just on seven item seven D.

0:55

This is was probably our spoken word, but I think um this was just an introduction of a subject on call airport services, including engineering, architectural planning, and environmental.

1:06

I don't know if we need the rest of that, to be honest.

1:09

It feels like yeah, that's more descriptive.

1:11

So could we change?

1:12

Could we make an amendment to could you just amend it to remove the first sentence, the first one?

1:17

Every for the word between every and four, and just leave on everything from on call.

1:24

Where are you?

1:25

Actually, 70.

1:27

That was that was the title of the item.

1:30

It was printed.

1:31

That probably shouldn't be.

1:33

That was the title of the item.

1:34

Okay, that's fine.

1:35

I'm just yeah, it doesn't need a description before.

1:40

Can we change that?

1:41

I probably are it was the title of, I mean it's already been printed that way.

1:44

That's what it said in the package.

1:46

Yeah, but we can we can make an amendment.

1:48

Request adjusting.

1:52

It's just a technical error.

1:57

I would fix it.

1:58

Yes.

1:59

So it's a technical amendment.

2:01

We can just adjust that.

2:03

Um to clarify the name.

2:06

We remove all the words starting with every through four.

2:16

So remove from every so let's see.

2:19

Oh, I don't know.

2:20

The item is just on call airport service.

2:23

Okay.

2:24

That got it.

2:26

Sorry, I couldn't find the word for.

2:31

I was looking for it, I couldn't find what they're so if there's no objections, we'll just make that technical change.

2:38

So reports you have a motion.

2:43

I make the mention.

2:44

I said if there were no objections, I think.

2:46

I don't think that's to the change.

2:48

That's to the change, then we go back to the I do this.

2:54

So I've been doing it for 40 years.

2:56

Yeah.

2:57

Um, if you would like to vote again on the consent agenda with as amended or as um a technical with a technical amendment, all those in favor signify by saying aye.

3:05

All right, any opposed?

3:06

Thank you.

3:07

I didn't get who seconded that read and I don't think they're voters.

3:14

I think all second.

3:16

Whatever.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Capital Projects█████████████████████████████29%
Airport Operations████████████████████20%
Marketing Strategy████████████████████20%
Procedural█████████████████17%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████9%
Community Engagement█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Airport Commission Meeting - February 3, 2026

The Airport Commission convened on February 3, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. to review financial and operational reports for November, discuss grant acceptances and change orders related to FAA infrastructure and runway reconstruction, and receive updates on the Joint Airport Zoning Board (JAZB). No members of the public attended the open comment period.

Consent Calendar

  • Agenda Order of Business: Adopted unanimously after a technical amendment was proposed to remove the phrases "Every for the word between every and four" from Item 7D to clarify the title to "On Call Airport Service."
  • Minutes: Approved minutes from the December 2nd meeting.
  • Technical Amendments: The Commission agreed to a technical correction on the printed agenda title for Item 7D to remove descriptive text preceding the service name.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Absent: No members of the public were present to offer testimony during the open comment period.
  • Commissioner Comment: One Commissioner shared a personal anecdote regarding a recent Global Entry interview with Roxanne, noting a disparity in wait times (10 minutes vs. 2 hours) but praising her demeanor and noting she was "lonely." Another Commissioner expressed full support for the marketing efforts regarding Global Entry interviews.

Discussion Items

  • **Financial and Statistical Report **(Kyle/John)

    • The Commission reviewed financial data through November, reporting a net profit of $1.8 million (projected to close near $1.9 million) with funds available for transfer back to the city airport fund.
    • Employment Statistics: The Commission discussed that while seats available will meet goals, departing flights in December fell slightly below the goal due to weather-related cancellations, particularly affecting American Airlines.
    • American Airlines Capacity: It was noted that American Airlines maintained a high seat count in November (12,375) compared to November 2024 (8,939), despite system-wide storm cancellations affecting Chicago, Dallas, and Charlotte.
    • Revenue Streams: Rental car revenue and international passenger numbers showed year-over-year increases, while parking lot transactions saw a slight decrease in volume but increased revenue.
    • **Net Promoter Score **(NPS)
      • Commissioner clarification was requested regarding how the launch of Mayo Clinic's private Wi-Fi intranet affects airport NPS metrics. It was explained that fewer passengers are forced to use the public RST Wi-Fi splash page surveys, which may skew data. The team indicated they will need to "massage" and re-gauge how this data is interpreted moving forward.

  • **Marketing Report **(Mary)

    • The Commission discussed a budget reduction in December which resulted in slight increases in web users and organic social traffic.
    • Content Performance: Repurposed Christmas content (PSAs) performed well without "content fatigue."
    • Paid Media: Despite a budget cut, search volume for destinations like Myrtle Beach and Las Vegas remained high, though actual bookings (purchases) decreased, suggesting aspirational searching. Retargeting ads showed strong engagement from high-end time consumers.

  • **Item 7B: Grant Acceptance & Professional Services Agreement **(Meet & Hunt)

    • Project Scope: Accepting a grant and agreement for the relocation of FAA-owned ASR 11 fiber optic cables encased in concrete duct banks near the air traffic control tower as part of the Runway 03-21 reconstruction.
    • Justification: The fiber line was found to be deeper and more difficult to relocate than initially estimated (encased in concrete requiring 20 feet of cut). A separate bid is expected to be considerably cheaper than a change order to the main contractor.
    • Funding: Funded 95% by the FAA and 5% by state bonding.
    • Position: The Commission supported the decision to separate the work to open the field to more electrical contractors and secure competitive pricing.

  • **Item 7C: Change Order Number 2 **(SM Henches and Sons)

    • Scope: A $139,642 net change order for Phase 4 of the Runway 03-21 reconstruction.
    • Components:
      • Excavation to remove an urban berm obstructing the runway visibility zone once fiber is relocated.
      • Installation of a 60-inch pipe crossing under the fiber optic line to protect FAA radar services (Minneapolis/Regional).
      • Costs associated with nine months of coordination with the FAA regarding the duct bank's protection.
    • Deductions: The order includes subtractions for two items no longer necessary (line lowering and an external cable).
    • Financial Context: This change order brings the total change orders to approximately 3.7% of the original contract, well under the anticipated 15% FAA allowance. Staff noted they negotiated approximately $220,000 off the contractor's initial quote.
    • Position: The Commission unanimously approved the change order, acknowledging the unforeseen nature of the concrete duct bank and the cost savings achieved through negotiation.

  • **Joint Airport Zoning Board **(JAZB)

    • Update: The JAZB unanimously agreed to proceed with the "model ordinance option" rather than a custom option, following staff recommendations presented by consultant Evan Barrett.
    • Stuartville Engagement: The Commission noted that concerns raised by Stuartville representatives regarding their lack of initial appointment were addressed; the city suspended rules to allow them to participate in the public comment and decision-making process regarding the model ordinance, which they accepted positively.
    • Next Steps: The draft ordinance is expected to be presented at a public hearing on April 1st at 5:00 p.m.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion Approved: Technical amendment to the agenda consent items (Title correction for Item 7D).
  • Motion Approved: Acceptance of the grant and professional services agreement with Meet & Hunt for the fiber optic cable relocation (Item 7A).
  • Motion Approved: Change Order Number 2 ($139,642) for SM Henches and Sons for the Runway 03-21 reconstruction (Item 7B).
  • Motion Approved: Motion to close the meeting at 2:26 p.m. (Seconded by the Mayor/Commissioner).
  • Directives: Staff is to investigate the discrepancy in December departing flights and continue monitoring NPS metrics in light of private Wi-Fi usage. The JAZB is directed to proceed with the April 1st public hearing for the model ordinance.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, so we're gonna call the airport commission meeting of February 3rd, 2026 to order at 2 p.m. And we have no one here from the public. So the open comment period, we will just move through. Um we have a quorum. And um is there any can we get an approval of the order of the agenda? Some old second all in favor? I thank you. That's two of you. The rest of you I should say any nays, no nays. Okay, it passes. Um so we do have the consent agenda, which has the minutes of December 2nd. Is anybody look those over? Are you um I have it? Just on seven item seven D. This is was probably our spoken word, but I think um this was just an introduction of a subject on call airport services, including engineering, architectural planning, and environmental. I don't know if we need the rest of that, to be honest. It feels like yeah, that's more descriptive. So could we change? Could we make an amendment to could you just amend it to remove the first sentence, the first one? Every for the word between every and four, and just leave on everything from on call. Where are you? Actually, 70. That was that was the title of the item. It was printed. That probably shouldn't be. That was the title of the item. Okay, that's fine. I'm just yeah, it doesn't need a description before. Can we change that? I probably are it was the title of, I mean it's already been printed that way. That's what it said in the package. Yeah, but we can we can make an amendment. Request adjusting. It's just a technical error. I would fix it. Yes. So it's a technical amendment. We can just adjust that. Um to clarify the name. We remove all the words starting with every through four. So remove from every so let's see. Oh, I don't know. The item is just on call airport service. Okay. That got it. Sorry, I couldn't find the word for. I was looking for it, I couldn't find what they're so if there's no objections, we'll just make that technical change. So reports you have a motion. I make the mention. I said if there were no objections, I think.

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