OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Airport Commission Meeting - July 28, 2026

Boards and Commissions — Tuesday, July 28, 2026
BodyRochester, Minnesota
SessionBoards and Commissions
DateTuesday, July 28, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 24:30

Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

So we've got uh the owl working, so we can call the meeting of the airport commission to order on July 7th.

0:12

It is 2 o'clock p.m.

0:15

And um we start all of our meetings with an open comment period and we just have um the mayor's office intern here.

0:23

I don't think he has any comments.

0:25

So um so we will uh just say that we have a quorum and all the order.

0:33

Um do you need anything more than just noting it's a quorum?

0:35

Um maybe we'll just know who's here who's absent.

0:40

Do you want to go around?

0:42

Yep.

0:42

Mr.

0:43

Dombrowski here, Mayor Norton here, Mr.

0:47

Reed here, President Shubrink here, Ms.

0:50

Elms here.

0:58

Mr.

0:58

Holton, yeah.

1:01

I'm not believed absent last night.

1:04

Yeah, good.

1:05

Thank you.

1:06

All right, so we have a forum, and uh I believe we want to change the order of the agenda.

1:13

So uh Mr.

1:14

Reed.

1:15

Yes, ma'am.

1:15

We'd like to remove um item 7B um from today's agenda.

1:20

We'll bring that back at a later date.

1:22

Okay, so with that removal, do we have a um a move to accept the agenda with the absence of 7B?

1:30

So move.

1:31

Second and moved and seconded.

1:33

Any other discussion?

1:35

Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye.

1:38

All right.

1:39

Any opposed.

1:41

Okay.

1:42

Uh we don't have any items on the consent agenda today, so we can move on to the reports.

1:47

We have um 5A is the airport financials for May of 2026, and who's gonna do that?

1:53

Okay, okay.

1:54

Okay, all right.

1:55

Thank you, Mayor.

1:55

Um we're doing all right.

1:59

You know, if we're comparing it against last year, the highlights are the major differences are that we received some COVID grants by this time last year.

2:08

Uh timing of our marketing grant.

2:11

Um, we have the uh taxes paid um by this time, and winter was a little bit more expensive uh last year or sorry this year than last year.

2:22

So that's what makes up the major differences on the financial spot last year.

2:27

Any questions?

2:29

No, I think we we knew we were gonna have the impact uh with the COVID money stopping, and so that's anticipated, expected, and yeah.

2:37

All right, perfect.

2:38

And then any other questions, otherwise we will file one of those.

2:44

Uh and then we have the airport operational marketing data.

2:47

So it's interesting.

2:49

Yep.

2:50

So moving on to the uh organizational objectives there.

2:54

Our employments are up, and so are our available seats, even though our daily flights are are still down and not where we want them to be.

3:03

We are still hoping to get united later in this year to bump that number up to where we want it to be.

3:08

Um speaking of employments overall for the year, we're still up nine percent, uh, even though May was down a little bit with American uh having some lower numbers than they have in the past.

3:22

And you can also see that in their load factors.

3:26

Um the delta load factor, we're right bumping up against that 80.

3:31

We're we're we're trying to break that 80 percent, but we're at 79.

3:35

Uh the American did drop um below the 80.

3:38

We got 80 a couple months ago, but right now we're at about 72 percent.

3:42

But that is reflected in their all-bone numbers as well.

3:46

Okay.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Airport Operations█████████████████████████████████████████████72%
Procedural██████████16%
Infrastructure And Capital Projects██████10%
Public Safety█2%
Summary of Proceedings

Airport Commission Meeting - July 28, 2026

Note: The agenda and transcript indicate the meeting occurred on July 7, 2026, but the provided meeting date is July 28, 2026. This summary uses the specified date. Item 7D (Facility Lease with Great Planes Aviation) was removed from the agenda.

The Airport Commission met on July 28, 2026, to review May 2026 financial and operational reports, and to act on several grant acceptances and contracts related to the Corporate Hangar Area Site Development Project. The meeting was chaired by Mayor Norton with a quorum present.

Reports

  • Airport Financials – May 2026: Staff reported that financial comparisons to the prior year were affected by the cessation of COVID-19 grants and timing of marketing grants and property tax payments. Winter operating costs were higher this year. The report was received and filed without questions.
  • Airport Operational and Marketing Data – May 2026: Overall employment is up 9% year-to-date. Available seats increased despite daily flights still below desired levels. Delta load factor reached 79% (approaching 80%), while American Airlines load factor dropped to 72% from 80%. Rental car activity increased; parking lot revenue slightly down. International passenger traffic is recovering to seasonal averages. Jet fuel sales are up; avgas sales down. Uber/Lyft usage increased. Marketing reported strong performance from the Penny Plot Party event and ground party painting for GA implementation. Audience numbers grew 2-3% month-over-month, with TikTok growth due to content sharing. Search volumes for the airport widget exceed 8,000 per month. Marketing spend will be reduced in late June through July to reallocate budget to late summer/early fall campaigns. Report received and filed.

Discussion Items

  • 7A – Grant Acceptance and Bid Award for Corporate Hangar Area Site Development Project: Two bids were received for the $6.7 million project. The low bidder (L4 Construction) was deemed non-responsive for failing to meet specification requirements. The only responsive bid was from Mathiowetz Construction Company at $6,689,440.47, about 1% below the engineer's estimate. Funding: $1.525 million from MnDOT Aeronautics grants, $4.6 million from United Therapeutics, and over $500,000 from airport reserves. Motion to award to Mathiowetz and adopt the resolution accepting the grant passed unanimously.
  • 7B – Professional Services Agreement with Mead & Hunt for Construction Administration: The $672,510.50 fee will be funded by United Therapeutics (approximately $522,510.50) and airport reserves ($150,000). No state grant is involved. The commission authorized the professional services agreement; the grant acceptance action was not needed. Motion passed unanimously.
  • 7C – MnDOT Office of Aeronautics Air Service Marketing Grant: Annual grant of $69,263 requiring a 30% local match. Funds marketing expenses including graphic design, video production, the Fly My Airport widget, CRM software, and consultant fees. Rochester is currently second among Minnesota airports in grant allocation. Motion to adopt the resolution accepting the grant passed unanimously.

Other Business

  • JASB Update: Staff reported that the Joint Airport Zoning Board needs one more meeting to approve minor map and ordinance wording changes identified by MnDOT. The JASB has final authority; after approval, the submission will undergo a 90-day MnDOT review. The additional JASB meeting is expected within the next couple of months.
  • Proposed Quarry North of Airport: Staff alerted the commission to a proposed quarry approximately 2,800 feet north of Runway 21 that would use explosives. The City Council will discuss a conditional use permit on July 20. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial (7-0). Staff expressed concern about potential impact on airspace and grant assurances due to the FAA's lack of comment. Aircraft on approach are at 150-250 feet. The commission noted the issue for awareness.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved award of contract to Mathiowetz Construction Company for $6,689,440.47 for the Corporate Hangar Area Site Development Project, and adopted resolution accepting MnDOT grant (7A).
  • Approved professional services agreement with Mead & Hunt for construction administration in the amount of $672,510.50 (7B).
  • Approved resolution accepting the MnDOT Air Service Marketing Grant of $69,263 with required local match (7C).
  • Received and filed May 2026 financial and operational/marketing reports.
  • Noted removal of item 7D from the agenda.
  • Scheduled an additional JASB meeting to finalize zoning code amendments.

Meeting Transcript

So we've got uh the owl working, so we can call the meeting of the airport commission to order on July 7th. It is 2 o'clock p.m. And um we start all of our meetings with an open comment period and we just have um the mayor's office intern here. I don't think he has any comments. So um so we will uh just say that we have a quorum and all the order. Um do you need anything more than just noting it's a quorum? Um maybe we'll just know who's here who's absent. Do you want to go around? Yep. Mr. Dombrowski here, Mayor Norton here, Mr. Reed here, President Shubrink here, Ms. Elms here. Mr. Holton, yeah. I'm not believed absent last night. Yeah, good. Thank you. All right, so we have a forum, and uh I believe we want to change the order of the agenda. So uh Mr. Reed. Yes, ma'am. We'd like to remove um item 7B um from today's agenda. We'll bring that back at a later date. Okay, so with that removal, do we have a um a move to accept the agenda with the absence of 7B? So move. Second and moved and seconded. Any other discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. All right. Any opposed. Okay. Uh we don't have any items on the consent agenda today, so we can move on to the reports. We have um 5A is the airport financials for May of 2026, and who's gonna do that? Okay, okay. Okay, all right. Thank you, Mayor. Um we're doing all right. You know, if we're comparing it against last year, the highlights are the major differences are that we received some COVID grants by this time last year. Uh timing of our marketing grant. Um, we have the uh taxes paid um by this time, and winter was a little bit more expensive uh last year or sorry this year than last year. So that's what makes up the major differences on the financial spot last year. Any questions? No, I think we we knew we were gonna have the impact uh with the COVID money stopping, and so that's anticipated, expected, and yeah. All right, perfect. And then any other questions, otherwise we will file one of those. Uh and then we have the airport operational marketing data. So it's interesting. Yep. So moving on to the uh organizational objectives there.

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