SCRAA Board Addresses Resolution To Hold Meetings With Supervisors
Pella, Iowa – The South Central Regional Airport Committee met on Tuesday evening. The meeting was held electronically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At issue were two land agreements. The agenda also included creating a property committee and designated an executive committee.
A discussion developed around the passage of Resolution No. 47. The resolution would designate the SCRAA Executive Committee to work with the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors regarding 220th Street. John Bandstra, the Mahaska County Representative to the SCRAA Board, revealed new information. He shared that Mahaska County Board of Supervisors approached him regarding concerns about the resolution. One concern was that the Supervisors were unable to locate any record that Site A was indeed the approved proposed location, as stated in the resolution.
Bandstra continued to share concerns brought forth by the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors when he communicated concern about language regarding the closure of both 220th Street and a service road for farm machinery.
Board chair David Barnes felt the agreement would open the door to allow conversation between the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors and the SCRAA Executive Committee thus making it possible to discuss the project’s future further. Bandstra then spoke again stating that the he felt the Supervisors were not opposed to working with the Executive Board. However, he repeated the Supervisors stance opposing the resolution’s language.
Another SCRAA Board Member, Sid Pinney agreed with fellow member Bandstra about working with the Board of Supervisors to clean up the resolution language. SCRAA legal counsel gave guidance saying that the vital thing created from the resolution would be the committee’s formation and that any changes would have to come back to the SCRAA Board for approval.
After considerable discussion, a motion was made to table the resolution, and the motion to table was voted down 4-2. Therefore, the board went back to the original motion to give the SCRAA Executive Committee authorization to meet with the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors on meeting to discuss issues. This motion passed 4-2. Thus including, the resolution that changed the third paragraph in the resolution that stated, WHEREAS, the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors approved Site A as the proposed location for the South Central Regional Airport in June of 2013, to WHEREAS, the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors acknowledged Site A as the proposed location for the South Central Regional Airport in June of 2013.
A property committee was established with a 5-1 vote in favor. That committee would be tasked with handling property leases and day-to-day needs related to property ownership. Property includes current property the SCRAA owns, and those properties going forward.
The board also went into closed session twice to discuss and then approve land acquisition deals for the regional airport. Those included the agreed purchase of approximately 117 acres of land for approximately $1.7 million.
