Carson City Airport Authority looks at hangars, budget

A logjam regarding Carson City Airport hangar development during and since the recession began unjamming Wednesday.

That occurred due to one item on the Airport Authority agenda and on the same night the authority also approved a tentative Fiscal Year (FY) 2015-16 budget of $1.3 million.

Authority members voted 6-0 on both starting the process for the small hangar development proposal and on the budget, which still can be changed if needed next month.

The plan for three or four hangars brought in by Cecil Koupal of Montreux, which is on Mount Rose Highway near Incline Village, requires an appraisal before a lease. The go-ahead for that was approved after Koupal said he and his two partners would foot the bill for the appraisal if questions he must answer get affirmative responses. Among them is whether a taxiway shared-use agreement can be forged with a nearby tenant.

The proposal would carve out about a third of an acre from a 2.5 acre parcel, something the authority has avoided in the past. Steve Tackes, authority legal counsel, was asked if that would set a binding precedent which would require similar actions in the future. He said that isn’t the case, but did warn if the authority does several similar actions in the future it could create administrative cost burdens and require more staff.

Tim Rowe, airport manager, said in this case it wouldn’t be burdensome. Karl Hutter, authority vice chairman, said though it isn’t a precedent it might help spur some additional development. Others voiced a similar hope.

Koupal, for his part, said his limited liability company would build three or four small hangars at first and then determine if later it should do more on the other nearly two acres should a market develop. His opinion was there’s a growing market for smaller hangars, but a lax one for larger hangars.

Regarding the budget, meanwhile, Guy Williams, authority chairman, noted there’s still time for changes before it’s finalized the third Thursday in May. Rowe prior to the meeting told the Nevada Appeal the current total for FY 2015-16 is $1,329,486.