Excused -  D.Booth

Staff:     P. Messmer, J. Lampman, Highway Division; E. Marx, Administration, A. LeMaro, Facilities; R. Nicholas, Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport; T. Richardson, Solid Waste, F. DeAragon, ITCTC

Guests: T. Joseph, Legislature

Called to Order

 Ms. Robertson called the meeting to order at 2:01 p.m.

1)Additions/Deletions to Agenda

The following items were withdrawn from the agenda:
· Minutes of November 25, 2003

2)  Chair's Report

 Ms. Robertson spoke of the intersection of Turkey Hill and Ellis Hollow Roads, inquiring whether a stop sign might be placed at that intersection due to the number of accidents involved.  She spoke of obtaining information from the Varna Fire company related to the accidents and requested Mr. Messmer consider this option.  It was noted that there are no procedures in place for fire department accident data to be given to the Sheriff's Department.

 Next, a discussion took place regarding the December 23, 2003, meeting of the Committee and the possibility of canceling it due to lack of items or quorum.  Members of the Committee felt that one could be held at 4:00 p.m. prior to the January 6, 2004, Legislative meeting if necessary, and that Mr. Booth and Ms. Nelson should be consulted prior to making a determination.

3)  Persons Wishing to Address the Committee

 No persons wished to address the Committee.

4)  RESOLUTION NO.    - AUTHORIZING LEASE AGREEMENTS WITH AVIS AND HERTZ RENTAL CARS - ITHACA TOMPKINS REGIONAL AIRPORT

 It was MOVED by Ms. Kiefer, seconded by Mr. Winch, to submit the following resolution to the full Legislature for approval.  The Committee was informed by Mr. Nicholas that the contract with the companies pays what is the higher-end percentage when compared to other airports agreements with car rental agencies.  In addition, the firms pay between $450 - $460 per month for 192 sq. feet of counter area, and $.26 sq. foot for the car wash.  Mr. Nicholas indicated the $.26 is for land use as the car rental agency built the car wash facility.  A voice vote resulted as follows:  Ayes - 4, Noes - 0, Excused - 1 (Legislator Booth).  MOTION CARRIED.

 WHEREAS, AVIS Renta-A-Car System, Inc. (AVIS), and Barret Driv-Ur-Self, Inc., d/b/a HERTZ (HERTZ), have existing five-year agreements to operate rental car facilities at the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport and said agreements are due to expire on December 31, 2003, and
 WHEREAS, both AVIS and HERTZ have indicated a desire to renew said agreements for another five-year term from January 1, 2004, until December 31, 2008, with terms similar to those contained in the existing agreements, and
 WHEREAS, all other major rental car companies have been notified of the availability of space in the airport terminal and none have expressed any interest at this time, and
 WHEREAS, nothwithstanding the lack of response from other rental car agencies, the County reserves the right to sign an agreement with other rental car companies during the five-year period of the new agreements, using terms the same as or similar to, those agreed with AVIS and HERTZ, and utilizing existing space capacity in the terminal building and parking lots, now therefore be it
 RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, That the County Administrator or his designee be and hereby is authorized to sign agreements with AVIS and HERTZ to conduct rental car businesses at the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport for the period January 1, 2004, until December 31, 2008.
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Note: Both National and Dollar car rental companies followed up on my notification letter by requesting more details.  However, they subsequently decided not to proceed.  The terms of these agreements are basically that AVIS and HERTZ pay the airport ten percent (10%) of their gross receipts at the airport plus a rental fee for counter/office space and for the land occupied by their car wash facility.

5)  RESOLUTION NO. - AWARD OF BID - WIRELESS INTERNET SERVICE - ITHACA TOMPKINS REGIONAL AIRPORT

 It was MOVED by Mr. Winch, seconded by Ms. Blanchard, to submit the following resolution to the full Legislature for approval.  Mr. Nicholas indicated that this service would charge non-subscribers  desiring to use the service a $6.95/day fee, with no charge applied to individuals already subscribing to the Clarity Connect wireless service.  Mr. Nicholas indicated that this service is done strictly as a convenience for travelers, at no cost to the airport, and will not produce any significant revenue for the airport.  A voice vote resulted as follows:  Ayes - 4, Noes - 0, Excused - 1 (Legislator Booth).  MOTION CARRIED.

 WHEREAS, the Finance Department requested proposals for Wireless Internet Service at the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport, and
 WHEREAS, said Wireless Internet Service is intended to be a convenience to users of the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport at no cost to the airport, and
 WHEREAS, four (4) proposals were received and the proposal of Clarity Connect, Inc., of Ithaca, through a combination of service, price to customers and commission to the airport, is deemed to be in the best interests of the airport, airport users, and the County of Tompkins, now therefore be it
 RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, That the bid be awarded to Clarity Connect, Inc., of Ithaca, New York, for a three-year period beginning January 1, 2004, and that the County Administrator or his designee be and hereby is authorized to execute a contract with Clarity Connect, Inc.
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Note:  Since we were looking at this from the customer service point-of-view rather than as a money-making experience, the four proposals were evaluated on the basis of what's best for airport users.  Grok Technology of Pittsburgh was eliminated because their proposal was too unrealistic and showed they had not done much research on the airport.  The other outside company, Technical Business Solutions, had a very high daily rate.  Of the two local companies (Clarity and Lightlink), the Lightlink proposal was confusing and did not give a clear picture of what the proposal was.  Although they proposed a "no cost" solution for airport users, access to the Internet was limited, proposed maintenance of the system was limited, and there was no payment to the airport.  The Clarity Connection proposal included a reasonable daily fee for internet customers and a ten percent commission to the airport on all connection revenues.

6)  Airfare Comparison - Airport

 Mr. Nicholas provided a written document that compared the cost of airfares from Ithaca, Binghamton, Elmira, and Syracuse.  This document indicated that at times Tompkins County airfare was not always the highest airfare to various locations, clearly indicated the Ithaca airport to be one of convenience rather than one providing the least expensive rate.  A brief discussion took place regarding regional airports, noting they are Federally regulated, and it did not appear that a decision to build any regional airport would occur as the cost would outweigh any benefit.

7)  Update on US Air Contract

 Mr. Nicholas spoke of a recent broadcast on WHCU radio that indicated a US Air spokesperson  had stated there was a firm agreement to extend the present contract for one year.  Mr. Nicholas said discussions with his contacts had indicated the two-year extension was still under consideration.  He will be contacting US Air within the next week to discuss the extension further.  The Committee inquired about the cost for the consultant service, stating the negotiations were not extensive and should not require the total amount approved.  Mr. Nicholas said that it would be adjusted and that in the event US Air were only extending the agreement for one year he would request the consultants to again discuss a further extension or agreement in 2004.

8)   2003 Facilities and Infrastructure Committee Goals

 This item was tabled until the next meeting to allow participation of all Committee members and Public Works Administration staff.  Mr. Marx said he felt a good job was done with the goals.

9)   Functional Classification of Roads

  A presentation was given to the Committee by Mr. DeAragon and Mr. Messmer regarding the present review and reclassification of functional classification of roads within Tompkins County.  Mr. DeAragon explained that this is completed every ten years in conjunction with the census.  The Committee was informed that the urban boundaries of the County will change due to the density of population, and as a result the functional classification of roadways may change.  Upon the change due to census information a review takes place to determine if other changes to the infrastructure classification should be made due to useage.  It was reported that correspondence was sent to municipalities to review their infrastructure to determine if a reclassification or other change be made to the report, with  responses to be returned by the end of January 2004.  Mr. DeAragon stated that it is not wise to classify a road higher than its actual use; when repairs are required the design must be aligned with the requirements for the classification.

 The Committee was informed about the various classifications of roads, how they are determined, and whether ownership (i.e., whether particular roads should be owned by the County or municipality.) should be considered based upon information received during this review process.  It was noted many factors should be considered when making a determination of ownership of roads including:
· the ability of a municipality to maintain a road,
· whether state or federal aid may be lost to the taxpayers of the County if ownership changes,
· the actual functional class,
· whether the road would need repair prior to ownership change, and
· the condition of the road at the present time.

The discussion of ownership and potential changes will be brought before the Committee prior to the MPO review.

10)  Update on Snow and Ice Removal

 The Committee inquired whether any further concerns had been heard from municipalities related to road conditions affecting their snow and ice removal.  Mr. Messmer indicated that all requests made by municipalities to repair roads to assist in safer plowing had been completed, with the exception of alterations to Portland Point Road (which will be rebuilt next year).

10)  Adjournment

 The regular meeting adjourned at 3:21 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by Karen Fuller, Deputy Clerk, Tompkins County Legislature