The Cleveland Municipal Airport Authority selected the three-letter combination Wednesday during a meeting called to settle concerns with the Cleveland Airport Owners and Pilots Association over the terms of hanger lease agreements. However, the association’s attorney, Tad Wintermeyer of Chattanooga, was unable to attend the meeting because of the illness of a family member. The meeting was rescheduled to May 30 at 5 p.m.
The loose association of pilots and owners want an agreement patterned after the airport in Tullahoma. That agreement provides for an initial 20-year lease and the option for an additional 20 years at market rate. The CMAA has offered a 30-year lease arrangement for hangars and land.
The three-letter identifier was selected from the choices of EIV, OQP, PMF, PZF, PZW and RZR.
Each airport identifier is unique and no two letters can be the same between two airports within 200 miles of one another. To ensure there is equity concerning the letters, the letters are given to new airports in a completely random, computerized manner.
“Most people would likely consider their airport’s identifying letters as something inconsequential,” DeVault said. “However, we feel very fortunate to have received such great letters. They’re easy to remember, and RaZoR [as an informal name] sounds great!”
In other action, the airport authority narrowed its search for a marketing operations manager to two and hoped to make an offer to its first choice Wednesday afternoon. The airport board received 24 resumes that were distributed between board members who individually scored each applicant. The score sheets were tallied and the top five were selected. Of those, the top three were interviewed.
Also, airport authority members approved a motion authorizing Chairperson Lynn DeVault to request the Tennessee Department of Transportation to amend the contract with Wright Brothers Construction to include the Rolling Hills wetlands mitigation contract for grading, erosion control and grassing on the proposed project. Initially, most of the work was to be performed by the Cleveland Public Works Department. The work is beyond the scope of the city department. The original amount was $60,000. The amended amount is $275,000. The federal government would pay 90 percent and the state and local share is $27,500.
In addition, the airport authority recently earned a Transportation Development Foundation Globe Award for its hard work. The Globe Awards, established in 1998, highlight examples of excellence in the environmental-conscience transportation construction industry in both private and public-sector transportation agencies.
Only those agencies that do an outstanding job in protecting and/or enhancing the natural environment in the planning, design, and construction of U.S. transportation infrastructure projects are eligible for a Globe Award.
“This award is yet more proof that the work we are doing is performed in good conscience for the citizens and environment in our area,” DeVault said. “Our goal is to bring further progress to our area, and we want to do it in the most responsible way possible.”
Vice Chair Lou Patten announced Olin Corporation donated $40,000 toward construction of the terminal building. The gift brings the total of the fundraising campaign to $120,000. J&J Construction of Chattanooga was selected to build the terminal at a cost of $1.9 million.
