Vermont Legislature SmartTranscripts:

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: It's your life. It is

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: Wednesday, March 18. This is the Senate Transportation Community, and we Greg, you are on in name and

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Good morning, chair Westman. My name

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: is Greg Favor. I work for the Public Utility Commission. I'm here this morning to discuss some typographic errors in the transportation statute that's titled twenty four and twenty five. So we are the Public Utility Commission. We used to be called the Public Service Board and way back when we used to be the Railroad Commission. In 1989, the statutes were changed to take the Transportation Board as the successor to the Public Service Board in transportation statutes like 2024 or '25. So in nine instances, they failed to change the name Public Service Board or Public Utility Commission to Transportation Board. So I have a list of those, instances which I will send to the, committee assistant. So all we're asking is that the statute be corrected to correctly reflect that's the Transportation Board who's in charge of this rather than the Public Utility Commission. I mean, some of these things have to do with lumber drives down rivers and railroads. These are very old statutes. So that's all we're asking.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: Okay. We will go ahead.

[Sen. Wendy Harrison (Clerk)]: Thank you. Just one question. Hi. I served on the transportation board, and I'm just curious if the, items that would go to the transportation board are currently being, considered by the transportation board?

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: If people are doing lumber drives down rivers,

[Sen. Wendy Harrison (Clerk)]: which I really didn't No. No. I understand.

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: Did that ever come up on the Well,

[Sen. Wendy Harrison (Clerk)]: you mentioned railroads.

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: Yeah. There is something about a railroad in here, but I don't I think it's very old. I think it's it's an artifact. Of just very old legislation. And like I I'll send them around, but they're really non substantive. I really doubt. Well, I know this hasn't come up with us and it certainly hasn't come up with the transportation board. At least they haven't raised it with us. So Okay. And this has been since 1989.

[Sen. Wendy Harrison (Clerk)]: Wow. So Well, I appreciate you taking care of this.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: I don't think they were doing log drives in 1989.

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: I doubt it. I doubt it. So that's why it was missed probably. I'm gonna deal

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: with this. So

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: why took you so long? Why you you guys were just

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: happened to be looking to me recently? Someone with way too much time on their hands was looking through the statutes and said, hey, wait a minute. There's all people. Why are we doing this? So I've been trying to do this for over

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: a

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: year now. I tried last year, didn't make it through. So I'm hoping this year we can just get it cleaned up.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: Yeah. The last log drive was on the Connecticut.

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: Yeah. I would think. Right? But now there's dams and and so I'm not sure it would work.

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: You knew. I got some images. There's some beautiful giant images of very dangerous looking log drives.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: Yeah. Very dangerous. It's a tall, green space van. It is, like, you know, very it's about the last log drives down the Connecticut. We will if you get that

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: I will

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: send it right over. We will make sure that Damian Leonard, our alleged counsel, attorney

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: He is aware of it. Yep.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: And I thought somewhere, is there any bill or did you present somewhere else?

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: I thought it was that the changes

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: It was in the the House Transportation bill last year, but then somehow they stripped it out. I did send

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: the changes to Damian, and

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: I I sent it to Chair Westman. I I copied you as well.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: So Yeah. Maybe that's what I saw.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: Did the house committee strip it out last year?

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: Yeah. At the last minute. It was in the bill. I I don't know. I just don't know. It just wasn't there all of a sudden. And, like, oh, okay.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Try again.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: Yeah. Try again. So now you came to the senate. Maybe we can get you this.

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: Well, I did try in the house. I did send this to the house early in the session, and now I'm here. But I don't know what's going on, frankly. But We

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: will definitely make sure that Damian stays on it.

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: Okay. Thank you. Thank you.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: Next is the aviation budget. Where's the picture? The first picture.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Oh, yeah. This is at the Northeast Kingdom International Airport up in Coventry. Yep. Looking north. So that's looking in from Agog in the top right of the photo. Perfect. That's South Bay. Yep. Good morning. Thank you to the committee for having me here. My name is Evan Robinson. I'm the aviation program manager here to discuss the proposed fiscal year twenty seventh aviation budget. So just a little breakdown of the '27 proposed expenditures, million 710,146 in the fee fund in harmony with a 6,270,734 federal share as well for a total of $12,980,880 Gee, tell us what's these about these funds? Oh yeah, absolutely. So that's actually the lower left is the St. York Airport, Northeast Cayman International, it's looking south. And the one on the right is John Boylan State Airport in Brighton, High And Black Airport.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: That's Still our grass.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Yeah. Oh, it's the grass there. Yeah. It's about a 3,000 foot grass strip. She just peace leaves the airport?

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: Well, you know, no. She went to Caledonia. Oh, yeah. And she did the Caledonia. You know, a number of years ago, they tried to sell this one.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Boilen? Yeah. Yeah I had heard. So this is the one that lives outside of our federal obligation. So I know there have been times in history that this one's been considered for divestment from over the years.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: Yeah, why is this going outside of the federal obligation because it's grass?

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Yeah, I think I'm not sure the entire history of how the state came to acquire it, but with the fact that there was no pavement infrastructure, no Navate, etcetera, my guess is the state didn't need federal funding to acquire the land or any of the infrastructure there. What infrastructure is there other than the grass strip? So it's just a grass strip and we have three leases there. A lot of buildings. Yeah, there's three buildings. Actually, Agency of Transportation also owns a house there as well. Traditionally, that's been rented to state employees up there. Okay, so I believe you all have a presentation material. I'm going to go down our list of projects. Please stop in with any questions. Bennington, we're working on a new master plan update. Master plan occurs about every ten years. That's through the FAA. It's a planning grant to identify infrastructure needs and projects to do at the airport to support the airport in the future.

[Sen. Wendy Harrison (Clerk)]: Are you able to talk about the amount of traffic and just the trends when you talk about each airport? Just in general, like we're getting more, we're getting fewer.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Aviation in Vermont is on an uptick. Certainly, I don't have exact numbers for date of flights offhand, but in general, there's been a lot of recent rule changes that are making introduction to aviation a lot more accessible. So we're definitely seeing a lot more, what they call like light sport operations, The requirements for retaining medical certification have changed. So folks who were perhaps restricted prior, they're now more accessible avenues for them to keep flying. So I would say those are contributing factors that we are seeing year round operations at these airports, along with business development opportunities that are reliant on the airports have been on the uptick as well.

[Sen. Wendy Harrison (Clerk)]: Okay, and if there's any situations where you've had requests to increase capacity for economic development. It'd be great to hear about that.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Oh yeah, okay, absolutely. I would just kind of a blanket statement for that is like we continually at varying degrees of frequency have inquiries at various airports for business development. As you all are probably aware, the land use requirements from the Federal Aviation Administration are fairly stringent. So it's really hard to find a nice spiff that goes along with the aeronautical use being the primary purpose for business development on an airport. But we have a team that works really hard and to make those connections, whether it's within the community or nationwide to to bring in people to find more opportunity. That's always a goal of the program. We are seeing some new developments starting at the various airports.

[Sen. Wendy Harrison (Clerk)]: Thank you.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Moving to the Edward F. Knapp State Airport in Berlin, Vermont. Safety being the number one priority in working with the FAA to identify the projects at each airport that are keeping safety as a priority. The protection of the airspace comes in very, very high. So we have an obligation to protect the airspace. And in this particular project, we are continuing pursuing avigation easements, essentially that's rights to maintain airspace. So examples of an avigation easement might be on portions of a person's privately owned parcel, we have the ability to maintain obstructions below a certain height there. So this example is this. And again, the FAA projects that are on our capital improvement plan are funded at 95.5. So in the interest of time, the numbers are here, but what you're seeing in the T fund is 5% of the TOVA project. Moving to Rutland Southern Regional in North Clarendon, Vermont. This is our commercial service airport. And so we have several projects usually on an annual basis identified by the FAA. The standards for the maintenance operation of that airport are slightly elevated. For example, we have the aircraft rescue and firefighting truck. So as part of our ability to offer commercial service, we maintain a piece of equipment and the Rutland City Fire Department is on the ARF team, so we're contracted with them. So this is a new piece of equipment, the one we have is going on twenty years old I believe. So it's time that we update that. Similar, ReLind requires EMAS system essentially. It's an engineered materials arresting system. It's kind of like a runaway truck ramp, but it's for an airplane that would overrun a runway. On the south end of that airfield, we don't have an appropriate or a long enough distance where we have to require that engineered material to stop if an aircraft were to overrun. So we have to do annual maintenance on that. So what's the commercial use of Sure. What's going on with Yeah. Are there still flights going in and out? Oh, Brutland specifically? Yeah. So the commercial use airport we have through the Essential Air Service, which is a federally subsidized commercial air service program that gets commercial aircraft to rural areas. So we have Cape Air that has been there for quite a long time now, and they offer three flights a day to Boston. So the program is designed to get folks in rural areas to major hub airports closest to their region. So, yeah, they seven days a week, three sixty five, they do three flights to Boston morning, midday, and evening How to and big are their planes? Yeah, they're an air taxi service, so they have the ability to carry seven passengers along with two crews, so nine maximum is how their business model is. And every four years that contract is renewed with the FAA. A big project that will be starting the first half or the first portion I should say of construction at the end of fiscal year twenty seven. We received a large discretionary grant from the FAA to rehab the terminal apron. You can think of the terminal apron as like the airplane parking lot, right, to get to the terminal. So that image in the lower right is just the blueprint and the design for the rehab of the terminal apron. Additional tape enhancements on Rutland, PVAZ need a PAPI upgrade. That's changing the visual lighting guidance system to add vertical guidance. So meaning visually as a pilot's coming into the airport, those light indicators tell you if you're too high or too low for the approach path. Right now one direction of the runway doesn't have that vertical guidance. Safety enhancement priority of the FAA. Obstruction studies, as always trees keep growing no matter how hard we wish they didn't around the airports. Like I said, we have the obligation to protect the airspace. So we have an obstruction study to identify trees that are encroaching on the approach lighting system, which is a three d representation of the obstructions on the number right. Along with the Cape Air Service, we have the obligation to provide law enforcement services while aircraft are while they're boarding. So three times a day for some the Rutland County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement services at the Rutland Airport. And that's an ESA, criminal security agency requirement. Did we ever get the hangar space for the snow piles or the maintenance trucks that are there? At one point there was a heavier like three years in a row in there, but we kept taking it after there was no federal money. Yeah. Yeah. So the feasibility of that from what I understand, the feasibility of that building, the scope of what it needed to be, like, far outweighed. I think they went out to bid on it one time and try to get some pricing and the cost of what we were the needs were were just like so far excessive from what the allocation was. So we weren't able to follow through without a project. So they're in they're in a spot. They're undercover. I will say it's not ideal. We have a marvelous operator and he's probably the only person in the state that can get the big sweeper back into that spot safely. So it's not user friendly but they are, the assets are undercover and we do have a spot for them currently. So you didn't ask for that this year? Correct. Correct. We haven't forgot about it, but we're we're Yeah. North to North Of Kingdom International and South Country. Oh, sorry.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: So there must be some going to go back to the old days and there was a period of time where when Senator Mazza was here, they were pushing to get the airports in a place where they financially were making more money. How would I see from what you've presented here, for example, what's going on at Scotland? Kate must pay something for these. And what are the other things? And all of that must get deposited in the T Fund? Yeah. And but how would I see where would I look to get feel of what's going on at each one of the airports?

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Yeah, sure. Absolutely. So like operating costs versus revenue at each airport. So that's information that we do track and we do have. Certainly today I came prepared to testify on FY '27 budget specifically, but if you do have specific asks, like that is information that I could, whether it's

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: historical Specifically when I'm looking at this and I'm putting together a budget, one of the first questions that people ask is, what's this how much of this T fund money is other areas subsidizing aircraft? So it would be it's important to get that information to us. Okay, we can do that. On the law enforcement, isn't that every year why would that be increased or not? What is did say why that's in there?

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: So no, that's just an annual recurring cost. In past years, the federal government, TSA had a grant where they covered a portion of that, I think 37% of that required cost. That funding went away from the federal side. So for the last three years, we've had to just cover that extra 33% with it's the T funds to allow that. But don't you have other, why put it in this table, guess is my question, do you have other operating costs that you

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: don't have in this table?

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Yeah, so I'll get, we have statewide operating costs. So like the cost of running Rutland is included in a statewide operations line item. The cost of running the facilities are in a statewide facilities budget. So that's kind of at the end. This is the only one that needs log direction. Correct. Correct. It's in its own rights for relentless.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: Go ahead.

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: Thank you, Mr. Kirk. I'm not sure if you're going to get into it with your other program, like if you have a programming section, but there is a group called Habitat for Aviation. Yeah. Yeah. I would love to get them in at some point because I know that while we've asked you a little bit about, like, the commercial monetary success of the airports, there's also some incredible work done that's happening in support. So I don't know if you already are gonna talk about that, if we could invite them in. But I was thrilled when I met like 10 young women who nonstop talked to me about how they were building an airplane

[Sen. Wendy Harrison (Clerk)]: by themselves. I was

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: like, I'm sorry, where are you from?

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: No, it's super cool. This is a really good opportunity I did wanna talk about at the end.

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: Okay, I'll be safe.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Yeah, we'll save it, but don't let me forget because I do have a great

[Sen. Wendy Harrison (Clerk)]: I'd like to invite you. Are you building an airplane?

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: No. I'm watching a much smarter young woman than me build an airplane.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: Wendy and I put a hold up on me in the first round of seats.

[Sen. Wendy Harrison (Clerk)]: Send a dog first.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Safety enhancement for Northeast Kingdom International at Coventry, the development of an instrument approach. So during poor weather conditions aircraft need to utilize an instrument flight plan. Essentially they fly with no visual references if they're flying in the clouds. We have a procedure for only one of the directions at the airport at Northeast Kingdom, and what a pilot has to do, they have to get below a minimum altitude and then circle around to land the opposite direction if that's the way the wind the preferred runway for the wind. What this has done is that we've lost potential business development opportunities at the airport because the large scale aircraft that utilize that may have insurance requirements that don't allow them to come in. So it's kind of negatively affecting our ability to pursue those aeronautical developments at that airport in which there's ample opportunity up there. So we feel as though it's a safety enhancement, number one, but number two, it would support business development at the airport. This was something that the FAA used to fund as part of their capital improvement projects, but due to their downsizing and capacity we now have to outsource the development of those approaches. So hence the T fund only allocation on us.

[Sen. Wendy Harrison (Clerk)]: So just a question, is that airport, are we still in discussion about selling that airport?

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: That's not the Northeast Kinnamuni Annapolis, that's Caldonia County. You gonna give us an update on that or there's no update? Yeah, no I can certainly give you an update. So there's actually language being proposed in the T Bill right now to extend what was a May 8 deadline to complete the sale. We're mired in some of the FAA red tape for that. There is still continual back and forth with the FAA on it. So we're still hopeful that that will be a successful transaction. The benefits it's gonna bring to the area up there, pretty immense at a pace at which, know, traditionally on our timeline, it would take a long time to see those results. So we are in progress. You'll see that in the T bill, we're asking for more time. Of course, nobody anticipated the multiyear process it would have been, but there's no standard for that process. There's no real precedence set. So it's it's been a work through amongst other FAA reauthorization 2024 with changing language. Those are some of the variables that we've been dealing with, but we're still pursuing it absolutely. Franklin County State Airport in Highgate, Vermont. Safety enhancement identified by our team as well as with the FAA is the completion of a perimeter fence completely around that airport. The justification being that we have multiple wildlife hazards on that runway. That's by landings. Aside from Burlington, that's the busiest airport in Vermont with the flight training and the organizations that we have up there. So we're certainly looking to reduce those wildlife hazards by completing

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: the So what else is going on at Franklin County Airport now? I've lost track and

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: what what what's Yeah, the so at the Franklin County Airport, as you can see from the photo, we just got done widening and extending the runway. That's been completed. Those grants are being closed out currently. Last year, there was a waterline and sewer line brought up from Route 78 by the town of Pygate up to the airport itself that now serves multiple hangars as well as our terminal building with the intention that it would allow streamlined access to any business development on the airport that we do have acreage up there to support. That dovetails kind of with the statewide pre permitting or streamlined permitting process of hangar lots at all of our airports. So what businesses are we looking at coming in? Yeah, so there have been a lot of discussions, past, currently, and hopefully for the future, where now that the runway is wider and longer, it can accommodate a different class size of aircraft. So we could start to get into some light freight operations there that may in the future dovetail nicely with advanced air mobility. So I'm not sure if anybody caught news like the US DOT and FAA have announced recent partnerships to support like the electric aircraft movement to start pilot testing, whether it's rural freight delivery, high value medical supplies, organ transportation. There's a lot of kind of unique ideas with the advent of these new electric aircraft that we see in airports such as Franklin County being able to accommodate again, with some of the acreage that's at the airport there and the recent infrastructure improvements. There you go. That answer your question?

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: Roughly. And they're doing this.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Roughly.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: You know, I'm far enough away, I know the whole skirmish about Franklin County field days being pushed out. Yeah. So

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: that where they were has always been on our airport layout plan, which is hand in hand with the Feds, right? Identified for long term planning as aviation use for development. So again, the land use requirements of an airport being primarily for aeronautical use, that is an area in which we're interested to attract aeronautical business development to that area. Caledonia County, we do have a planning opportunity there. Again, we are pursuing the potential sale of Caledonia County, but that doesn't mean we can't stop thinking about it currently. We have we have going to pursue a master plan update. The one the most recent one there is far outdated. So in an effort to identify what are the next steps for infrastructure improvement, what's the logical order, safety enhancements, we'll plan for that as if we are going to retain it. Middlebury State Airport. We're working on the second portion on restoring fuel service to that airport after a long hiatus. We found federal eligibility for that. So that's represented in the top line. In addition Was that proposed before? Yeah, so that was in FY twenty six as well. The Middlebury Terminal Building, we have applied for a very competitive grant opportunity through the federal government, FAA, American Terminal Program grant. Vermont's the only state that has not had an American Terminal Program grant award. This is the last year of it being offered from the FAA, so we're hopeful to get about a $2,000,000 competitive grant to support building a terminal building for the public. Middlebury currently doesn't have what we would call like a gateway to the community. And so this would, it's roughly modeled, the rendering is there, it's the white building with a green roof, that building's not there now, that's the rendering. This would allow access, safe access to the airport and also accommodate a fixed base operator in the future that could handle public aircraft as they come in.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: Go ahead.

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: Since we're on the Middlebury Airport Sure. I know we have a bill that's on our wall from last year or maybe it was introduced this year by senator authority who I believe this is the airport that she lives close to. That has had some consistent and she's had some con not just her, but her neighborhood has had some consistent issues with noise and tree removal. And it feels kind of like, I think, a lack of communication between the folks in that area and any development that's happening. So I'm wondering, has this been proposed to that community? Have you heard about the bill that Senator Hardy has introduced in Yeah.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: I think the is the bill you're referring to that Senator Hardy introduced related to zoning?

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: Yeah, I'm trying, I know it's on our wall. Like can't, I don't have that eyesight to find it. So I was trying to find it on our way.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: I think I do recall and I'm not sure it's applicable to the public airports or this one particularly, but if I recall it's related to restricted landing areas and zoning of?

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: Yes. S one thirty four.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Yeah. Yeah.

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: Yeah. And it's about municipal authority for restricting land.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Yeah. Yeah.

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: So with this, like if we pass that bill, what would happen to this?

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Yeah. No. So that I think is specifically for private use, like But this one here, I maybe Yeah. Think her bill also might have been they have a person in Madison coming out of private air strip. Oh. Yeah. They wanted to regulate But there, yeah, she got that fifty two years that have been binding on Yeah, this

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: well this airport, they have issues off and on for airport.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Yeah, well it's a pretty active airport considering the population.

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: And it looks like it's actually not in our committee, which is my confusion. It's over at Natural Resources. So shout out to Megan for her sign language communication.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Yeah, so just to address the community, we have in the last couple years, we provide the town of Middlebury with a quarterly update just to kind of keep them in the loop with, hey, this is what we're doing. And they actually have a airport liaison on their select board. So that's like a person that I have a direct point of contact to to kind of communicate any of the proposal. And yes, the constituents are aware of this. We're actually, I think out of the courtesy going to present it at the zoning review. Typically like capital improvement projects at a federal airport kind of fall potentially outside a purview of local zoning in some instances. It's nuanced. Do you happen to know how long an airport's been there? No, don't. I don't. For a while, I'm guessing. Yeah, certainly. And then along with the safety enhancement instrument approach procedure, I kind of discussed and talked through for Coventry, that's the only airport in the state that actually doesn't have one currently. So in that PAPI, which is that visual guidance, that light that allows pilots to come in safely, we're investigating doing planning on those projects for the future. This is a project that's been awarded and it's going to construction this year. Where you see F8 pointing to a light shade of gray, there's a thousand foot parallel taxiway extension priority from the FAA to make that addition there. And it essentially keeps air aircraft off the runway. They may not have to back taxi, which is turning around on the runway and going all the way to the other end to get the wind in their favor. So this is just it's not a full parallel taxiway, but one step at a time, it it is a safety enhancement for there. And so the the this would be the the first half was authorized in '26. This is the second half of the construction cost that will be starting in another month or so. Moving on to the Burlington International Airport. This is a $500,000 pass through from the state to International, Leahy Burlington International Airport, the 500,000 is utilized to match their federal project match portion. So what's the project? They have multiple projects that they can apply that to. It's just like a block grant. They can do whatever they want. Yeah, so they have to provide us with which grant or which project specifically that they're applying those funds to. Then once they give us that breakdown, essentially we will issue them that payment on an annual basis for those projects that occurred that year. So there's coordination. I don't know exactly. I know they've done a lot of terminal upgrades or in the process of, but it could be a runway, pavement maintenance, runway extension, any of those FAA sponsored projects. So they have to be used for FAA approved projects? But they can't use it for marketing or anything or any of that stuff? Correct, well language from the T Bill in 2018 reflects that the allocation from the state is to go towards capital projects, FAA funded projects. Do you know if there's a little movement or desire from the airport to broaden the scope of what they can use that money for? Have you heard anything about that? I'm aware that conversations I've been had with the House Transportation Committee or perhaps that there has been some communication on that suggesting that. But I have not seen it, so I'm not privy to know what those communities I know what happens, but I don't know what it is. Right? Yeah. You understand? Well, sorry, do you happen to know what the gas, the jet fuel revenue is from that airport? No, I do not. I know that there's a separate investigation of that because there is another bill that discusses option tax for aviation fuel. So I know that other AOT folks have been working on that. I just wonder if the 500,000 is more than we collect or less than we collect? Yeah, I don't know the answer to that, but I know AOT is working with Vermont tax department to get some of that information because it's not that easy to find historically. We only have places where we sell jet fuel? Like this place? We have multiple others. We have Coventry, put it on the spot. Coventry, Brentland, Franklin County, Beddington, Montpelier and Morrisville. And Middlebury is in here to sell? No? Yes. But Jeff you will not have gas because this is Jeff you will. Yes, And I guess they don't, but do they still have? Not all of these. Yeah, yeah. So there are some places that have, yes, not jet fuel based on the runway lane, etcetera. So jet fuel, that's the only couple. Yes, correct. Oh no, no, those six I listed all of Okay. The other

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: gets to, it would be nice to be able to see what you're bringing in, what the breakdown of each.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Think Logan has the total, but I don't know if you have it via airport. Yep. Would you have to buy airplanes? Yeah, per hour airports yes, not for Burlington, That's the name of that company that sells fuel air? Tightney? Okay I think Tighten is separate. It's a fuel distributor. Partners state in preparation for a large scale runway reconstruction We're pursuing those avigation easements. So I mentioned an obstruction study. These photos represent known obstructions that need to be mitigated in preparation for a large scale reconstruction of the runway. Yeah. Why is

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: it called Hartnies?

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: Governor Hartnies.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: Governor Hartnies. Which

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: we will do. You know what? Anyone wants to go to the Hartnies house and explore

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: It's been my heart. Good. Yeah. The Hartnies house is beautiful. Famous. They haven't been in years.

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: If you want to do the project and get-

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Yeah, pretty

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: cool. When is the construction project going

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: to Yeah, so the construction of it, not on our, it wasn't our idea, the FAA, because it's such a big discretionary grant, they are responsible for the region on an annual So they asked us to push it one year, essentially it fit into their budget. So the construction will be in 2029, So the spring it's a big lead up to these large scale reconstruction. This is the second longest runway in the state behind Brampton.

[Sen. Wendy Harrison (Clerk)]: Oh, that's interesting.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Yeah, so these And then again, a theme of being able to offer reliable, consistent fuel services, just like the gas station for the airport. We have a plan to get all of our outdated tanks from underground, above ground and upgrade them. They're all beyond, most are beyond their service life. They're over 30 years old so we've had a lot of maintenance issues. So we're starting to just implement them in half of the fuel farm every fiscal year essentially. Some may have federal eligibility, some don't, but either way we have to get them accounted for and taken care of so we can mitigate issues and provide consent. I just do have questions. Do you

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: know who John Boyland wants? I don't. Okay. Well, I don't know who John Boylan was.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Oh, the Boylan Air Party?

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: Yeah. Oh, no.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: For the trivia question.

[Sen. Wendy Harrison (Clerk)]: Dang. I gotta read this to him.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: When I came here, John Boylan was chair of the Senator Corporations Committee and had been for decades.

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: You may have an airport named after you one day.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: I guess I appropriated some money for an airport. Okay, on to rounding out the last couple slides here onto the statewide line items. As I mentioned, there are like costs, personnel, administration of utilities that are grouped for all airports into a line item specifically. So aviation facilities, that's the monies to keep the lights on indoors operational at our 44 state owned facilities at our 10 airports. I think it's 44, close to that number at least. And then the aviation administration, nineteen, twenty full time employees along with insurances and agency digital service fees, that's the 3,021,052. So then statewide aviation operations budget. So that is to maintain all of the equipment assets we have or the rental fees through our central garage to lease those pieces of equipment. It's money for Once we get these obstruction removals, the FAA says you can pay for it once, but you have to maintain it. So all the reoccurring maintenance of easements and approaches and right of ways comes out of that budget, as well as funds the UAS program and the drone operations that we conduct for the aviation program. Maintenance of the fuel farms, maintenance of the airport lights, all the nav aids, wheel and weather systems, etcetera. Beacons, safety beacons. Those are things that the Air Aviation Operations budget covers and that's a $1,300,000.0320 dollars

[Sen. Wendy Harrison (Clerk)]: So is that all of the communications stuff? Seems low. Yeah, aviation operations, does that include all the communications? Like, can

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: you say examples of this?

[Sen. Wendy Harrison (Clerk)]: Sorry. The communications with the planes and Oh, radio infrastructure?

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Radar? Some airports, so we don't have any radar at our own controlled airports. All of our airports, with the exception of NAP, are in uncontrolled airspace. So there is not that type of infrastructure there. In in most cases, the FAA owns a lot of that infrastructure. So at some of our airports, for example, at a couple of them, we have FAA owned weather systems. For some reason that I'm not completely sure of the whole history on, we also own four of them. Maybe there was a need in the state offstage at one time to put them in. So there's handful of examples that sometimes we bet stay, we're on the hook for it. These are just a few examples of some of the different that we have to maintain.

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: Okay, thank you.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: To satisfy the agency's obligation to have the ability to coordinate and respond to aeronautical related emergencies, we utilize the Civil Air Patrol through an annual grant. So essentially they're an extension of our need to locate down a missing person who says a relation from an aircraft, respond to emergency locator transmitter beacon, receipts like from various entities. The Civil Air Patrol, which is stationed at multiple of our airports, utilizes those funds to cover training, maintenance, and actual conducting missions that we request them to do. And that's an extension through the United States Air Force. As mentioned, that we do have right of way and vegetation management correction. We do have a separate line item for that because our obligations are so extensive. So annual vegetation management, many of our airports have permit conditions for clearing such as wetland permit conditions that require specialized maintenance. So we have a line item for that. We have exciting this year, an opportunity to conduct pavement condition index and the development of a pavement management plan through a consultant. So we get a better handle on understanding what our baseline of pavement conditions are in the state. Currently that's an area for improvement. We've identified that. That's going to help inform long term planning to understand if and when we need to do large scale rehab or reconstruction of our assets. And something that I'm very excited about here, I've been working really hard and will continue in the next year or so, we're conducting a large scale airport policy modernization effort. So essentially we're looking at lots of either ad hoc or outdated, frankly, aviation rule sets like back from 1969 that the T Board still uses to kinda try to navigate today's issues in 2026. We're creating an overarching document that will go through formal rulemaking from the secretary to the various committees on rulemaking to just create updated policies. This has been something that constituents of our airports have wanted and we've also wanted as well. This is near and dear to my heart because it's working through a big policy revamp. And then annual payment maintenance are the next three line items that finish the presentation. And we take certain fortunes of our FAA entitlement money on an annual basis. And on a rotating schedule, we go around to various airports and do crack sealing, repainting, block patching, So those three line items, the way the project cycles work, we constantly have like three federal fiscal years going. We're closing out one, we're planning for the next, and we're constructing one. So that explains the three line items there. That's sort of my presentation of 27. Any questions on this follow-up? Well,

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: first of all, thank you so much. It's great. I think this is now your second year in this role or at least second year presenting to us. I just want to say I'm really impressed. So thank you for coming and doing this work. I know it was kind of a separation with Dan moving, separating rail and air, and I appreciate that we're getting kind of this level of detail.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: My

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: main question, I'm not sure if you're able to address, but I do at some point wanna get an answer about it, which is there's been a rumor mill flowing around that if we deny the use of federal agencies to send folks through deportation transportations like they have through BTB, that we will lose access to federal funding. Like if we say no, we disallow you to transport folks detained by ICE, that we will lose all of our FAA funding, all of this. I'm wondering if you've had discussions about what parameters are set around us getting grant money and if you've heard anything about our pushback against both the use of our airports for this purpose and generally if you've heard anything on that.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Yeah, so just there are 40 grant obligations of which that I'm certain that there are some of them that may refer to that. I don't have the knowledge of that. I haven't looked into that, so I'm not really able to speak on any implications or potential implications of that. So I don't have the answer for you at this point.

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: Who wouldn't be? Because I do think that's a reasonable risk to consider. But who would

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: give Yeah, you

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: could do that.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: And I was hoping it would probably be good if you got that information back for making it Yeah, you bet. Yeah, can do that.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Really quick, I wanted to touch on, you mentioned you'd like to have Habitat for Aviation and this is a perfect opportunity. I believe there's awareness and if not, happy to speak about it. We've earmarked April 30 as a day for Aviation Day. There's been an effort from the users of the airport to kind of come together with some messaging and I know representatives from certain airports are planning, there's rumor of a potential joint hearing with House Transportation, Senate Transportation, as well as Senate Economic Development, I think are interested in coming to hear testimony from groups such as, and I know Beth White is on the planning committee for that, that you may have it sooner rather than later. That's all

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: I have.

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: That's great. Then yeah, I would say we don't need to hear from them uniquely if they're already coming for things.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Okay. All right. Thank It you

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: would be the breakdown of each airport and the other day are. Can you just remind me what the timeline is for Caledonia and the sale?

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Yeah, so the timeline, it would be our hope, as of all the information now, we've got recent reauthorization guidance from that. It would be, I don't want us to stamp an exact timeline, we hope that within the next twelve months we could get that done. That would be our intention. So that's your fault. Yeah. Not your fault.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: No, know. The history of Caledonia is that for years and years he fought over lights and the neighbors and the neighbors have never been I think there are some neighbors there that wish the airport wasn't there.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: But the town was excited about it or at least they voted for it and supported it. Supported at the town level. Yep. I do have

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: one last question. How how are airstrips numbered? What is the system? It seems

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: like random from this, like when you see the numbers, but there must be some actual logic to it. Like, Barry Mockiller is NPV. No, not that, but the number. Runway to

[Sen. Wendy Harrison (Clerk)]: the Oh,

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: sorry, yeah, no, that's a magnetic heading, toughest heading. So three six is pointed at three six zero magnetic. So when you're in your aircraft pointing on the center line, yeah, so it's the magnetic direction that you're heading. So like if you're landing Some of them are five, Yeah, some them are so Runway 5 is a heading of 50. Okay, and so there could be this It's always 180 different, so five, two, three, There's 50 a number on each end. Yeah, so there's that same surface but there's two technically two different runways based on what way you're approaching from. And so you could technically have an air strip of the same number if it's just the on another state that's just facing the same. Some have one well, yeah absolutely. Yeah absolutely. We have multiple of the same numberings in Vermont as well. Some airports only have a one way in one way out like in Durain or something. Okay. Okay. Appreciate all your time. Do

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: you

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: have a pilot's license? Correct. How long you had your pilot's license?

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Oh yeah, that's so I got it when I was 17 years old so twenty years. Yeah, I got it over in the Champlain Islands initially. Great place.

[Sen. Wendy Harrison (Clerk)]: You've heard

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: of it. Have private grass there too?

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: I did learn. I I I did learn. I was fortunate enough to my first kinda full on summer job was up at Northern Lights Airport in Albert, Vermont. That's a private landing area, but, yeah, I kinda cut my teeth up there. Do the do the private landing airports have to be registered?

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: Or can

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Yeah. They do through the state as well. There's one in Macau, I don't remember if that there's a person who's there. There's all over.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: I mean, there isn't there like one in Northwell? Yeah,

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: I recently looked at the list and the map. There are dozens in Vermont. Some are active, some are not. They just register. There's a process through state agency, the T Board, and then through the FAA to get them registered. So I can't just land in the field? No, not according to title nine.

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: You don't cover hot air balloons, do you?

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Technically, yeah. Oh. And drones, everything. Anything that has coordination through the FAA.

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: Well, we had a very tragic death in my area.

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: Yeah, I didn't know that.

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: But you have to pick the squeaky still do?

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: Squeaky still lives there. They have to go through you and like get

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: No, not particularly. There's different rules that they operate under.

[Sen. Rebecca "Becca" White (Vice Chair)]: But you could land in a field if

[Evan Robinson (Aviation Program Manager, Vermont AOT)]: you were Yeah. It's airplane helicopter, not so much air airplane. Yeah. That makes sense.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: Alright. Thanks

[Greg Favor (Public Utility Commission)]: a lot.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair)]: Thank you. Alright. Thank you. I think how's out a very quick five minute break?