The Bradford Regional Airport Authority has arrived at a
balanced budget for 2007.
The authority released its $522,580 spending plan on Wednesday
during the authority’s regular meeting.
“The budgets from last year to this one are pretty close,”
Airport Director Tom Frungillo said, noting the authority’s goal is
to see an increase in the natural resources account to offset any
loss in funds elsewhere.
Over the past few years, the airport grounds have seen increased
oil and gas drilling. As it stands, the grounds contain nearly 40
active wells. The authority also signed off on installing a natural
gas pipeline to the airport, allowing it to receive 200,000 cubic
feet of free natural gas a year and has established municipal water
and sewage service.
“We hope that by buying the natural gas at the wellhead rate we
are better off,” Frungillo said.
According to Frungillo, $15,000 was taken from the natural
resources account to help balance the budget. Meanwhile, looking at
the budget, the combined expense for water and sewer, including
materials and supplies, equals $17,500 for next year – a drop of
$500 from last year’s mark of $18,000.
The majority of the water and sewer project was completed this
year.
“The water and sewage project as a whole will decrease costs,”
Frungillo said. “We are also hoping it will help us with economic
development, which will bring in more dollars in the long run.”
According to the budget, the line item under expenses for gas
stands at $25,000, while water and sewer comes in at $2,500,
electric at $30,000 and telephone at $5,000. The budget indicates
the authority will capture $59,027 from natural resources next
year.
The budget also doesn’t see any changes to the amount of subsidy
the authority receives from the counties that comprise it: McKean
County will dish out $168,000, followed by Elk County at $24,445
and Cameron County with $5,432.
Two other counties – Potter and Warren – are also members of the
authority, however, Warren County has not had a person sit on the
board in years, while the authority is hoping to have Potter County
join as a voting member soon.
The total subsidy level from the counties stands at $197,877,
according to the budget.
“We have really been able to hold the line with that,” Frungillo
said.
Breaking down the budget further, $140,000 has been allotted for
labor costs, including both operations and maintenance. Of that
figure, Frungillo is slated to earn $61,000, while Administrative
Assistant Alicia Dankesreiter will garner $27,658. The
superintendent will earn $28,850.
Meanwhile, authority solicitor Daniel Wertz will earn $4,000 for
his legal services.
Also, group health insurance costs stand at $20,000.
On the income side of the ledger, the budget lists a total of
$50,000 for deicing; $175,000 for jet fuel sales; $41,000 for rent
from current carrier Colgan Air Inc.; $42,000 from hangar rentals;
$12,000 from restaurant rent; $3,900 in rent from the
Transportation Security Administration (TSA); $3,418 from the
display cases in the terminal building; and $7,000 from rental car
concessions.
