Recently, the nine board members of the Centre County Airport Authority (CCAA) arrived for their monthly meeting at the airport, but struggled to find places to park their vehicles.
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“Good,” Jim Meyer, CCAA Executive Director remembered thinking. “The airport is busy and this demonstrates why we need to build more parking.”

Meyer shared this anecdote with attendees of ABC Essentials, a program that highlights different ways to volunteer on municipal Authorities, Boards, or Commissions (ABCs).  These programs are offered for free each month at the Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County (CBICC).

Meyer is from State College, earning his pilot’s license at age 17 on the very airfield he now works at every day. After serving in the Air Force, Meyer returned home and joined his family’s business at the Autoport.  Eventually, he found himself serving on CCAA’s board and then stepping in as the interim director during a health crisis.  Meyer has been in his current position since 2009.

In the CBICC office, attendees enjoyed refreshments and examined a detailed map that Meyer brought with him.  Meyer pointed out where the parking lot additions will be added and how the current parking lot will be resurfaced in phases by Glenn O. Hawbaker.
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“Right now we have just over 500 parking places,” Meyer said, but indicated that there will be over 1,000 parking places once the project is completed.

The new parking lot is just one example of how the CCAA board members are steering the organization and making an impact in the community.

“The [board] members are the ones voting, who make things happen,” noted Meyer.

The board members meet at 4:00 pm on the fourth Thursday of the month at the airport and serve five-year terms; term limits are up to the appointing municipalities. The board members are appointed by their respective jurisdictions:
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• Ron Filippelli – State College Borough – December 31, 2021
• Chris Groshel – State College Borough – December 31, 2020
• David Dix – Centre County – December 31, 2020
• Jim Swartzell – Benner Township – December 31, 2019
• Chip Aikens – Bellefonte Borough – December 31, 2019
• Dan Trevino – Patton Township – December 31, 2019
• Doug Johnson – Bellefonte Borough – December 31, 2023
• Bob Finley – Centre County – December 31, 2023
• Bruce Pincus – Centre County – December 31, 2022

A common misconception about board member service on the CCAA relates to the purview of the organization.

“We get a lot of [board] members who get appointed and think we’re running the whole airport,” Meyer shared. “We’re not.”

While CCAA is responsible for the terminal and parking lot, Pennsylvania State University (PSU) is the owner of and the party responsible for the runway and hangars.

Although this unique arrangement presents challenges, Meyer and PSU’s Bryan Rodgers have collaborated to piece together project funding in the past, including grants that Rodgers was able to secure for the control tower that was built in 2011.

Another collaboration helped to bring United Airlines’ service to Chicago into reality.

“[PSU] did a revenue guarantee,” Meyer shared, adding that this incentive is not available for the CCAA to use since it is prohibited by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). “It was gone by the first quarter.”

The Chicago route turned out to be very popular, with PSU fliers and others.
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“It was a great investment,” added Meyer. “We now have up to eight flights a day going to Chicago.”

By analyzing data, Meyer can learn a lot about customers.

“Most of our traffic is business traffic – the parking lot is very full Sunday through Tuesday,” Meyer said. “Of course you have your families too.  We’re a destination airport – we fly in basically the same number we fly out.”

CCAA’s data subscription informs the authority on who is booking a flight, whether an agency books it or the individual books their own flight.  The data also shows customers’ final – and therefore most desired – destinations.
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“We have the top three airlines servicing our airport,” Meyer told the attendees. “We’re flying to four of the top five destinations.”

Starting in October, Allegiant Air will begin offering four flights a week to Florida.  There is also talk of a small airline offering service to Boston in the near future.

“There are many reasons you are or are not flying somewhere,” Meyer stated, going on to share some of Delta Airlines’ requirements and sub-contractor policies that are currently prohibiting flights to Atlanta.

“We are a regional airport. We fly to hubs,” Meyer reminded the attendees. “Southwest doesn’t fly into regional airports. They’ll never come here. That’s not their business model.”

American Airlines and CCAA have been in conversation for many years.

“[The Charlotte airport] is out of regional gates currently,” Meyer shared with the attendees, noting that, by early 2020, construction of a new wing of regional gates will be completed.  He is hopeful that this will provide an opportunity for service to this hub, located in the under-served region of the Southeastern part of the country.
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Karl Mierzejewski asked how these conversations are initiated between an airport and an airline.

​Sometimes air service is added simply because of competition between airlines, but usually it is a much more complicated and protracted experience.
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“Bryan Rodgers and myself, in the past, have gone to go to airline conferences with our consultant and it’s kind of like speed dating – you have about 12 minutes to give a pitch,” answered Meyer. “Airlines do not come to us, you have to give a case – present something that’s realistic.”

Along with data, CCAA may offer incentives that are allowed by the FAA, such as free landing fees or free rental space for a period of time. 

In 2007, CCAA recorded its busiest year up to that time with 142,000 enplanements (people boarding a plane).  That number was finally surpassed in 2018 with 151,000 enplanements. This year’s numbers are already 20% over last year with the busiest month – October – yet to happen.

“We’re kind of busting at the seams,” Meyer said. “Our next major project is the second floor…part of the terminal was built to have a second floor.”

​The plan for the terminal’s second floor expansion is before the CCAA’s board members now, awaiting review and action.  

​“[CCAA is] financially sound, we have no debt. We have about $7.8 million in the bank,” added Meyer. “Our revenue stream is about $2 million per year…[and] we bank just over a $1 million per year for projects.”

The main drivers of revenue come from parking fees, rental car companies, and fees paid by rental car users.

As the only full-time employee, Meyer is especially proud of the 10-year trend of keeping costs hovering around $700,000 and is looking forward to what will come next for the airport.
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Pointing to the mock-up drawings, Meyer helped the attendees envision what the terminal expansion could look like and offer customers in the future.

If you are interested in the future of University Park Airport, please contact your local municipality about serving on the board of directors.  You can also learn more about the airport here and the authority here.  While the meetings are not covered by C-NET and minutes are not posted online, the meetings are open to the public.  

The next ABC Essentials will be on September 10 with Harris Township’s Manager, Amy Farkas, who will be sharing information about their Parks Committee and appointments to the Library Board. Click here to RSVP or here for a 2019 schedule.
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Thank you to Maher Dussel, sponsor of ABC Essentials, a program collaboration of CBICC and its municipal members.

​“Being involved on an ABC [Authority, Board, or Commission] is a really nice way to get involved in things that you’re passionate about, to stay connected to those things in some way even if it’s not a part of your everyday job, or to learn something totally new,” Jason Grottini shared with a group over light refreshments on a weekday evening.

Grottini has been a board member of the State College Borough Water Authority (SCBWA) for 11 years, joining the board as its youngest board member at age 27.  After earning a bachelor’s and graduate degree in Environmental Engineering, he now works in the energy sector at Envinity and designs solar projects.

“A fun part of being a board member is you get to make a lot of decision about projects,” Grottini added, noting that he chairs SCBWA’s Facilities Committee which can function in a project management manner at times. 

​This information was shared with attendees who were gathered at the office of the Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County (CBICC) to learn more about the various ABCs in the community and potential volunteer opportunities. The ABC Essentials program is a free, monthly program hosted by the CBICC in partnership with local municipal members.  Each month, a different topic is explored; July focused on water – from faucet to flush.  

​In addition to hearing from a board member of SCBWA, the group also heard from an Executive Director’s point of view.  For over 23 years, Cory Miller has served as the Executive Director of the University Area Joint Authority (UAJA), which provides wastewater treatment (also known as water recycling) services to the State College area.

When preparing to fill an opening on the UAJA board, Miller reviews the current volunteers and then recommends to the respective appointing municipalities a skill or perspective that may currently be missing from the board. He shared with attendees that the larger size of the board allows a few points of view to shared – from someone versed in the industry to a bus driver, teacher, nurse, prison guard, etc.

UAJA has a total of 10 board members who serve five year terms. Two board members are appointed from each participating municipality and must have residency in that area.  However, Miller was careful to note that board members are representing the customer base, not necessarily their respective municipality. Board members meet monthly, may serve on sub-committees or regional committees, set policy, and approve the budget (currently, $16 million).  The current UAJA board is composed of the following members:
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• David Lapinski (College Township) – Term expires Jan. 2022
• Brian Dempsey (State College Borough) – Term expires Jan. 2024
• Jonathan Dietz (Ferguson Township) – Term expires Jan. 2021
• Walter Ebaugh (College Township) – Term expires Jan. 2024
• Garry McShea (Harris Township) – Term expires Jan. 2023
• Daniel Guss (Harris Township) – Term expires Jan. 2021
• David Derr (Patton Township) – Term expires Jan. 2021
• Jeffrey Nucciarone (Patton Township) – Term expires Jan. 2023
• Jeff Bridger (Ferguson Township) – Term expires Jan. 2021
• Thomas Daubert (State College Borough) – Term expires Jan. 2022

 
UAJA board member perks include great conversation starters at parties and free compost, Miller playfully added.

​For the SCBWA, there are a total of seven board members. While four board members reside in the Borough of State College and three board members reside within a participating municipality, all board members are ultimately appointed by the Borough of State College.  Members serve a five year term, attending monthly meetings; additionally, they serve on at least one committee that typically meets quarterly. Currently, SCBWA board members include:

• Jeffrey Kern (State College Borough) – Term expires 2021
• Rachel Brennan (Halfmoon Township) – Term expires 2020
• Gary Petersen (Ferguson Township) – Term expires 2021
• Emory Enscore (State College Borough) – Term expires 2019
• Bill Burgos (State College Borough) – Term expires 2020
• Bernard Hoffnar (State College Borough) – Term expires 2022
• Jason Grottini (Harris Township) – Term expires 2023

 
Both SCBWA and UAJA emphasized local collaboration.

​“When somebody is going to dig a hole, we all try to jump in there,” explained Miller.

The goal being fewer disruptions to local traffic, less time and money spent opening up roadways, and an overall more strategic approach to infrastructure upgrades and maintenance.

​“Any chance we get to piggyback, we do,” echoed Grottini. 

​Each authority is also relying on their staff and board to set the bar high, regularly exceeding industry standards.

“Spring Creek is like a sacred creek,” Miller shared with the group. “You don’t put anything in it but water,” so the treatment regimen that UAJA undertakes is incredibly rigorous.

UAJA’s tactics have outpaced both the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with regards to Chesapeake Bay Watershed standards and other regulations. This forethought helps to streamline the budgeting process by anticipating required upgrades, thinking ahead to future rounds of requirements, and incorporating more time to plan and pay for upgrades that can withstand multiple years of increasingly stringent requirements.

In 2001, for example, chlorine treatment was halted in favor of UV disinfection after it was found that chlorine can be very detrimental to the native trout population. Now, UV disinfection is being phased out in favor of ozone treatment.
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Although Miller stated that the treated water can be cleaner than even bottled water, the DEP will not designate it as drinking water (currently, only Texas allows this designation).  Therefore, alternative uses have been found for this recycled – and inexpensive – water: golf course watering systems, Gordon D. Kissinger Meadow project on Branch Road, and it may soon be used to powder local ski slopes.

Over at SCBWA, the team is using technology for improvements on several fronts. Grottini reported that all hydrants are being mapped with GIS and digital logs are kept of all activity for each hydrant.  He also shared that meter reading is now done by using radio waves to collect data remotely, rather than physically scanning a meter and then driving to the next one to repeat the time-consuming process.
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“Redundancy,” was the key word that Grottini wanted to impart to the group while discussing the new $24 million water treatment plant on Nixon Road. He shared that not only was the plant designed ahead of DEP regulations, but it would be built to match the current plant so that parts could easily be borrowed and the systems would run in the same manner. It is also being designed with accessibility (for student tours) and sustainability (solar energy usage) in mind.

​Solar energy is a growing part of UAJA’s portfolio as well. Miller shared that after another planned phase of installed solar panels is completed, solar energy will account for 65% of UAJA’s energy consumption. This will help with budget costs since the authority is a large energy consumer, accounting for $800,000 or more of the annual budget.

The consumption and cost of water was another topic of conversation for the group.
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Grottini explained that SCBWA was allowed to draw up to eight million gallons per day (MGD). The current services area covers State College Borough and Benner, College, Ferguson, Harris, Halfmoon, and Patton Townships; this service area includes over 75,000 people and nearly 15,000 customer connections.  Currently, the daily demand is not quite five MGD and can reach a peak of six MGD during community events like football weekends.

“It’s always astonishing to us that our water usage is not increasing even as the population continues to grow – and that the water usage per customer is decreasing,” Grottini marveled, adding that more efficient home appliances are just one factor contributing to this phenomenon.
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Pat Vernon raised a point regarding the different billing systems that are used within SCBWA’s participating municipalities. For Vernon, a flat rate in the townships did not strike him as an incentive to be more conscious of water consumption, while the State College Borough’s billing system based on the amount of water consumed would motivate him to personally be more conscious of his water usage.

“The tapping fee is currently $5,370 per equivalent dwelling unit [EDU],” Miller explained in regards to a new customer entering the UAJA system.  “The ‘other local municipal fees’ are the State College Borough tapping fee, which is $2,575 per EDU.” 
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The customer may not see these fees, as they are typically paid by the developer.

The evening ended with two myth busting questions.

Karl Mierzejewski asked about what happens to the sewer system when it rains. Can sewage leak out?

Miller helped set the record straight for the group: while all sewer systems leak because they are not pressurized and run on gravity, the leaks (rainwater) come from the outside and leak in to the system via the joints.
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Since stormwater can be more expensive to treat, a UAJA team is dedicated to locating and fixing leaks to keep the system running as efficiently and inexpensively as possible. This is a big job, considering there are 250 miles of sewer lines and over 34,000 EDUs.

And, what about the smell near UAJA’s campus in College Township just off Shiloh Road? This is what was on Joleen Hindman’s mind.

Miller shared that the smell was an unanticipated consequence of DEP’s initial Chesapeake Bay regulations – no one in the industry had tested the prescribed treatment specifically to see if it caused an odor.  Happily, Miller added that this October there should be some relief as a new $10 million odor control project begins operating.

If you would like to join the conversation, please click here to view the 2019 ABC Essentials schedule or visit cbicc.org to sign-up for the next session (August 21 – Airport Authority).  To become a volunteer on an ABC, please inquire with your municipality of residence about current openings.
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ABC Essentials is sponsored by Maher Duessel.

By Irene Miller, CBICC
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“What exactly is a Witbit?” asked an attendee.
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“A Witbit is a floating obstacle course that we set-up at our pools,” responded Pam Salokangas, Director of Centre Region Parks & Recreation (CRPR). “We add a new obstacle occasionally to keep them fresh and the kids love them – they line up to race each other.”

​Salokangas went on to tell the group, which assembled at the CBICC office on a Wednesday evening to learn about municipal volunteer opportunities with ABCs (authorities, boards, and commissions) over refreshments, about the financial viability of the local pools.

“Zero tax dollars go to the pools,” Salokangas pointed out to the group. “The two pools are 100% self-sustaining thanks to the purchase of seasonal passes and concession sales.”  She noted the uniqueness of this financial situation, adding that most pools lose money and credited the renovations done in 2008.

Salokangas has been with the 53 year old organization since 2016, moving to the area where her parents live and she often visited before making it her home.  She has a team of 23 full-time employees, which grows to about 150 in the summer when seasonal employees join the team.

This team manages 56 park sites that cover nearly 1,200 acres – 923.4 of which are actively maintained by CRPR.  They organize an Easter Egg Hunt, 4th of July parade, and Halloween parade. They bring a mobile “Rec on the Go” vehicle to kids’ neighborhoods for safe playtime and host Learn-To clinics, such as Learn to Ride a Bike.  And, they run summer camps, the Active Adult Center in the mall, Millbrook Marsh, and various sports leagues (54 softball teams in 2019).  The entire operation portfolio spans eight budgets and relies on nearly $8 million, which is not all funded by taxes.  As a non-profit, CRPR engages in fundraising and can accept grants and donations.

CRPR’s municipal members are the Borough of State College, College Township, Ferguson Township, Harris Township, and Patton Township.  Each member appoints a resident to CRPR’s board, along with State College Area School District (SCASD):

• James Dunn – Borough of State College
• Cindy Solic – Patton Township
• Diane Ishler – Harris Township
• Denise Meyer – Ferguson Township
• Kathy Matason – College Township
• Shannon Messick – SCASD

These resident-members serve for a five-year term and there are currently no term limits.  The monthly meetings are televised on CNET.  To learn more about the appointment process, please contact your local municipality or the CBICC office.

These board members not only help steer CRPR, but they also keep open lines of communication between CRPR (a Centre Region Council of Governments entity) and their home municipality.  Municipalities also have their own Parks Committees and co-own parks that are maintained by CRPR.  So, communication is essential.

​“We’ve opened the door to partnerships and would love to add more,” added Salokangas.

Some partnerships are municipal, like the ownership of the three regional parks: Oak Hall in Boalsburg, Hess on Route 45, and Whitehall Regional Park on Whitehall Drive.  The Whitehall Park also has a private sector partner.

“They are providing $1.2 million in infrastructure, which includes the park’s driveway, traffic light, pump station, and they are bringing in the utilities – electric, water, natural gas, and sewer,” Salokangas shared, speaking about The Cottages at State College, a development that is being built by Toll Brothers. “They will stub these items at our boundary, which allows us to focus on finishing those services within the park.” 

Partners, board members, staff, and residents are all important when it comes to bringing new ideas to the table and into fruition.

​One idea centers around the organization’s need for more classroom space.

“Could we rehab an old elementary school or community center?” Salokongas mused with the group.

Another idea is both environmentally and budget friendly.

​“We’re looking at areas that could be low-mow,” Salokongas shared. “By not mowing all the way down, from edge to edge of every area in each park, we can be more strategic and save money on gas for the mowers, gas to haul them, and staff time.”

​To share your ideas or get involved, please contact your local municipality or contact CRPR directly (CRPR@crcog.net | 814-231-3071).  To attend a free ABC Essentials session, sponsored by Maher Dussel, please visit cbicc.org to view upcoming events or contact Irene Miller (irene@cbicc.org | 814-234-1829).