The Sedona-Oak Creek Airport Authority board of directors announced the resignation of board member and former board president Harold Idell at the board’s Aug. 24 meeting. SOCAA president Pam Fazzini said that Idell had previously expressed his intention to step down from the board sometime this year.
Idell is a retired FedEx fleet manager and is currently CEO of Quatum IDC, a venture promoting a modern version of the Stirling engine, an engine first patented in 1816 that is powered by the temperature difference between hot and cool cylinders, allowing the engine to run on any heat source.
“Harold brought a wealth of expertise and experience, and a passion for aviation to his service on the board and we look forward to his continued participation as a ‘citizen,’ as he put it,” Fazzini said.
Whoever takes Idell’s place on the board will be helping make big decisions about development on Airport Mesa. The airport is now starting to plan for projects included in Sedona Airport’s 2017 master plan that were previously stalled.
Master plan projects include:
• Construction of new hangars
• 4.6-acre expansion of Sky Ranch Lodge
• Terminal building expansion
• Expanded aircraft/helicopter parking
The airport is currently working on clearing one of the biggest roadblocks to implementing any new projects on the mesa: Limited water supply. Airport manager Ed Rose presented the board with final versions of water master plans prepared by Dibble Engineering for fire suppression and potable water on the mesa.
The airport has a well on the mesa and also has potable water pumped up from below the mesa by the Oak Creek Water District. Water infrastructure includes an 88,000 gallon storage tank and water mains, but the current infrastructure has been deemed inadequate for fire suppression for additional buildings — inadequate even for the current buildings.
In the plans, engineers recommend immediately adding a 100,000-gallon water tank, upsizing the water mains on the mesa and installing a diesel back up generator, just to protect the existing buildings at the airport.
Engineers recommend another $1.4 million in water system improvements — such as firewalls, a booster pump and sprinklier retrofits — before any new development occurs.
So the water system improvements are not an insignificant hurdle to new developments, but the airport is planning to take the leap. Board members are currently reviewing the water master plans and could vote to approve them next month.
