Title
Planning and Building Department, Airports Division, recommending the Board:
1) Approve the Advanced Systems Design Service, Non-federal Program, Operation and Maintenance Manual, which includes an Agreement for Operation & Maintenance of the Automated Weather Observing System at the Placerville Airport with the Federal Aviation Administration;
2) Delegate authority to the Director of Planning and Building, or Department Head overseeing Airports, to sign the Advanced Systems Design Service, Non-federal Program, Operation and Maintenance Manual, which includes an Agreement for Operation & Maintenance, and initial where required; and
3) Delegate authority to the Director of Planning and Building, or Department Head overseeing Airports, to sign subsequent amendments produced by the FAA, contingent upon County Counsel approval.
FUNDING: General Fund.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
To enhance the safety of pilots flying in and out of the Placerville Airport, an Automated Weather Observing System III (AWOS), a navigational aid, was installed and has been in use for many years. AWOS is an automated system that measures and broadcasts current local weather data, including altimeter setting, wind data, temperature, dewpoint, density altitude, visibility, and cloud/ceiling data, for use by pilots. The data collected is formatted and delivered either audibly over the radio, in an automated phone recording, or in a Meteorological Aerodrome Report or Meteorological Terminal Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) text format. AWOS reports are generated and broadcast every minute.
The highly technical AWOS stations are regulated and inspected annually by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The County is required to sign and abide by the Advanced Systems Design Service, Non-federal Program, Operation and Maintenance Manual (OMM). By signing the OMM, which includes an Agreement for Operation & Maintenance of the AWOS, the County agrees to operate and maintain the system in accordance with the OMM and all applicable FAA requirements, standards, and criteria.
Contact information in the OMM will need to be updated periodically, which, per the FAA, will result in amendments to the OMM, and there may be additional amendments needed. Staff are requesting that the Board provide approval authority to the Director of Planning and Building, or Department Head overseeing Airports, to execute amendments to the OMM, contingent upon County Counsel approval.
The FAA requires that the County sign and submit the OMM by December 18, 2023. Non-compliance with the requirements of the OMM is grounds for the AWOS system being decommissioned by the FAA, which means this critical navigational aid could be made unavailable to pilots using the Placerville Airport.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could choose not to approve the OMM, which could result in the FAA decommissioning this critical navigational aid used by pilots at the Placerville Airport.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
None
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
County Counsel
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This request is to update the agreement and assign signature authority to the Planning and Building Director, or Department Head overseeing Airports, for Operation & Maintenance of the Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS), however, the cost for the AWOS is $4,500 per year for triennial inspections, as required by the FAA. This is completed by a non-Federally-employed technician, overseen by County staff. The cost for the AWOS inspections is included in the FY 23/24 Airports budget.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
None
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Public Safety and Good Governance.
CONTACT
Chris Perry, Assistant Director
Planning and Building Department