Airport Board faces critical juncture

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|ret|by Eric Olson

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|ret|SBJ Reporter

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|ret|eolson@sbj.net

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|ret|The countdown has begun.

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|ret|Springfield-Branson Regional Airport Aviation Director Rob Hancik's planned retirement Sept. 1 is building a sense of urgency among some Airport Board members.

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|ret|But panicked they are not, said six-year board veteran Bill Kirkman after the search committee that he chairs met for the first time July 26.

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|ret|The board accepted Hancik's resignation May 20, with approximately $267 million worth of airport expansion plans on the table. The board's decision pre-empts those critical plans, Kirkman said.

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|ret||quot|Our number one focus is to get the right person,|quot| he said. |quot|The timing of that is important, obviously, but getting the right new director in place there is more important to me today than this new expansion.|quot|

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|ret|Airport officials have three expansion projects in the wings: the $147 million midfield terminal expansion, $10 million Ozark airport project and $110 million National Guard facility expansion.

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|ret||quot|All of us think it's important to get someone selected as soon as we possibly can. We do have a lot going on,|quot| said board member Charlie Cowherd, who is not on the eight-person search committee.

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|ret|Kirkman said the committee has not set a deadline for naming Hancik's successor; it could take between two months and one year.

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|ret||quot|We've got such a great staff and a well-oiled machine over there that we will do very well in the interim,|quot| he said.

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|ret|Assistant Aviation Director Gary Cyr, who is expected to be a candidate for Hancik's position, has been named acting director, effective Sept. 1, Kirkman said.

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|ret|At last count in mid-July, 30 resumes were on hand, but none had been reviewed and there is no specific date set for reviews, Kirkman said.

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|ret||quot|I think they're in denial,|quot| said Sherry Wallace, Springfield-Branson Regional Airport marketing director.

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|ret|She, too, does not want to see Hancik leave; they've worked side-by-side four years. |quot|Everything I know about aviation I learned from Rob,|quot| Wallace said.

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|ret|Wallace said she agrees with the board's methodical approach for the airport's long-term future.

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|ret|Financial matters

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|ret|Hancik makes no bones about it; His decision to retire at age 58 boils down to money versus time.

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|ret||quot|There comes a point where time is more valuable than dollars,|quot| Hancik said.

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|ret|Hancik earns the city's maximum base salary for that position, $106,000. Based on the city's retirement plan, Hancik would receive 2 percent of his base salary for each year employed, which equals 65 percent of his base pay.

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|ret|Thus, staying on board would not be financially advantageous when his approximately $69,000 pension kicks in immediately, Hancik said.

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|ret||quot|It's just not worth the stress and aggravation and all the rest for the difference of the two,|quot| he said.

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|ret|Searching the skies

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|ret|The vacancy is posted among Springfield job openings on the city's Web site it is a city-paid position. It also has been advertised in a handful of aviation publications, online aviation job banks and the Springfield News-Leader, Kirkman said.

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|ret|The board's national search is looking for candidates with at least five years of experience in airport operations or management, and schooling in business administration, engineering or related disciplines, Kirkman said. Considering what lies ahead, familiarity with building, lease management and major capital development projects also is key.

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|ret|The search committee, made up of six board members and two city officials, scheduled a second meeting Aug. 6 with airport employees to learn what qualities they want in their next leader, Kirkman said.

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|ret|Cowherd feels Hancik is leaving the airport in a good position.

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|ret||quot|Rob was very loyal to the airport,|quot| Cowherd said. |quot|The pieces are in place for this to go forward.|quot|

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|ret|But Hancik noted that a difficult road is ahead in building the midfield terminal.

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|ret||quot|The money question hasn't all been answered yet, but that will come in time,|quot| he said, adding that the goal is to obtain 80 percent federal funding. On a positive note, the airport's plans cleared the Federal Aviation Administration's environmental assessment, and airport officials are working with experienced architectural firm Reynolds, Smith and Hills Inc. of Jacksonville, Fla. Those designs are in the conceptual phase.

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|ret|An issue still unresolved is the dispute over 160 acres north of the airport that is slated for runway expansion. |quot|That's still there,|quot| Hancik said.

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|ret|Realtor Paul Sidio acquired the land in March after outbidding the airport in a trust sale. The Airport Board has hired an appraisal to determine an appropriate asking price for the land, Hancik said.

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