Middle Bass Island - Letter from Dairy Air Bob

Letter from Dairy Air Bob

Re: the Put-in-Bay Airport

May 25, 2009

So Tom GRIFFING is the new AIRPORT MANAGER for the PIB AIRPORT

Yes, it is true... I heard it from Tom Griffing himself.

He told me he had to agree to become the Airport Manager, otherwise the airport would be closed. I don't understand it, and I don't know why, but, that's what he told me.

The PIB TWP Port Authority meeting, originally scheduled to be held on Middle Bass Island last Monday, got changed to PIB at the last minute, as you (Jeff) know... because you told me about it around 5 PM last Monday.

The meeting got underway after 7:30 PM, after attempts were made to reach Pat Chrysler and Patrick Myers who were not present. Terry Burns, Mike Diskin, Karl Schmidlin, and Monica Drake were present for the Port Authority. Denny Naylon and I were the only people in the "audience". Glenn Cooper showed up later, as he was invited to participate in the "executive session" after the "regular meeting".

There was some discussion about the recent TAX LEVY results, and it was stated the "provisional vote count wasn't known yet" and that the OFFICIAL RESULTS wouldn't be available until FRIDAY MAY, 22, 2009.

They discussed a proposal for a FLAGPOLE at the PIB AIRPORT as well as several "STIMULUS GRANT" proposals, including a "Supergrant" proposal BUNDLE for around 20 MILLION DOLLARS!

Toward the end they discussed how PIB Airport EXPENSES exceeded the amounts being collected for AIRPORT FEES and Apartment Rents. I tried to caution them against making any rash, irreversible decisions, at that time... without exploring alternatives, FIRST.

I told them it would be a good idea to "wait and see" what happens for a month or so... and I also indicated a willingness to help them out, if I could.

I had made a payment of $2000 earlier that day, which Niki acknowledged earlier; and I told them the recent payments that I had made, should be sufficient to keep Jayne Kerwin employed for a few more months...

At the present time, MY ACCOUNT WITH THE PIBTPA, is ENTIRELY UP TO DATE, per a SIGNED AGREEMENT dated 4/28/2009 that Mr. Myers and Mr. Diskin insisted on.

I am not only CURRENT, but I have already paid 2009 PIB "OFFICE FEES" of $3000 as well as 2009 Skymaster tiedown fees of $550 for a YEAR IN ADVANCE per their demands.

Mr. Naylon and I left the meeting around 9:30 PM as the meeting went into "executive session" to discuss "employment issues", is what I understood.

Twelve hours later, at 9:30 AM, Mr. Burns was in the PIB Airport office to inform me that Jayne Kerwin would not be working in the Airport office any more, and that I would no longer be receiving any more "services" from airport personnel at the PIB AIRPORT.

He also informed me that since their "UTILITY" costs exceeded the amount they collected from rents at the Airport terminal building, that they were going to CLOSE the building... and that I would have until SEPTEMBER 1, 2009 to move out of my apartments.

Marla Dykman (DUSTY - "chick with attitude taxi") came into the office about that time, and he also told her that she would also have to move out by Sept. 1st.

I do not know what the status of Monica Drake is at this time. All I know is "rumors", I do not have any real facts. Obviously, she is no longer our designated "Airport Manager", but that is all I know.

1.) I am having difficult time understanding these recent developments. Why were these decisions made BEFORE the OFFICIAL vote count was KNOWN?

2.) I occupy about 15% of the AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING, yet, I believe I've been paying more than 60% of the rent being collected for this building. And I've been a consistent tenant for more than 11 years.

3.) I had NO CONTROL over the amount of propane used to keep downstairs offices heated to 80 degrees last winter. I had to block my registers upstairs to keep the excessive heat out of my rooms.

4.) I had NO CONTROL over the AIR CONDITIONING unit in the middle apartment RUNNING CONTINUOUSLY, even when unoccupied, ever since the first Miller Ferry last year. I complained about this to NIKI several times. I finally got so disgusted, I turned off the circuit breaker sometime last Janurary. The doorwall to that apartment was also not fully closed for most of the winter.

5.) I don't believe that anyone made any attempt to VERIFY the ACCURACY of the $20,000 amount being reported as "UTILITY EXPENSES" for this building.

6.) Do these UTILITY EXPENSES include the THREE or FOUR phone lines in to the Airport Office? These are: 419-285-8042 for the main office; 419-285-3371 for the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR's office; and 419-285-2142 for the PIBTPA Fax line; and there may also be another line for their VERIZON DSL line for their office computer.

7.) Do these UTILITY EXPENSES also include cellphone expenses for the Executive Director?

8.) Do the UTILITY EXPENSES include the cost of a recently installed NEW FURNACE? The kind of furnace we got could have been purchased in the 1960's. Why didn't we get one having better energy efficiency?... to be compatible with the expensive new insulation, siding, Pella windows, and new doors?

9.) Do the UTILITY EXPENSES also include the cost of installing a new PROPANE water heater? As in item 8 above, why wasn't a more energy efficient unit installed? This technology has come a long way since 1960.

10.) Do the UTILITY EXPENSES include the "one-time" cost of changing over our water supply system to our new VILLAGE water supply system??

11.) I am sure that our HELIPAD LIGHTING, and recently installed SECURITY SYSTEMS and LIGHTING, and AUTOMATIC GATE OPENING and CLOSING SYSTEMS have contributed toward higher UTILITY EXPENSES, which should have no bearing on those renting apartments in the terminal building.

12.) The expensive new AIRPORT OFFICE ADDITION has THREE OUTSIDE WALLS, with windows, and a separate roof which greatly increases the cost of HEATING AND COOLING this area. Rental tenants upstairs have no control over, or impact on these expenses.

13.) Do the current UTILITY EXPENSES include the cost of ELECTRICALLY HEATING the former water chlorination room located in the airplane hangar?? I wouldn't know if that heat was on or not, I do not have access to it.

14.) Do the current UTILITY EXPENSES include CARPET CLEANING for the downstairs office, provided by an OFF-ISLAND VENDOR. Is his FERRY BOAT FARE included in the cost of his service? Why couldn't the "Rug-Doctor" machine be rented from our own Island General Store?? Why worry about carpet cleaning, before the gritty mess is cleaned up in front of the building.

15.) Do UTILITY EXPENSES also include the cost to have the building "sprayed for spiders", also by an OFF-ISLAND vendor? Is this really necessary for a structure that is not located underneath a number of trees?? If it is necessary, why don't we call in DOC Scarpelli to do this??

16.) Jayne Kerwin had two more months to go, before she would achieve TEN YEARS of employment, qualifying her for a permanent health care benefit. It seems particularly cruel and unjust to terminate such an honest, dependable, and hard-working employee in this manner; especially a "government" employee.

I believe I've been a great benefit to this Airport. I've been a FREE built-in Airport Caretaker for the past ELEVEN years. I have supported this building, and the PIB Port Authority greatly over the years. I have provided thousands of dollars of services here for free. For example: I have shoveled snow from airport walks and ramp areas for several years for FREE... for the same reason most responsible citizens do this in front of their own houses.

I have cleaned up the grime an grit from wintertime "sanding" for several years in the springtime for FREE... for the same reasons listed above.

I have flown TONS of DAIRY PRODUCTS, COKE & PEPSI PRODUCTS, in addition to BREAD and CHIPS, FOR THE PUT-IN-BAY AIRPORT to resell in the airport office. I have been flying these supplies for FREE for several YEARS now, so the airport would be able to earn a better profit, without having to deal with excessive SHIPPING CHARGES for airfreight!

Somehow it is a real "SLAP in THE FACE" to be accused of having "something to do with" $800 dollars worth of "missing" pop and candy money. And it is worse, because Jayne and Jaci Kerwin have also seemed to have been blamed for this same problem. Yet, the PIBTPA has not yet publicly acknowledged these "missing" funds. Nor has the Port Authority made any effort to determine any FACTS in this discrepancy.

Yet, Pat Chrysler came into this office talking about "PILFERAGE" of POP and CANDY, and they added LOCKS to POP coolers, and also CHANGED ALL BUILDING LOCKS, so I couldn't even get into the building to check the weather machine. I think I've even been blamed for some kind of NON-REPORTED BREAK-IN of NIKI's OFFICE.

I do not like being blamed for things I did not do. But, what really makes me mad is when several innocent people are blamed for the same thing, and are made to needlessly suffer the unjustifiable negative consequences; without even a single hint of concern about "getting to the truth of the matter"; by those issuing the extreme consequences.

I hope some of you can help me to find answers to some of my questions... so that together we may find SOLUTIONS to some of the many problems.

Sincerely,

Dairy Air Bob

Reproduction without written permission is forbidden for any purposes other than personal use.

Revised: 26 May 2009 10:57:13.

This page has been accessed Hit Counter times