Seymour Municipal Airport Authority board of directors recently met in the conference room of the airport terminal.
Tim Lynch, a long-term tenant of the airport, spoke about his plans to create an Airbnb for pilots and those in the aviation space who would be able to easily rest in an Airbnb by their aircraft.
He said he plans to turn his charcoal-color hangar on the west/southwest side of the airport into the Airbnb itself. The hangar is 52-foot by 60-foot with a 50-foot wide, 16-foot-tall door.
Ideally, the Airbnb would be for one aircraft owner at a time to avoid any potential risk with multiple aircraft sharing a space, he said.
In another matter, Max Rothert asked the board to terminate the Goecker Building Supply lease.
It has been in business for more than 65 years while Rothert himself has been in the industry for 54 years. Simply put, he said he is ready to move on.
He said Goecker Building Supply has signed a purchase agreement with Gillman Home Centers, based in Batesville, to buy both the Goecker Building Supply stores in Seymour and North Vernon. The new stores give Gillman Home Center 18 locations including stores in Edinburgh and Shelbyville.
Concerning rental reviews, the Humane Society of Jackson County has agreed to the previously discussed rent increase from the board. The society had been paying $1 a year for the use of a little more than an acre of ground at the airport.
Board President Brian Thompson said at April’s board meeting that the Federal Aviation Administration is now requiring the board to raise the rent to fair market value, which would be $3,241.41 a year. The airport authority plans to raise the rent $648.28 a year over five years until it reaches the fair market value.
“They are completely happy to abide by anything that the airport board deems necessary,” airport Manager Colin Smith said.
Larry Bothe, curator of the Freeman Army Airfield Museum, also spoke about Airplane Ride Day that took place on June 15. He reported that roughly 250 people came and refreshed the board on a segment that was filmed for Journey Indiana about the museum back in May.
To watch the episode, visit journeyindiana.org and search for episode 623. Roughly seven minutes in, the segment about the museum can we watched for free.
As discussed previously, Administrative Assistant Victoria Taylor spoke about saying farewell to the airport and that this board meeting will be her last. Taylor’s replacement has been hired and will be starting July 1.
The next board meeting will be at 7:15 p.m. July 29 at the Freeman Municipal Airport Terminal at 1025 A Ave.