City trying to close FBO. Claims tainted fuel

News, it is now the City's official position that NBA can not sell fuel.

The Mayor has also stated on the Radio that the city is preparing a RFP for a new FBO.

See the Youtube of the newly renamed "NB Regional Airport". Gives a clue to who the new FBO may be.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy-oPZ0VqXs
 
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So what's the latest on "As New Braunfels Turns"? :popcorn:
 
Chuck Norris stopped by to settle the dispute. Construction of New New Braunfels TX is scheduled to commence after the spring wheat hay cutting.
 
Update: City still has fuel truck. Restaurant still closed.

City involved in dispute over river can ban. City cronie group tried to frame can the ban leader. owner of an alternate Newspaper NBCitizen.com

Read the megatorial and first word. www.nbcitizen.com

We had slowed our protests so as not to compete with can the ban group.

Should start up again soon.
 
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Sorry I haven't kept you up to date. The past several months has kept the city busy promoting its "Can Ban". A new local newspaper has sprung up informing the public of the apparent corruption of our leaders and a group called the "Kitchen Cabinet". Check it out at www.nbcitizen.com I have used this opportunity to take a break and just do research using the internet, face to face and open records requests while the city leaders were distracted by the ANTI Can Ban folks. The most revealing is the things that they don't want me to see. There are many other ways to get the information. Their attempts to withhold just point me in the right direction. Let me know that I'm barking up the right tree. That and a few "Honest City Employees" that help out with tidbits here and there. Telling me "you might try looking .......". Even handing over documents that tell the story. It is very motivating. :goofy:


As far as NFS and their proposed move to NB (at no small cost to the taxpayer) It seems that the city is despirate to put tenants on the field. It's even willing to pay out big bucks to do it. NFS also owns an FBO in Toledo. I'm guessing they will move their HQ from Toledo to NB in a few years. After they stiff the city for a few million more in 4B funds. But who could blame them for going after "FREE" TAXPAYER money I don't know if they have plans for an FBO at New Braunfels. But I have a hunch it's a real possibility since their proposed building has 10,000 sq ft of hanger space that is not necessary to their present operation as an engine overhaul facility. Does anyone know the present situation at Toledo? Isn't that where DHL was? Seems like NFS could name its price there.

My latest find is the city lost about $500,000 in its fuel business the past year at the airport. Even after shutting down NB Aero. This along with the millions of giveaways really looks fishy. Do you think they are bleeding money because their payroll is heavy with overpaid managers? Someone at the airport gets a $500.00 per month:mad: car allowance above their salary of around $95,000. That doesnt leave much for workers to pump fuel and mow grass.

It seems the city also wants to keep us from seeing the fuel platts. Past airport managers gave them to us :D but now the city claims they are a trade secret of their business enterprise. They have gone to the TX AG to prevent release. What they really don't want us to know is that the city raised its margin when NB Aero was shut down.:yikes:

OOPS, No wonder the city doesn't want to release the fuel Platts. :nonod:

When all else fails the City just forgets about your Texas Public Information Act request. I seem to have a TPIA request about 6 days overdue as I write this. That would be the request for "Commercial Activity Fees paid by Tenants from Jan 2009 to present."

No Worries. I was able to determine these fees by backing out of the money paid using another report. But I'd still like to see my request to verify my findings.

If you don't know by now there is a whole bunch of information to analyze and I've just started to really get a picture of what is really going on at KBAZ.:hairraise:

Like an old friend once said. If you really want to know what is happening just "FOLLOW THE MONEY. IT NEVER LIES.":yesnod:

Sorry for the abuse of the emoticons. I can't resist.:rolleyes:
 
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Latest in NB AERO vs City of New Braunfels



Asks district court to order NB to compensate it for ‘substantial’ losses

By Greg Bowen

The Herald-Zeitung

New Braunfels Aero Service (NB Aero) is asking a district court to order the City of New Braunfels to compensate it for the “substantial economic losses” the company claims it has suffered as a result of actions taken against it by the city.

In a legal filing submitted Wednesday, NB Aero responded to a breach-ofcontract suit filed against it by the city following a wellpublicized March 5, 2011 incident in which the city claimed NB Aero took delivery of and illegally stored and dispensed an unidentified non-aviation fuel that posed a hazard to aircraft.

But the firm’s counterclaim, filed with the 433rd Judicial District in Comal County, also references disputes between the two parties dating back to the 1980s that NB Aero says were attempts to terminate NB Aero’s lease and “appropriate the business of NB Aero at the airport for itself.”

NB Aero has leased facilities from the city at New Braunfels Regional Airport since 1970.

In its filing, submitted by Fredericksburg attorney Larry Berkman, NB Aero claims the city is using the 2011 incident “as an additional pretext to run NB Aero, its only competitor for fuel sales, out of business.”

During the fuel flap, city officials obtained a restraining order to stop the sale and use of the disputed product. An NB Aero fuel tanker was confiscated and Guadalupe County prosecutors began a criminal investigation. In its filing, NB Aero says there was no problem with the fuel.

But the aviation firm — which over the years has operated not only an airplane fueling station, but a flying school, an airport cafe, and has leased hangars where subtenants have run other aviationrelated businesses — says the city’s actions have “now succeeded in shutting down all of NB Aero’s operations ... other than its leasing of hangar space.”

The firm is asking the court to allow it to resume fuel sales and to declare valid a 2008 settlement agreement regarding a disputed 20-year lease between the city and NB Aero. The firm says the city has never signed the lease and has ignored the settlement agreement.

According to a Thursday news release from NB Aero co-owner Cheryl Kloss, the 2008 agreement included fair-business-practices provisions under which “the city obligated itself to compete fairly with NB Aero in providing aviation-related services ...”

NB Aero is asking the court to award it damages for interfering with NB Aero contracts, for publishing and broadcasting defamatory words about NB Aero, and for using its police powers to appropriate NB Aero’s business for itself.

Kloss said in her news release that NB Aero has played an integral part in the airport’s development for more than 40 years, and the family-owned and operated business has received strong support from pilots in its struggles with the city.
 
Why do cities run FBOs? Why wouldn't they just levy a flowege fee and rid themselves of the hassle of running an operation? Charge all the FBOs the same fee and you're out. City gets the money and none of the hassle.
 
In the case of KBAZ. The city needs to come up with the cash to pays its airport director $95,000 a year plus car allowance of $500 monthly. That's nearly double what they pay the airport director at Beaumont. A much larger airport. The city lost $500,000 last year in its fuel ops. That's after shutting down NB Aero's fuel operation.

The city does collect a fuel flowage fee. But they want it all. You see NB Aero has a contract with the city to provide their own fuel. All others must purchase fuel from the city. Oh, But there arent any other fbo's at kbaz.

Since the FAA was here investigating a Part 13 complaint some things have changed at the city. Notably their web site. They're bussier than a herd of cats in a litter box. Most of the help has quit or is quitting I'm told.

More to come for sure. I have more open records requests to fill out. LOL
 
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Captain said:
Why do cities run FBOs? Why wouldn't they just levy a flowege fee and rid themselves of the hassle of running an operation? Charge all the FBOs the same fee and you're out. City gets the money and none of the hassle.
Click to expand...

Because there is a ****pot more profit to be made.
 
Henning said:
Because there is a ****pot more profit to be made.
Click to expand...

Henning - that simply is not true - every city/county run operation basically loses money because they provide city/county benefits and wages to the employees. A private contractor can hew costs back and control what they spend - the county simply pi$$es money away . . .

I know specifically of one county run operation that 'must' make $1 on every gallon of avgas - an airport less than 20nm away is $1.50 less per gallon. Guess whose flowage rate has not gone up in the 15 years the county has run the operation?

This is not brain surgery. Its a small South Carolina airport that is close by many others - and its redneck guys who have jobs for their buddies basically doing nothing.
 
Wow, this is really interesting stuff!
I would so much like to start up and run a management company from this airfield, it just seems it would be a very tough job... My visit there today made me think why would I want to run my company from here, why would my clients want to base their aircraft here?
I really feel that this place has real potential... But the red tape and City level politics would be time consuming to deal with...
Would love to know how much it costs to operate that airfield and how much they loose each year...
 
Doug Neidermeyer said:
Would love to know how much it costs to operate that airfield and how much they loose each year...
Click to expand...

Whatever it costs now, it would cost you 1/2 of that.

What do they have a Tower for ?
 
comanchepilot said:
Henning - that simply is not true - every city/county run operation basically loses money because they provide city/county benefits and wages to the employees. A private contractor can hew costs back and control what they spend - the county simply pi$$es money away . . .

I know specifically of one county run operation that 'must' make $1 on every gallon of avgas - an airport less than 20nm away is $1.50 less per gallon. Guess whose flowage rate has not gone up in the 15 years the county has run the operation?

This is not brain surgery. Its a small South Carolina airport that is close by many others - and its redneck guys who have jobs for their buddies basically doing nothing.
Click to expand...

We're talking Texas, not New Jersey, city employees make squat.
 
Henning said:
Really? That's a lot? $95k in staffing for an airport?:dunno: How much fuel do they flow? How many hangars and other rents do they take in?
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The first priority of government at all levels is to provide a substantially higher standard of living for it's employees compared to those in the public sector. It would be interesting to know the retirement benefits for those city employees.
 
Henning said:
Really? That's a lot? $95k in staffing for an airport?:dunno: How much fuel do they flow? How many hangars and other rents do they take in?
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That's one guy.

There are directors of international airports who make less.
 
Henning said:
How many employees does he have?
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How many employees do you need to maintain 2 runways and to have a guy with a can of crack-filler make his monthly rounds accross the ramp ? This is not an air-carrier airport with security checkpoint, baggage handling equipment etc. This is a GA strip with 70 movements a day.

I have seen the same boondoggle happen locally. That guy made only 48k but he managed to fill an 8 hr day with the work that at comparable strips is done by a city maintenance worker one afternoon a week. Every year, the airport reported a loss of 48k to the city until city council started to wonder whether that millstone of an airport was a great investment and whether closing it at the end of the grant assurances was an option. Now it's managed by the FBO and snow plowing and mowing is done by the city.

Anytime I hear that somebody needs a 'manager' to 'manage' a couple thousand sqft of asphalt I cringe.
 
Would anyone like to PM me and talk about what we need to do to make this airfield work?

Please do, Chatham house rules apply...
 
Doug,

I just happen to have the financials for the airport someplace. Lets just say they are NOT making any $$$$. In fact it is a BIG loser. At least a half million LOSS per year in fuel sales. Thats why they needed to boot NB Aero off the field.

The Contract tower is costing the FEDS about 300+ K per year also.

I don't have anything against the tower folks. They are nice people.

The city got into the tower business when Silverstate Helicopters conned the city into getting a grant to build the tower. SSH would operate it as part of their controller school. Then SSH went bankrupt and the city was holding the bag for the tower ops. They conned the feds into paying for it last year.


Question for forum. Does anyone know Doug? His name suggests that he is another TROLL for the city like we had here several months back just trying to get information. Noobie. Perhaps Doug is real. I have my doubts.

If not a TROLL my apologies.

Please respond.

I'll post the legal filings when I get a copy and figure out how to do it. I have not seen it yet.

Cheers
 
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To see what the city charges businesses at the airport look here:

http://www.nbtexas.org/archives/37/March 26 Agenda Packet.pdf

Go to pdf pages 45-49

Henning. Thats $95,000 + 500 per month car allowance for the Airport director according to city records. After all it is a REGIONAL airport. LOL

Oh yea he is on the citys executive staff like the fire chief and police chief and makes nearly as much. Go figure.

They paid consultants Weiderman and aaaasssssssssssociates 150K to tell them to change the name.

He has 3 workers pumping gas and mowing grass and a secretary. Or at least he did. I'm told the secretary and 2 workers quit or will be gone soon. They just bought another NEW Kabota Batwing mower. I think they now have 3. How many can they drive at once. The farmer that leased the land used to mow for free. LOL

HOPE THIS HELPS
 
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Well, if you are a student of film, the name "Douglas Niedermeyer" is best recalled by Dean Wormer's famous instruction: "give it to Niedermeyer. He's a sneaky little ****!"

You'll have to fill in the blank yourself.
 
SCCutler said:
Well, if you are a student of film, the name "Douglas Niedermeyer" is best recalled by Dean Wormer's famous instruction: "give it to Niedermeyer. He's a sneaky little ****!"

You'll have to fill in the blank yourself.
Click to expand...

I went to HS with a kid of the same name, after Animal House came out he was doomed.:rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Flip-in-heck,

Anyways PM me and you tell me who you are and I will gladly tell you who I am...


So all I can say is "Drop and give me twenty"...
 
This is fun. It should be a tv show. Who would play Ultrasonix:idea:
 
OK GUYS, Paul is in. I've sent him my email and phone #. Waiting for a reply.

Now I have a question. How do I post a pdf document on the forum?

Thanks,
 
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