HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 9345INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
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To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
No. 9345
January 4, 2011
Page 1 of 3
SUBJECT: CANCELLATION OF TEMPORARY HELIPORT PROJECT
On September 14, 2010, by M &C C -22442 revised, the City Council appropriated $413,000 in
Aviation Mineral Lease funds to make improvements necessary for a temporary heliport
associated with the Super Bowl, and to conduct survey and preliminary planning work for a
proposed permanent heliport. The proposed site for the temporary heliport was an overflow
parking lot at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden near IH -30 and, Montgomery Street. The Aviation
Department, with assistance from URS Consulting, began working with all affected parties to
cant' out the improvements.
Work began with four main areas of focus:
(1) Heliport Layout: Working with URS, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Parks
and Community Services Department (PACS) to arrange the facility with minimal impact
on the surrounding area.
(2) Alternative Parking: The parking lot to be used was leased to Mid-Western
Development and sub - leased to Lockheed Martin for employee parking so arrangements
were necessary to accommodate 130 vehicles during the time of construction and heliport
operations.
(3) Heliport Design & Construction: Working with URS to design and arrange construction
of the heliport lighting and paving improvements to allow for the temporary heliport and
restoration of the property back to a parking lot.
(4) Terminal Improvements: Working with URS, PACS, and eventually the Transportation
and Public Works Department to determine the improvements necessary for
accommodating passengers and flight crews.
Due to complex scheduling for constructing the heliport and coordinating five alternative parking
areas, it took a substantial amount of time to complete negotiations for the alternative parking and
use of the premises. Once negotiations were completed and all parties had expressed
agreement, the legal documents were prepared. As the legal documents were being drafted,
Mid - Westem Development made a request to extend their lease for the parking lot from 2013 to
2015. Mid-Western Development held to this demand that the lease be extended, or else they
would decline to execute the agreement. City staff explained to Mid - Western that we legally
could not extend their lease without City Council authorization. Mid-Western Development then
inserted the following clause into the proposed agreement and would not execute the agreement
without such assurance:
Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that the city council of the City has not
approved and executed a two (2) year extension of the Mid - Western Lease, with no rights
of early termination in favor of the City (except for a default thereunder by Mid - Western
that is not cured within all applicable notice, cure and /or grace periods) and in form and
substance acceptable to Mid-Western, on or before January 25, 2011, the temporary
suspension of Mid - Western's rights, titles and interests under the Mid - Western Lease shall
automatically be withdrawn and revoked to the same extent as if such temporary
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
No. 9345
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council January 4, 2011
�►�" "'ke Page 2 of 3
SUBJECT: CANCELLATION OF TEMPORARY HELIPORT PROJECT
suspension had never been provided and the Suspension Term shall automatically be
terminated as of January 25, 2011, and neither the City, the FBO nor any other party shall
have the right to use the Botanic Garden Parking Lot as a temporary heliport or for any
other purpose other pursuant to this Agreement.
City staff found this clause to be unacceptable because the proposed lease extension was not
related in any way to heliport operations, because the lease extension could materially affect
implementation of the Botanic Garden Master Plan, and because the proposed clause would
place the temporary heliport at risk should the City Council decide on January 25 not to extend
the lease agreement. Lockheed Martin expressed concurrence with our response and attempted
to persuade Mid - Western, but Mid - Western persisted in demanding an unrestricted and
guaranteed two -year lease extension. Consequently, the City Manager's Office decided to
terminate the temporary heliport project and accommodate Super Bowl- related helicopter
operations at Meacham International Airport.
The expenses incurred for the temporary heliport project included the planning and design work
by URS, heliport lighting equipment, interior design services, screening material, plant material,
fencing work and other minor expenses as follows:
Engineering
$ 95,000
Heliport Lighting*
38,131
Interior Design
7,000
Screening Material*
3,330
Plant Material
2,000
Fencing
3,600
Other
5.000
Total
$154,061
*These materials ($41,461) will still be used by the Aviation Department.
URS Consulting was also contracted to perform survey work and preliminary planning for the
permanent heliport as a part of this contract and will continue that portion of the work with the
Aviation Department. The total for this URS Consulting contract is $155,500.
The Aviation Department has made arrangements and advised helicopter operators either to use
Meacham International Airport or to prearrange use of the former Tandy Helipad with the Tarrant
Regional Water District for customers that need closer access to Downtown Fort Worth. The
Aviation Department has further advised the North Central Texas Council of Governments, which
is coordinating the provision of information for helicopter operators, and the North Texas Super
Bowl Aviation Action Team of this change.
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
No. 9345
January 4, 2011
Page 3 of 3
SUBJECT: CANCELLATION OF TEMPORARY HELIPORT PROJECT
If you have any questions about this matter, please contact Assistant City Manager Fernando
Costa at 817 - 392 -6122.
Thomas Hi s
Interim City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER
FORT WORTH, TEXAS