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Chairman resigns; new member appointed to airport board
McCOOK, Neb. – Longtime chairman of the McCook Airport Advisory Board, Dick Trail, announced his resignation during a regular meeting Monday, citing age as a factor.
“The mayor came to me and asked me to resign this position. It was something I’ve been thinking about because advancing age has kind of set me back once in a while, so as of tomorrow, the first day of October, I’ll no longer be on the Airport Advisory Board.”
The meeting proceeded without further discussion of Trail’s resignation. Later in the meeting, the board elected new leadership, with Doug Skiles selected as chairman, Trevor Taylor as vice president, and Katrina Frey as secretary. All were nominated by board members and elected by acclamation.
Mayor Linda Taylor then named Austin Lambing as Trail’s replacement on the board. Lambing, a 2013 McCook High School graduate, works in the air medical industry, managing pilots, clinicians and mechanics for nine aircraft across Nebraska. Newly elected chairman Doug Skiles later thanked Trail for his “years of leadership and service.”
In other business, the board approved the minutes from the June 5 meeting. Members also raised concerns about a proposed lease with Frenchman Valley, which would require a $100,000 construction investment from the city in exchange for only a one-year lease option. The board agreed the proposal was an initial draft for consideration, needing refinement before serious deliberation. No action was taken on the matter.
The board also received an update on the Airport Master Plan, which includes a plan to shorten the runway by 400 feet. Public Works Director Kyle Pothoff clarified that the runway would not be physically shortened but rather that markings would be adjusted, explaining, “We’re not removing concrete or anything like that. Just paint.”
The board reviewed deplanement and enplanement data for McCook’s Essential Air Service carrier, Denver Air, and the carrier’s recent marketing activities and its newly established membership in the McCook Chamber of Commerce.
During the open discussion portion of the meeting, members highlighted the need for self-service fuel options, improvements to general aviation traffic, and potential plans for diverting commercial flights when necessary.
At the meeting’s conclusion, newly appointed chairman Skiles emphasized the board’s primary focus: “I think that we just need to concentrate on our main task of safety.”