The Goldendale City Council authorized a six‑month extension of the airport manager’s contract and heard a detailed airport operations update from Airport Manager Rick Lundin.

Council debated whether the airport manager agreement should automatically renew and ultimately approved a motion to authorize the mayor to extend the airport manager’s agreement for another six months at $1,000 per month, with annual council review thereafter. The motion passed on a voice vote.

In an extended update, Lundin described takeaways from the Washington State Community Airport Association convention and the work needed to qualify for state grants. “We have the AMR update that's that's due,” Lundin said, referring to the airport master record work that will help qualify the airport for grant funding and WSDOT Phase 1 work, including wetlands mitigation.

Lundin also described a new layout plan proposed by local landowners to place additional hangars near Fairgrounds Road and said early interest exists from an A&P mechanic who would run commercial operations. He said the city has completed drafting an ordinance to allow charging for hangar/airport services and that staff will finish that ordinance so fees can be collected.

On operations and revenue, Lundin said the airport sold about 3,200 gallons of fuel year-to-date and that the airport targets a small per-gallon margin (he reported current profit of roughly $0.76 per gallon). He discussed the lost courtesy car and liability concerns, noting an approach to limit city exposure may be to have the service operated by a separate LLC or third-party arrangement; Lundin said he will follow up with insurance options.

Council asked staff to bring contract paperwork and a report back after the six‑month review. Lundin also said he will work with staff and the city engineer on grant submittals and the Phase 1 mitigation plan.

Next steps: staff will bring the airport manager contract paperwork for the six‑month extension, complete the AMR/grant submissions with WSDOT, and return with an ordinance or fee schedule to permit fee collection at the airport.