Fairfax-Bolinas Road CONDITION UPDATES, thank you for your patience: At milepost 5.73, Fairfax-Bolinas Road will be open on weekdays and weekends from 12/16/24 through 1/1/25 (weather permitting), with traffic controlled through a single lane with alternating access. This is to accommodate the holiday traffic. From 1/2/25 through 1/5/25, the road will be closed at milepost 5.73 to allow for construction activities as the project nears completion, weather permitting. After 1/5/25, it is anticipated that the road will be closed from Azalea Hill to Ridgecrest on weekdays only. By mid-January, the project is expected to be completed and the roadway will fully reopen. See project webpage for details.

Airport Newsletter October 2020

Posted on October 2, 2020

Eric Lueder Introduction

Eric Lueder has been appointed to Interim Deputy Director of Marin County Public Works as of September 8, 2020 to fill a vacant position due to staffing changes as well as the departure of Assistant Director Tony Williams, who previously worked with the Airport Manager. Eric has been with the County since 1991 and primarily worked in DPW’s Real Estate Division, as well as the Waste Management Division and the County’s Emergency Operations Center. He was also the lead in negotiating the agreement with FBO CB SkyShare. In addition to management oversight responsibilities of the Airport, he will be responsible for the DPW’s Accounting, Administration, Hazardous Materials (CUPA), Reprographics and Real Estate divisions.

Self-Serve Fuel Island Update and Introduction

Installation of the Self-Serve Fuel Island is complete, and you can now use your credit card for 100LL purchases. It’s a great option that gives you 24/7 access to fuel your aircraft. Give it a try!

Clay Lingo, the new FBO General Manager at CB SkyShare, partnered with the contractor and the County of Marin to complete the installation of the Self-Serve Fuel Island. Gnoss Field is Clay’s home airport; he worked the line in high school way back in the mid-seventies and traded his paycheck for flying lessons. After completing his university studies, he pursued a long career as a consumer marketing executive for several national retailers and a Fortune 200 company where he led world-wide digital marketing. Now, some forty-odd years after he first pumped AvGas here at Gnoss Field, he finds himself back where he started. Aside from being involved in aviation, Clay says the best part of his new job has been getting to know everyone here at the airport. Clay’s office is upstairs in the North Terminal here at Gnoss. Feel free to stop in and introduce yourself!

FAA Final Environmental Impact Statement

The FAA has completed the Final Supplement to the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), which was signed and published in the Federal Register on July 30, 2020. The Record of Decision (ROD) on the FEIS for the proposed runway extension project for Gnoss Field is available. See: http://www.gnossfieldeis-eir.com/

Please be on the lookout for a short survey asking for input on the next steps of the proposed 300-foot runway extension.

Dirt Hauling Project near Helipad

For those of you who have not seen the NOTAM, dirt is being delivered to the Airport near the Helipad. The earthen material is from the San Anselmo Flood Risk Reduction Project’s Sunnyside Basin excavation work that is occurring near Fairfax. This soil will eventually be used on the levees surrounding the airport or the runway extension project. The large dump trucks are making several loads a day with access from Binford Road to the fill site near the Helipad. For more information regarding the project, please see: https://bit.ly/SunnysideBasinNewsRelease

General Airport Issues and Requests:

Unauthorized Contractors and Mechanics

A permit must be obtained from the Airport Manager prior to any mechanical work or aircraft detailing services to be performed at Gnoss Field. Any aircraft/hanger owner who hires unauthorized contractors to work on Gnoss Field will be held responsible for allowing unauthorized work to be performed at the airport.

If tenants are found to violate Marin County Code, fines will be accessed to the aircraft/hanger owner and the owner may lose their storage permit and the ability to base their aircraft at Gnoss Field, in accordance with:

    • 12.04.050 – Business activities. No person shall use the airport in any manner whatsoever for any commercial, profit, gainful, or revenue producing purpose, including, without limitation, flight instruction or
      mechanical work, without written approval of Marin County. No person shall distribute, post or display any commercial or noncommercial signs, circulars, handbills or advertisements on the airport without the consent of the airport manager. No person shall solicit funds for any purpose on the airport.
    • 12.04.210 – Violations. Any person who violates any provision of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not to exceed six months or a fine not to exceed the sum of five hundred dollars, or by both such imprisonment and fine.

Aircraft Storage Permits and Insurance

Please update your information with current aircraft and contact
information on your space at Gnoss Field. Per the County Aircraft Storage Permit for habitually situated
aircraft:

  • “All Permittees agree to disclose all aircraft he/she has caused to locate on the Airport and shall be financially
    responsible for these aircraft or for any other access onto the property granted by this permit. Any owner shall
    furnish the County, in advance of arrival of the aircraft, evidence of financial responsibility in the minimum
    requirements of: $1,000,000 combined single limit coverage with exception of per/passenger sub-limit of
    $100,000.”

Please use this link to update your hangar and aircraft information: http://bit.ly/AircraftStoragePermit

July 2020 CPI Increase

Please check your monthly statements from the Department of Finance. Since July, the new CPI increase took effect and many of you have your monthly statements on autopay and there are amounts due on several accounts. Please check your account balances and pay the unpaid amounts in full.

Trash and Recycle Bins

Please only put allowed items in the Trash and Recycle dumpsters. Items that are not allowed are still being discarded in the dumpsters and the airport is getting charged extra for these items. Staff will be closely monitoring the video cameras and contacting offenders to recover these extra fees in the future.

Also, please DO NOT leave ANY items outside the dumpster enclosures. The only acceptable fluids in the recycle shed is used aircraft motor oil. Please do not leave propane tanks, electronics, paints, thinners, or any type of solvents. These are not recyclable and hazmat service providers are very expensive to discard these items. This is an ongoing problem and staff may have to place locks on the dumpsters and recycle shed if this persists. Thank you for your help and cooperation!

COVID-19

As the COVID-19 public health crisis continues to evolve and new Public Health Orders are issued both at the State and local levels. Please be prepared and follow all social distancing orders when entering the airport pilot lounge and other business spaces. Face Coverings are still mandatory to enter the County building. More information is available at these two websites:

PG&E PSPS Impact on Gnoss Field – Although there are no PSPS events for Marin County at this time, fire season is still upon us. Please be aware that PG&E’s Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program, which is designed to turn off electricity in the interest of public safety during extreme fire danger conditions is still a possibility. This will impact Gnoss Field and the following could be out of service if PG&E initiates a PSPS:

  • AWOS
  • PAPI lights
  • Runway and Taxiway lights
  • Electric hangar doors
  • Unicom communications

Additionally, the County Building and Pilot Lounge would have no power during a PSPS. If this happens, Gnoss Field staff will file a NOTAM with the FAA and send out a message to the airport email list. Please be aware that the PSPS events may last several days, so be prepared for any possible long-term power outages.

FAA Hangar Use Policy and Sponsor Responsibilities

The primary purpose of Gnoss Field hangars must be for Aircraft Storage. If no aircraft is in your hangar, the hangar must be empty. Staff will be following up with individual hangar owners that have no aircraft associated to their hangar.

As an Airport Sponsor who accepts Federal airport grants, the County is bound by the conditions and assurances in the associated grant agreements. These obligations include grant assurances related to use of hangars and other designated aeronautical facilities on the airport for exclusively aeronautical purposes.
Please follow this link for more information: http://bit.ly/FAAHangerUse

Thank you and fly safe!

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