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Approval of Minutes from May 21, 2026: Chair Smith asked if there were any comments or
edits to the Minutes. Mr. Garner made a motion to approve the Minutes as presented and Dr.
Price seconded the motion. The motion was approved by voice vote, 6-0.
Public Comment: Chair Smith asked if any speakers had signed in for Public Comment. Mr.
Orestes Gooden, Chair of the Aviation Department at Hampton University introduced himself
and stated that Hampton University is an active part of the local aviation community and has
aviation students on campus and who attend flight school at the airport. He expressed the
University's commitment to continuing its support of the Peninsula Airport Commission and
looks forward to maintaining a strong partnership. Chair Smith thanked Mr. Gooden for
introducing himself and said that the Commission also looks forward to continued partnership.
Special Reports: Mr. Morello reported that the Site Readiness/AirCommerce Park report
focuses on pursuit of a Phase II Virginia Business Ready Sites Program (VBRSP) grant, which
previously helped fund more than $500,000 in site readiness activities for the AirCommerce Park
East and West properties in Phase I. He stated that the Phase II grant application was submitted
on June 5th by Economic Development Authority (EDA) and is currently under review by the
Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP). He stated that the proposed Phase II
activities emphasize on-the-ground improvements, site beautification, planning, permitting, and
other development-ready initiatives that will enhance the marketability of the properties. Mr.
Morello reported that Phase II, like Phase I, requires a 25 percent local match but provides
greater grant amount potential by allowing the Airport to use the value of recent select capital
improvements as matching funds. He stated that the City’s prior commitment of funds toward
eligible capital improvements has been proposed as a component of a local match valued at $1.2
million. Mr. Morello reported that the proposed program includes approximately 14 project
components over an estimated two-year period. He stated that VEDP staff are expected to
conduct a site visit in August following their review of the application, at which time he and
EDA staff representatives will present the proposed use of combined local matching funds and
requested state funding. Mr. Morello reported that he remains optimistic about the Airport's
chances of receiving the requested funding because of the Commonwealth's focus on the
Airport's economic development potential and encouraging pre-application discussions with
VEDP. He stated that a grant award is not expected until September at the earliest and that he
will provide an update to the Commission following the August site visit and as additional
information becomes available.
Master Plan Update:
Mr. Morello reported that work on the Airport Master Plan update work continues at a high pace,
with Passero and staff collaborating closely with the FAA, DOAV and financial analysis
subcontractor, Frasca, to finalize the capital improvement timelines and their relationship to the
proposed development alternatives. He reported that he expects to receive a draft of the financial
sections for review during the second week of August. He stated that coordination with the FAA
and DOAV has been critical to ensure the near-term implementation schedule is consistent with
their expectations while maintaining flexibility for projects in the mid- and long-term planning
horizons. Mr. Morello reported that, following completion of the financial analysis, the project
will advance to development of the Airport Layout Plan (ALP), which will illustrate proposed
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