New public safety director hired at W-B/Scranton International Airport

William O'Boyle, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·4 min read

Feb. 26—PITTSTON TWP. — Floyd P. Bowen, a retired Pennsylvania State Trooper, was unanimously appointed as the new Public Safety Director at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.

Bowen, 51, who lives in Forty Fort, will be paid $60,000 per year, said Tim McGinley, chairman of the Bi-County Airport Board.

McGinley said Denise Price, who was serving as acting director since November, will return to her former position as assistant public safety director.

Price, of Taylor, had been working as Airport Security Coordinator under recently retired director George Bieber, who stepped down in January and was working on a part-time interim basis until a replacement could be found.

In July, the Bi-County Airport Board accepted the resignation of Gary Vogue, who also was with the Pennsylvania State Police, and was appointed Public Safety Director. The board brought back his predecessor, Bieber, on an interim basis.

Vogue was hired on Feb. 11, 2020, and began working at the airport in April, at a salary of $70,000. His state police salary was reported as $146,883. Vogue decided to remain with the state police.

Carl Beardsley, executive director at the airport, said Bowen has extensive experience in law enforcement, emergency response, record keeping and community relationships.

"Each of these skills were developed over his extensive time with the Pennsylvania State Police," Beardsley said.

In other business, the board heard a presentation by Dr. Sheeva Rajael, CEO/Chef Medical Officer at RapiCare of Horsham, PA, a company that provides expedited COVID testing seven days a week.

The airport board is considering entering into an agreement with RapiCare to provide testing services for passengers.

"It would be an opportunity for the public to be tested before flying," Beardsley said. "Same day testing may be required on domestic flights. Additionally, It is now required for international travel and the testing must be only 48 hours old."

The board decided it would look into the company and its services and decide at a later date whether it will approve a contract.

Beardsley also reported on passenger activity and again noted a decline in numbers due to the ongoing pandemic.

Beardsley said passenger enplanements for January decreased 68.3% to 6,959, down from 21,983 in January 2020. Enplanements for January 2021 compared to enplanements for January 2019 decreased by 13,887 or 66.6%, Beardsley said. When compared with January 2019, the decrease is mainly attributed to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In January 2021, Beardsley said 318 departing flights were cancelled — 309 for the COVID-19 pandemic, 7 for air traffic/weather issues and 2 for mechanical issues. This accounts for 18,618 (62.6%) out of a total 29,742 departure seats.

Also, 321 arriving flights were cancelled — 310 for the COVID-19 pandemic, 9 for air traffic/weather issues and 2 for mechanical issues.

The board authorized the administrative staff to apply for additional federal grant funding to reimburse costs associated with the COVID-19 public health crisis.

As announced by the Secretary of Transportation on Feb. 12, 2021, Beardsley said the airport is eligible for funds under the Coronavirus Response and Relations Act (Public Law 116-260) (CRRSA). He said these funds will assist airport sponsors to address the COVID-19 public health emergency. The FAA will distribute these grants under the new Airport Coronavirus Response Grant Program (ACRGP).

Beardsley said the airport is eligible to receive the following funding types:

General: Funding for costs related to operations, personnel, cleaning, sanitization, janitorial services, combating the spread of pathogens at the airport, and debt service payments. While this funding is similar to the CARES funding, it is more limited in scope.

Concessions: Funding to provide relief from rent and minimum annual guarantees to on-airport car rental, on-airport parking, and in-terminal concessions. By accepting these funds, you are committing to relieving rent and minimum annual guarantees, proportionally, for the entirety of your ACRGP concessions' grant amount. You may retain up to 2% of this amount for administrative fees.

The board also approved an agreement between Hugo Amusements, Inc., and The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport to install a bitcoin machine.

Beardsley said it is a three (3) year agreement with a $450 minimum payment, or 1.5% of gross volume purchased whichever is higher — paid quarterly. Minimum revenue on a yearly basis will be $1,800.

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