Highlights from recent WAYPOINTS.
For the full version of the January 20, 2025 edition, click here.

A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

I am sincerely honored to have been elected President of WAMA for 2025. It is my privilege to serve in this capacity, as I am committed to exploring innovative ways to enhance our organization and effectively address the needs of our members.

In alignment with WAMA’s Mission Statement, which emphasizes our commitment to strengthening airport management and fostering professionalism among airport operators in Washington State, I look forward to continuing our alliance.

As we prepare for 2025, I am excited about our board and committee members' ongoing commitment to advancing our organization's goals. During my presidency, I plan to focus on enhancing our processes, continuing outreach to small and rural airports, and increasing student engagement in WAMA.

I look forward to working collaboratively with all of you to further our mission and make a meaningful impact in our industry. Thank you for your trust and support.
 

Lorene Robinson, C.M., ACE
President, Washington Airport Management Association

MEET THE NEW WAMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Welcome to our newly elected officers!  They are excited and ready to step into their new positions. It's a great team and we look forward to their leadership.  The new board will take their positions in January.

WAMA thanks the past Board of Directors for the outstanding job they did this past year and for their dedicated service. 

Thank you to everyone who voted in this year's election for the new Board of Directors. 

A LOOK TO THE PAST.  MY, HOW THEY'VE CHANGED!
In 1968 there were 197 airports in Washington.  Many are gone or barely recognizable today. 
 
Airport manager for the Port of Benton, Quentin Wright, has digitized his old 1968 Washington Airport Pilot's Guide from The Washington State Aeronautics Commission (57 years ago!). Quentin says, "I like thumbing through and looking at a snapshot of what things were like at the different airports back then and figured other WAMA members would too." 

For a fascinating look at the past, click the link below.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/n8f5su0ss89gr3lnyuoi9/1968-Washignton-Pilots-Guide.pdf?rlkey=ymxtybxgqg8lzjrm4bjwzfrwn&st=23dbvatj&dl=0
 

OUR AIRPORTS: WHAT'S NEW?

Port of Whitman (Colfax) - just received a $1.2 million CARB loan for new hangars and hangar site development.  Read more.

Bellingham International Airport:  Due to the loss of Southwest Airlines, Bellingham is working to recruit new airlines and to increase existing carriers. The airport is planning to build an international terminal to bring in flights from Mexico and Central America. Read more

Spokane Geiger Field - More than 800 new parking spaces have been added, including 27 ADA spots and 10 electric charging stations.  Read more

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport - After completing a $986 million expansion to the international terminal in 2022, SEA reports its number of international flights continues to grow with over 1,500 flights this past month.  Read more

Spokane Geiger Field - A new 100,000-square-foot maintenance hangar was built and dedicated for Aero-Flite's fire-fighting aircraft. Aero-Flite had four aircraft and 38 employees in 2015 when it moved to Spokane from Arizona. Now they expect to have 15 planes by 2025.  Read more

Moses Lake Port of the Year
The Port of Moses Lake has proudly announced that on December 13, it was chosen by the Washington Public Ports Association as the Port of the Year for 2024.  Congratulations to the Port of Moses Lake!
Read the Press Release here.

FINAL TALLIES  FOR THE  2024 FLY WASHINGTON FOOD DRIVE

The Annual Fly Washington Passport Program Food Drive concluded with 7 participating airports bringing in a total of 13,582.3 pounds of food!  This was an amazing feat!

Not only was an amazing amount of food collected, but the drive also brought in $5,071 in cash. When figuring the totals, $1.71 equals one pound of food.  $10.00 would equal 5.85 pounds of food.

The airport winning the 2024 trophy for bringing in the most food is Auburn Municipal Airport with a staggering total of 10,547.6 pounds of food!

Here is how the other airports fared:
Auburn               10,547.6
Harvey                 2,513.8
Skagit                     313.0
Boeing                    130.0
Mears Airport in
Concrete                 27.9

Thanks to all of the airports who participated in this year's food drive.  Every little bit helps out.  All of the food stays in your own community.

We hope next year even more airports will participate.  Encourage everyone who steps through the door to bring a food item in hand so your airport can make an impact on helping those in need in your community.

AN INVITATION FROM JOSHUA MARCY

On behalf of the Washington Airport Management Association (WAMA), I am requesting your support for our upcoming 2025 Annual Conference, which will take place in beautiful Chelan, Washington, from May 19-21 in Chelan, WA. This conference brings together professionals from airports across Washington State to share knowledge, discuss industry trends, and strengthen our network. This year, we are excited to host sessions that will promote collaboration, innovation, and safety within airport management.  

One of the highlights of our conference is our drawing, which offers attendees the chance to win memorable prizes while fostering a positive and interactive environment. We would be very grateful if your airport would consider donating a prize/gift to our drawing. Whether it’s branded items, travel vouchers, gift cards, or unique experiences, your contribution would help make the conference memorable and engaging for our attendees.
 
Please let us know if you are interested in contributing or if you have any questions. If so, please contact me, Joshua Marcy @ Joshua.Marcy@snoco.org. Thank you very much for considering this opportunity to support WAMA’s mission and the continued success of our annual conference. We look forward to the possibility of partnering with you.

Warm regards,

Joshua W. Marcy AAE, ASE | WAMA Past President

SCHOLARSHIP NEWS

The Scholarship Committee is happy to announce that the Board of Directors voted to approve an increase in the amount awarded for the Community and Internship grants.  The Community Award has gone from $500 to $750.  Internships have increased from $1,000 to $2,000.  The Tom Eller Scholarship and Professional Development Award remain unchanged.

Thank you to all of our sponsors, JUB, DOWL, Paine Field Snohomish County, CivilAir Engineers PLLC, Precision Approach Engineering, Applied Pavement Technology, Walla Walla Regional Airport, Arlington Municipal Airport and the City of Arlington, Century West Engineering, The Port of Skagit, and Morrison-Maierle for sponsoring the biweekly Waypoints news bulletin. Your support means so much to us.