Mid-Delta Regional Airport director Sam Washington appeared before Greenville City Council last week to discuss specialized airport software related to maintenance and inspection of the airfield.
Contingent upon an agreement with Gatekeeper Systems, Inc., Washington said the software could be acquired at a subscription rate of $6,250.
The software, he said, is specifically designed for Part 139 airports, such as Mid-Delta Regional Airport.
The software will be able to track anything that needs to be done such as lights that have gone out, holds that need to be filled or even cracks in the runway or taxi way.
“If there’s equipment that is out, it is designed to be able to track all of that,” Washington said. “It will automatically generate work orders for us so that we can be able to divvy out what needs to be done more efficiently.”
Another feature of the software is its ability to provide a geo-referencing overlay of the airport.
With that feature, Washington said they would be able to literally build a map of the airport with all of the different utilities and everything inside.
“We could build the whole map and have all of that right there at hand whenever you go out,” he said.
Washington noted he looked into two other similar systems that essentially perform the same task, but they were far more expensive.
There are about four airports in the state already using this specific system for their airports and Washington said they all gave the software very high marks.
Because of that, he thinks acquiring the software would be helpful in terms of streamlining how they approach things at the airport and making sure that they are meeting their obligations in terms of what the FAA is looking for.
The first year’s subscription fee would be $6,250, which includes the actual setup of the software, which is $2,000; and every subsequent year would be $4,250.
Alhough the cost of the software is in the airport’s budget, other issues that are being worked through at the airport, according to Councilman James Wilson, should be addressed before purchasing the software.
Wilson suggested the acquisition of the software be discussed among the designated committee and once an agreement is reached, the council can revisit the matter.
City Attorney Andy Alexander expressed his support for the software and the practicality of it.
“In light of the inspections we’re going through and other issues in the past, this would be a relatively low cost way to make sure we get those done when we’re supposed to get those done and to keep track of the status,” he said.
Alexander also added if it is to be taken back to the committee, it would be better to come to a decision sooner than later with him having to maintain correspondence with the FAA.
The council ultimately decided to table the matter until their next meeting.
