Want to rent the pergola at St. Mary’s County Regional Airport? Under the county’s draft rules, your invitations, social posts and flyers would need written approval from the airport manager before anyone saw them.
That was one of several provisions that stopped the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County on Tuesday. After a back-and-forth with Public Works staff, the commissioners agreed to table the Terminal and Pergola Usage Policy, License Agreement and Fee Schedule and take it up again Oct. 20.
The commissioners had heard from the public on Sept. 15, and Commissioner Eric Colvin said then he wanted a more user-friendly version. Staff returned Tuesday with eight amendments, all tracked in the draft. The record closed Sept. 22, and Department of Public Works and Transportation Director John Norris asked the board to adopt the amended draft effective Nov. 1.
The biggest change responds to the board’s own question: why should a renter go through the process, get a reservation, and then lose it to someone with higher priority? Under amendment eight, once an application is approved and insurance is in place, the renter will not be displaced. Staff also adjusted the draft for two groups that commented. Meetings of the Eagles that are open to the public will be treated as category two, meaning reduced or free. Their private board meetings will carry a reasonable fee, and those do not need to be held at the airport. For Bird Dog Bistro, a charge could be waived where the tenant opens or monitors an event for a renter. Norris said requests for reservation priority could not be granted because of grant agreements and assurances the county has signed for the property.
That was not enough for Colvin, who said he was not ready to vote yes. The draft’s fee schedule, in Section 4.3, says the airport manager can update fees annually with the approval of the Public Works director. Fees, Colvin said, should be approved by the commissioners during the budget process, and staff should bring recommendations rather than make the call. In a post on his Facebook page afterward, he said the proposed policy has other provisions that are “overly onerous to our businesses and users,” and that a simpler policy could be written.
Colvin also read Article 6 aloud: all advertising, marketing and promotional materials, including invitations, social media content, print and radio flyers, brochures and websites, must be submitted to and approved in writing by the airport manager before they go out. He called that a heavy lift for applicants and for staff. He also noted the policy sets a two-week deadline for submissions but says nothing about when an applicant will hear back, and asked that it work for the county as well as the public. He suggested staff review whether the policy belongs in the department at all.
Norris said the advertising review is meant to protect the Walter Francis Duke terminal’s brand, and agreed to add timelines. He added that fees will need to be reviewed at least annually to keep them at market rate, which he said is part of meeting the county’s federal grant assurance requirements. Federally funded airports must keep a fee and rental structure that makes the airport as self-sustaining as possible.
Another commissioner agreed with Colvin on both points and raised a third: the general rules count setup and cleanup as rental hours, and bar renters from arriving early or staying late without written approval and extra fees. Most venues, the commissioner said, let a renter set up tables beforehand. Staff said the county is new at this, since the pergola is available for rental but has had no real policy. After-hours events mean staff time, they said, which the fees do not cover. The airport manager has one other full-time staff member, though other Public Works employees have helped on comp time or overtime in the past. The exception is when the tenant caterer provides the staff for an event. Staff said they would add a provision allowing flexibility by arrangement with the airport manager.
A delay will push back the Nov. 1 start date, staff warned, and affect holiday-season reservations, but Nov. 15 could work. Because commissioners are giving direction on existing comments, no new public comment period is needed. Staff said the county has been operating without a policy, and space can still be reserved in the meantime.
The commissioners next meet Oct. 20 at 9 a.m. in the CSMC Meeting Room on the first floor of the Chesapeake Building, 41770 Baldridge Street in Leonardtown.
