Airport Administration

Board of Commissioners

Centennial Airport was founded in 1968 by Arapahoe County and is currently owned by the Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority, established in 1975 as a political subdivision of the State of Colorado. The Authority is governed by a Board of Commissioners that consists of 5 voting members and 3 non-voting members.  The 5 voting members are comprised of tax-paying residents of Arapahoe County and are appointed by the County Commissioners to 4-year terms. The 3 non-voting members are the Douglas County Commissioners or their designees.

The current members of the Board of Commissioners of the Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority and their positions are:

Voting Members

• Susan Beckman - Chairman
• Peter Neukirch - Chairman Pro-tem
• Robert Doubek - Clerk and Treasurer
• Nancy Sharpe - Assistant Clerk
• Rod Bockenfeld

Non-voting Members

• Jack Hilbert
• Ray S. Wells
• John Sieber

Departments

Policy promulgated by the board is implemented by airport staff, which is composed of 4 departments: Operations, Maintenance, Development, and Administration. The Authority employs 17 full-time staff members and 2 interns.

Operations

The operations department is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to meet the needs of the airport users and tenants. Their primary responsibility is to ensure that the airport operates continuously in a safe and efficient manner. Duties include the following:

• Emergency response coordination for any on airport accident or incident
• Airfield and ramp inspections/correction of any discrepancies
• Issuance of Notices to Airmen (NOTAM's)
• Coordination of airfield snow removal
• Administration of Vehicle Access Program
• Rules and Regulation Enforcement
• Tenant relations
• Oversight of on airport construction projects
• Serve as liaison with local fire and police departments

Operations personnel are always eager to answer your questions or address your concerns, so please don't hesitate to ask!

Maintenance

The maintenance department at Centennial is comprised of six technicians charged with the responsibility of maintaining the airport on two levels: fleet management and grounds management. Their responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Maintenance and repair of pavement
• Grounds
• Airfield lighting system
• Airport facilities
• Fleet of airport support vehicles (see following list)

In addition, the maintenance department provides all airfield snow removal and in the past eight years has won the NBAA Balchen/Post Award for excellence in snow removal six times!

Airport Support Vehicles/Equipment List:

• 5 large 22 ft snow plows and 2 snow blowers
• De-ice trailer
• 2 dump trucks
• Back-hoe
• Crack seal machine
• 16 ft Oshkosh runway broom and high speed Tymco sweeper
• 7 various tractors and mower decks
• 6 various administrative/maintenance vehicles

Planning

The planning staff at Centennial is in charge of monitoring and coordinating property development, overseeing airfield construction (including airport grant projects/AIP projects), monitoring and approving signage, and many other development and construction related tasks.

Planning staff also reviews proposed development in the Airport Influence Area and coordinates land use planning with local jurisdictions. Click here for the Centennial Airport Development Policy and Application Procedures (large file - 4.4 M., Adobe Acrobat required).

Administration

The administration department at Centennial is comprised of 4 individuals that handle all the back-end business for the Airport. The Deputy Director of Administration is responsible for handling all of the Airport Tenants. That consists of Leases, Insurance Regulations, Minimum Standards, Human Resources and Board Meeting procedures. The Chief Financial Officer handles the accounting for the airport, manages the auditing and financial responsibilities to the Board and the Authority and payroll for the Authority. The Accounting / Administrative Assistant handles the administrative duties, assists the Executive Director and CFO and schedules Ambassador Tours. The Noise / Administrative Specialist assists both the noise and administrative offices.

Ambassador Tours

Centennial Airport currently has 4 volunteers that assist with the Ambassador Tours. The tours consist of a guided tour of the airport, general information about the history of the airport and sometimes tours of aircraft. Unfortunately due to strict regulations the tour cannot include the Air Traffic Control Tower.

All tours are to be scheduled at least 3 weeks in advance for availability. Tours are available for groups up to 10 with chaperones and are for a minimum age of 6 years. If you wish to schedule a tour please contact cfry@centennialairport.com with your tour information.