Gary airport loses two employees
By Michelle L. Quinn Post-Tribune correspondent September 10, 2012 4:00PM
Updated: September 10, 2012 10:38PM
The Gary/Chicago International Airport accepted the resignations of two key personnel during its Tuesday morning meeting.
Financial Officer Nikki Thorn and Operations Officer Kahari Velez tendered their resignations within the last couple weeks. Thorn, who’d been with the airport for six years and whose last day will be Sept. 21, said she’s leaving to work “closer to home,” while Velez’s last day was last Tuesday.
Interim Airport Director Steve Landry said no formal advertisement has been posted for either job yet but that their absences won’t affect operations in the short-term. He said both left on good terms.
The board also approved on first reading its 2013 budget, which sets its general fund budget at $3,297,046, the same as 2012. The proposed budget also calls for a cumulative building fund of $6,258,993 for 2013, compared with $5,393,607 in 2012.
In other business, the owner of a woman-owned enterprise accused by a contractor of not fulfilling her end of the contract said the contractor’s version grossly misrepresented events.
Annette Perz, owner and president of Whiting-based AJ&S Trucking, told the board that Gary Material Supply owner Otho Lyles III left out pertinent details. Lyles pleaded his case to the board at its meeting two weeks ago to reduce or eliminate a $13,975 fine against GMS for failing to meet its requirement during soil remediation work at the PI&I site.
Perz said first, GMS offered to pay AJ&S only 76 percent of the AJ&S’s normal rate, or $80 compared with $105, to haul the material to the Newton County Landfill, a rate neither cost-effective nor fair to her company. Then GMS expected AJ&S to haul giant pieces of concrete that would’ve damaged her vehicles to the landfill.
In a letter written to the board, Perz said she demanded GMS break down the pieces for removal, which it did, and AJ&S completed 59 hours of work for a total of $6,270.
The authority neither waived nor reduced the fine.
