Interim airport director stepping down; Troup meeting with EAS officials Tuesday about airline concerns

QUINCY — Changes in leadership at Quincy Regional Airport will take place next week, and changes involving the airline fulfilling Quincy’s Essential Air Service (EAS) contract could also be coming soon.

Interim airport director Tairu (Tai) Zong told the Quincy City Council during Monday’s meeting — the first at City Hall in 13 weeks because of renovation work — that he is resigning at the end of the week. Quincy Mayor Mike Troup said Zong’s wife recently finished her doctorate work and has accepted a position at a university in California.

“A great help out there (at the airport). Great resource,” said alderman Eric Entrup (R-1), a member of the aeronautics committee. “You ever need a positive reference from any of us? I think we’d be glad to give it.”

“Thank you for having me here,” Zong said. “I want to thank everyone from the city, all of the aldermen, all my co-workers and all the employees from the city for your help to make my life and make my work much easier. It’s been my honor and pleasure to work for you. Bless you guys.”

Troup said he is meeting with representatives with the Essential Air Service office with the U.S. Department of Transportation on Tuesday to discuss concerns with Southern Airways Express, a Palm Beach, Fla.-based airline. 

City officials have been displeased with the low number of enplanements, high number of canceled flights and extra stops reportedly being added to what are supposed to be non-stop flights between Quincy to Chicago. The Aeronautics Committee gave the OK at its Aug. 7 meeting for city officials to explore options to get out of a four-year contract the city signed with Southern Airways Express in August 2022 to provide 18 weekly flights each to St. Louis and Chicago. Southern Airways Express began flying out of Quincy in December 2022.

After sending a complaint to EAS officials, Troup said he met with Southern Airways Express officials in a conference call.

“I told them, ‘Is there anything that’s in our letter that we have not discussed multiple times? (They said) no,” Troup said. “They had a couple of new executives who had just recently come on to Southern, and we explained the situation. Their response was that is totally unacceptable about our problems.

“(Southern Airways) wanted an understanding that the city would work with them. I said, ‘Look, we’ve been fighting this for over a year.’ This is not something to say, ‘We’ll see you in six months and wait for that report.’ We’ve got to see some immediate — meaning days or a week — turnaround, or we’re done.”

After Monday’s meeting, Troup said Bill Lantz, a long-time employee at the airport in charge of maintenance, likely will be appointed as Zong’s replacement at next Wednesday’s Aeronautics Committee meeting. Lantz was appointed as director of operations earlier this summer, and Troup said Lantz is awaiting completion of his certification to become an airport director.

“Once (Lantz) gets that after some probationary period, which we expect is going to be OK, he will be named the full director,” Troup said. “He’s got strong experience at our airport. He’s been working with Tai for several months. It should be another relatively easy transition for that.” 

Zong replaced Chuck Miller, who resigned as the airport director in April after 18 months on the job. Miller, who called Troup “rude, dismissive and personally offensive” in his resignation letter, now is the director at Valdosta (Ga.) Regional Airport.

In other action, aldermen:

• Saw Chief Adam Yates recognize Sgt. Erica Scott for her 20-year anniversary with the Quincy Police Department.
• Approved a special event application for Septemberfest on Sept. 7 at Blessed Sacrament Parish, 1119 S. Seventh.
• Approved a special event application for the Liters and Lotus Autism Awareness Car Show on Saturday along Maine from Fifth to Eighth.
• Approved a special event application for Pride in the Park on Sept. 22 in Clat Adams Park. 
• Heard Troup read a proclamation declaring September as Workforce Development Month.
• Awarded a contract to Thornburgh Abatement, Inc, to complete asbestos abatement at 206 Chestnut.
• Approved a low bid of $360,514 from Laverdiere Construction of Macomb for a parking lot improvement project at the Amtrak station, 30^th and Wismann Lane. The deteriorated concrete pavement on the east side of the existing parking lot will be replaced, and the parking lot will be expanded south, adding nine stalls and improving the flow of traffic through the lot.
• Approved the purchase of a Polaris Ranger 1000 EPS 4×4 side-by-side utility task vehicle for $17,399 from Outdoor Power. The UTV will replace a 1982 John Deere tractor that recently was decommissioned due to irreparable engine damage. The UTV will serve multiple functions at Landfill No. 4.
• Approved a low bid of $967,000 from Bleigh Construction of Hannibal, Mo., for the construction of a 140-foot by 60-foot pre-engineered storage building on the south side of the Central Services lot. Director of Public Works Jeffrey Conte said the building would be used to store some of the city’s larger equipment. “It’s a long time coming,” Richie Reis (D-6) said.
• Adopted by a 9-5 vote an ordinance for the city to set a date for a public hearing on the proposed 54th Street Business District. Voting against the ordinance were Jeff Bergman (R-2), Dave Bauer (D-2), Mike Farha (R-4), Tony Sassen (R-4) and Mike Rein (R-5).
• Approved a request by Reis to have a traffic study done at the intersection of Eighth Street and R.J. Peters Drive. 
• Tabled for one week an ordinance authorizing giving the Quincy Society Of Fine Arts. $25,000 from the Economic Growth Fund. Rein said aldermen “worked diligently” many years ago to remove funding for not-for-profits from the city budget. “I would hate to see that begin to sort of creep back in here,” he said. “It’s not appropriate for the city to fund (them).” Farha echoed Rein’s comments, saying, “It’s not that we don’t think they’re worthy, but we think you should make those decisions yourself. We shouldn’t be making them for you with tax dollars. … I don’t care where the money comes from. Ultimately, it’s tax dollars, right?”