The Santa Fe Regional Airport expansion is continuing and with it is the need for more personnel to operate efficiently.
The Santa Fe Governing Body on Wednesday approved two measures regarding the airport, including a budget adjustment for thehiring of five new full-time positions.
The airport will be hiring an Airport Security Coordinator, and an Airport Operations Officer, Project Manager, Airport Maintenance Worker, and Heavy Equipment Mechanic.
It will also contract for security services and shuttle bus drivers to bring passengers to the terminal from the parking lot.
Airport Manager James Harris told the city council that the facility has been understaffed for a long time.
“The administrators that had been in charge of the airport before me did the best they could with the positions they had, so when I came in I recognized there were not enough people (on staff) to successfully get this airport on the right track,” he said. “The Airport Security Coordinator will be in charge of security for the airport and keeping us compliant with TSA regulations.”
Harris says he had been coordinating security himself but there needs to be a full-time person in that position.
Funding for the new positions will be coming from land leases being paid by the Santa Fe Police Department and the Wastewater department.
The Governing Body also approved a grant extension from the New Mexico Department of Transportation for terminal expansion and infrastructure improvements.
The original grant of $3 million has been expanded to $4 million to help pay for unforeseen water and sewage line issues in the airport parking lot.
