King County International Airport opened its Snow Desk at 8 a.m. on November 29 in anticipation of wintry weather. The Snow Desk gathers emerging information about the airport's response to snow and ice and issues updated situation reports. Airport maintenance and operations staff are onsite around the clock for snow removal and ice treatment, shown at right.

The forecast calls for ongoing cold temperatures and perhaps more snow into next week. 

Thanks in large part to two grants totaling $5.2 million from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP), new snow removal equipment is on its way to King County Airport. A new snow blower is anticipated to arrive mid-month, with five multipurpose units arriving in early 2023. The multipurpose units have a plow on the front and a broom on the back.

“With this new equipment, we are able to meet the response time the FAA requires, being able to clean all Priority One surfaces within 30 minutes,” said Donald McClendon, Maintenance Supervisor.

Priority One surfaces are the most critical and Priority Three are the least critical. KCIA has 5,522,000 square feet of Priority One surface area that is required to be cleared in under 30 minutes. Priority One surfaces are the primary runway, supporting taxiway system, portions of the commercial service apron, Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) station, mutual aid access, emergency service roads, access to essential Navigational Aids, and centralized deicing facilities (if any).

The multipurpose equipment will be especially helpful, McClendon explained, because each one will do the job of two separate pieces of equipment. The new equipment is also required to be able to clear snow at 30 miles per hour, about twice as fast as the current airport plows.

Doing the job more quickly will give crews time for a break, one of the key strategies the snow academy teaches to manage airports during snowstorms.

“This will help the crew not to get tired as quick,” McClendon said.

The equipment will augment existing equipment and allow the airport to surplus at least three of its oldest plows. The oldest is 40 years old. Other airports in the area are already interested in purchasing the surplus equipment since it has been well maintained by airport staff.

To ensure the airport can still meet the FAA requirements this year, before the new equipment arrives, the airport has also purchased three used snow plows from Sea-Tac International Airport to supplement the existing fleet.

“We’re trying to be good stewards of the airport and keeping it open also,” McClendon said.

The used equipment arrived this week. A team of staff from KCIA and the Department of Executive Services Fleet Services Division will ready the equipment for use. Fleet coordinated with a towing company to transport the rigs and attachments from Sea-Tac.

The grants are covering nearly 90 percent of the cost of the new snow removal equipment. The airport grant program funds airport infrastructure projects such as runways, taxiways, airport signage, airport lighting, and airport markings. Airports are entitled to a certain amount of AIP funding each year, based on passenger and cargo volume. The airport had roughly 187,000 aircraft operations in 2019 and 144,000 aircraft operations in 2020.

Photos, top, left: Front mount snow blower and chassis

Above, right: Cradling towed airport broom that is attached to the back of a plow.

Above, left: Some of the used equipment purchased from Sea-Tac International Airport 

New Operations and Finance managers will join the airport this month, filling positions left open by retirements. 

Kristin Cline, Finance Manager

Kristin Cline starts her new job at the airport on December 5. She comes to the airport from the King County Office of Performance Strategy & Budget, where she has been on a special duty assignment as an Analyst for the Budget as well as the Capital Process Manager since June. She worked in The Department of Natural Resources, Water and Land Division as the Surface Water Capital Fund Finance Officer from July 2019 until June 2022. She also worked for the City of Kent in various financial positions for about 13 years.

“I am very excited to join the KCIA team as the Finance & Administrative Services Manager,” Cline said. “Aviation is new to me and I can’t wait to dig in and learn more about the airport. In my past I’ve really enjoyed supporting interesting work (like airport does) and contributing by providing transparent financial information for decision-making.”

She has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Cline lives in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle with her partner, two kids and two dogs.

“When I’m not working, chauffeuring teenagers and walking dogs, I love being outdoors biking, camping, cross country skiing and I’ve dabbled in a small bit of mountaineering. I also enjoy watching football, golfing, craft beer and puzzles!”

Manny Cruz, Airport Duty Manager

Manny Cruz joined the Airport Duty Manager team on November 12. 

He brings more than a decade of experience in aviation business, from regional airplane sales director to airport business coordinator. He comes to KCIA from the Renton Municipal Airport, where he negotiated new and existing leases on airport property and managed an annual operating budget of $6 million.

Cruz has a Master’s in Business Administration, Aviation Management from Dowling College and a Bachelor of Science, Aviation Business Administration from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

“I love flying seaplanes around the Puget Sound and visiting the San Juan Islands,” Cruz said. “I also enjoy golfing around the awesome Seattle courses with my friends and colleagues.”

“My true passion now is being a dad and spending time with my family. It’s one of the reasons why I decided to join the team at the KCIA. Being part of the KCIA and applying my skills to make it a World Class Airport is something I truly look forward to, along with the perfect life balance at home and at the airport. I’m excited to see what the future holds and how my work can be part of the great history this airport and county have to offer.”

Sean Moran, Operations Manager

Sean Moran is counting the days until he becomes Operations Manager at KCIA, a position that has been open since Davey Pilley retired earlier this year.

“I start December 12 and I cannot wait!” Moran said. “I am most excited to join the talented group of professionals at King County International Airport (and all of King County) and grow/develop/learn alongside my team members as we work to make Boeing Field the premier airport in the region and country.”

He brings nearly 12 years of experience in the aviation industry to KCIA. Most recently, he served at Livermore Municipal Airport in Alameda County, California, where he worked his way up from Assistant Airport Manager to Airport Manager. Moran has also been an airport operations supervisor at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose Airport and was Noise and Operations Coordinator at Hayward Executive Airport, where he reported to David Decoteau.

He started out on the airline side, working for Spirit Airlines and Emirates Airlines at LAX while in college.

Moran has a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management from California State University. He is also a Certified Member of the American Association of Airport Executives.

When not working, he enjoys staying active, running in the early morning or doing Olympic weightlifting at his local gym. He also plays in a semi (not really) competitive kickball league and enjoys photography.

Dave Decoteau, deputy director of King County International Airport, is taking on two new positions in professional associations. He will transition from Executive Board Member to Vice President of the Washington Airport Management Association (WAMA) on January 1. At the Northwest American Association of Airport Executives (NWAAAE) Annual Conference in Jackson Hole, he was elected to the Board of Directors Western Position 2. He assumed that role in October.     

KCIA participated in the third annual Fly Washington Passport Food Program this fall, collecting 462 pounds of food, nearly 200 pounds more than last year.

Last year airports in Washington state donated more than 7,500 pounds of food to local area food banks. Each airport collects food donations from October through mid-November. The airport that collects the most gets the trophy for that year.

“Our goal this year is to collect more donations than the Auburn Airport, which was last year’s winner,” said Matt Sykora, Airport Business Manager. In 2021, Auburn Municipal Airport and its local donors collected 4,675 pounds of food.

KCIA’s food drive benefits the Georgetown Foodbank.

Photo: Airport Operations Duty Managers Manny Cruz, left, and Sam Priest, right, with food donations.