The Community Mentor Program is part of Phase I – Small Community Air Service Development Toolkit. Operated by the Oregon and Washington Airport Management Associations (OAMA and WAMA), the Community Mentor Program is designed to pair airport managers, who have experience in air service development, with communities that need assistance with their efforts beyond what the DVD and Handbook portions of the Toolkit provide.
Community Mentor Program volunteers can explain the concepts and processes outlined in the Toolkit. They can provide background information about the success and failure of various air service efforts. Mentors can also act as sounding boards for communities interested in pursuing air service improvements.
OAMA and WAMA will need to solicit and identify airport managers who are willing to volunteer to be Community Mentors. A list of mentor names and contacts will be provided through the Toolkit to interested communities. The Mentor program is scheduled to officially run from April 2006 to March 2007. It is anticipated that most Mentor activities will take place during the end of Phase I – Small Community Air Service Development Toolkit rollout and the beginning of Phase II – Small Community Air Service Market Analysis (May through October 2006).
On an informal basis, Community Mentors have already begun working with neighboring communities in both states. The Northwest Regional Air Service Initiative (NWRASI) will host a formal Mentor Kickoff Meeting in May to review the elements of the NWRASI, learn about the contents of the Toolkit, and share mentoring concepts and experiences.
The implementation and staffing of the Community Mentor program was listed as an in-kind partnership match in grant application. This means that federal funding is not available to cover costs associated with this program. Expenses for mentoring activities may be covered by the mentor, the community using the services, the Airport Management Association, or a combination thereof. It is expected that mentors will be from communities located around both states so that travel costs will be minimal.
Airport managers interested in becoming Community Mentors or communities interested in having a Community Mentor visit should contact Ann Crook at the Klamath Falls Airport at 541.883.5373 or director@klamathfallsairport.com.
The willingness of Oregon and Washington airport managers to share their expertise with their neighbors through this Mentorship Program is one of the foundations of the NWRASI and was one of the major assets toward the federal grant offer for this program.