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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Agreement to allow operation of drones within Ames' airspace for 2016 RESOLUTION NO. 15-737 RESOLUTION APPROVING AGREEMENTS TO ALLOW OPERATION OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS WITHIN AMES AIRSPACE FOR 2016 FOR THE CITY OF AMES WHEREAS, on June 9, 2015, City council granted an interim approval to Hunziker Development to operate an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV),which will be referred to as a"drone," within the airspace controlled by the Ames Municipal Airport; and, WHEREAS, the airspace is defined by a five-nautical mile boundary around the Airport's runway surfaces; and, WHEREAS,since that time,Hunziker has conducted several flights to record video and take photos of its various properties for marketing purposes,and it should be noted that the approval for Hunziker expires on December 31, 2015; and, WHEREAS, on November 10, 2015, City Council granted special approval to Hunziker to take video,from the public right-of-way,of the Downtown,Campustown, Somerset, and the South Duff business districts, as well as various City parks; and, WHEREAS,the purpose was two-fold, 1)to collect video that can be used to promote Ames as a great place to live; and, 2)to test the technical capabilities of a commercial grade drone; and, WHEREAS, specifically,this testing process is intended to determine if there is a particular elevation at which a drone would operate that potentially creates a privacy concern, and should privacy concerns be identified at a particular elevation,a threshold of operation would be established based upon the resolution of the video or photos taken and would require special approval by the City; and, WHEREAS, in recent months, staff has been approached by Skeye 1, LLC, a business that provides UAV services, which is also seeking approval to operate a drone within the Ames area; and, WHEREAS, Skeye 1, LLC,provides data collection services, such as agricultural surveys, aerial photography, and topographic surveys, and is also subjected to all the same state and federal standards as Hunziker; and, WHEREAS, the proposed agreements would authorize Hunziker and Skeye 1, LLC, respectively, to operate within the five-mile area around the Ames Airport for the calendar year 2016; and, WHEREAS, because of the ongoing evolution in regulations and standards on a national level,City staff has not yet been able to complete a comprehensive,specific policy and standards for the City of Ames; therefore,the Agreements with Skeye and Hunziker refer to two documents that will be established as new information becomes available: 1) the Ames administrative policy on Unmanned Aircraft Systems operations;and,2)the Ames minimum operating standards for UAVs; and, WHEREAS,this will allow the flexibility for these documents to be approved and updated without requiring each user to enter into a new agreement, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Ames, Iowa, that the Agreements with Hunziker Development and Skeye 1,LLC,to operate an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle within Ames' airspace for Calendar Year 2016 are hereby approved. ADOPTED THIS 8t'day of December, 2015. Diane R. Voss, City Clerk Ann H. Campbell, Mayor Introduced by: Goodman Seconded by: Corrieri Voting aye: Betcher, Corrieri, Gartin, Goodman,Nelson, Orazem Voting nay: None Absent: None Resolution declared adopted and signed by the Mayor this 8t'day of December, 2015.