Yampa Valley Regional Airport security will be getting training from the Hayden Police Department and soon have the ability to ticket cars, thanks to a new intergovernmental agreement between the town and Routt County regarding the management of county-owned parking areas at the airport.

During the winter, the Yampa Valley Regional Airport has a contract with the Transportation Security Administration, in which the agency provides the airport with funding. In order to receive the funding, the federal agency requires that airports have law enforcement officers available to back them up at security checkpoints. This contract ends at the beginning of April, as it does every year.

“This agreement looks to give us some additional capabilities on the security side when we do not have the contract in place,” Yampa Valley Regional Airport Manager Kevin Booth said.

---

---

Booth said he hopes to get the two security coordinators trained as soon as possible with the contract ending. 

The training from Hayden Police Department will relate to ticket citation and de-escalation tactics. Booth mentioned to Routt County commissioners during a meeting on Tuesday, April 4, that the training will allow the airport to dole out citations and respond to situations more quickly without having to call or involve Hayden police. 

---

---

“For the safety and security, we need the ability to enforce the rules of parking and ticket unattended vehicles parked on the curbside, rather than waiting for Hayden police to come up and issue a citation,” Booth said in the meeting.

Booth emphasized to commissioners the importance of being able to regulate curbside parking as it has long caused traffic and safety concerns. Booth said security coordinators will be encouraged to talk it out with drivers who are illegally parked when possible, before doling out any citations. 

The intergovernmental agreement will end in November when the Transportation Security Administration contract is renewed ahead of the winter flight season.

Citations will be dealt with in Hayden’s municipal court, and the airport will not receive any of the revenue generated from the citations. 

The agreement was drafted by the county attorney, and county commissioners approved it Tuesday.

The agreement still needs approval from Hayden Town Council, which Booth said will review it soon.