The Iberia Airport Authority voted to advertise for a new director and set procedures for airport operations in the meantime in a special meeting Thursday afternoon.

The agenda items came after current Director Jason Devillier announced his resignation after nine years serving as director. Devillier doesn’t officially leave until Aug. 5, three days before the board’s next regular meeting.

Board Chairman Pat Norris said airport officials will be looking at possible candidates to fill the director position in an interim position until a new director could be found. There were at least two candidates so far, with Norris saying that Iberia Industrial Development Director Mike Tarantino expressed interest and board member Karl Vincent saying he knew of another interested applicant.

Because Vincent has worked with that unnamed applicant in the past, he said that he would abstain from all future discussions and decisions for the interim director position.

Board Attorney Dean Wattigny said the board needed to ensure that the advertisement procedures needed to comply with Iberia Parish Government’s human resources procedure, which was added to the resolution as well.

In other business, the board also discussed creating additional parking for Bristow Helicopters after an increase in contracts has required more space for the company.

Norris said the triangle parking space in front of the Iberia Airport Authority would be expanded so that Bristow employees and clients could park in the area. 

“We’ve been having a discussion over the last few months on the expansion of the parking lot for the Bristow parking lot and the contracts they run out of here,” Norris said. “We’ve had issues going back and forth on funding and location, because of the additional clients Bristow has signed up there is a parking restraint.”

At the prior meeting, the board voted to fund $20,000 for the project. The IAA would front the first $20,000 for that expansion, and Bristow would reimburse them for the rest of the cost over a to be specified amount of time. 

“The point is, Bristow has agreed to reimburse us for anything over the $20,000 we approve over a 12 month period,” Norris said. “So if it costs us $40,000 for the parking lot, they would pay us $20,000.”