The only open grant the Warsaw Municipal Airport has at this time is for the design phase of the Runway 1836 rehabilitation.
Ken Ross, NGC Aviation Consultants, told the Warsaw Board of Aviation Commissioners Tuesday, “Pending a pay request to follow, only 50% of that money has been drawn so far.”
He said the design was 80% complete, and he provided two full-size copies of the plans and cross-sections for Airport Manager Nick King and City Engineer James Emans to review.
“This is their final opportunity to incorporate any revisions or concerns before we finalize and prepare the final documents to submit to the (Federal Aviation Administration) and also to get ready to go out for bid,” Ross said.
He said the design does include concrete and asphalt options “to see if it makes sense to do one version over the other.”
On the Airport Layout Plan, Ross reminded the board that last month he reported the FAA approved it.
“We finally did receive the signed title sheet and cover letter from them. We incorporated that into the drawings. We distributed the hard copies and electronic copies to everybody,” he said.
He said that task was 100% complete and “in the books.”
Ross said they’ve completed the “Environmental Categorical Exclusion” documents for the lowering of the powerlines, and that’s been approved as of last year. “So there’s impediments to the powerlines, but there is an environmental assessment that needs to be finalized and completed for the recovery of the displaced threshold. There’s some discussion over that in my report that we’ll be able to address in future meetings,” Ross said.
He then presented a pay request for AIP for the runway rehab. He said he submitted three invoices that matched the federal, state and local shares at the request of the clerk-treasurer.
“It’s for 30% of the design as you’ve already paid 50,” Ross said.
The FAA share is 90% – $43,200; the State of Indiana Fund’s share is 5%, or $2,400; and the city’s share is 5%, or $2,400, for a total of $48,000. He recommended the board approve the pay request and authorize President Jay Rigdon to sign it, which it did.
King later told the board that $40-$45,000 worth of end-of-year crack ceiling won’t be completed this year due to weather. That work will now be done in the spring.
Instead of the crack ceiling work this year, he told the board he wants to complete four smaller electrical projects, all of which are needed, this year. Those projects were slated to be completed next year.
Because the projects are all under $50,000, King said he doesn’t need to bid them out, but just solicit quotes. The board approved his plan.
The board also approved a lease contract with AV8R Flying Club LLC. The club is making some permanent improvements to hangar 18H, and in exchange their lease will be only $250 per year for five years instead of $150 per month.
King said the lease spells out what those improvements are, from concrete pads and electrical to other details. At the end of the five years, the board and the club can renegotiate a new contract or the lease will fall back to the old standard of $150 per month.
Board member John Yingling asked if there was a timetable for the improvements. King said it was a year unless the board agreed to a postponement for some reason. The club intends to have the improvements completed as soon as the weather permits.
King said he forwarded the contract to city attorney Scott Reust and he was OK with it.
After the board members reviewed the contract individually during the meeting, they approved it unanimously.
As a piece of last business, King told the board that on Dec. 5 the selection committee will interview Hanson Professional Services, BF & S and CHA for consideration for the airport’s aviation consultants. NGC is the current contracted consultants.
The committee will have a recommendation to the board by the Dec. 10 meeting.
The committee includes board member Dan Robinson, Rigdon, King, Emans and Mayor Joe Thallemer.
