Airport seeks $30,000 increase to on‑call HVAC repair funds after multiple summer breakdowns

Forsyth County airport staff on Oct. 20 briefed commissioners on a request to amend an existing agreement with Piedmont Service Group LLC to add $30,000 for on‑call HVAC repair services at five county‑owned facilities at Smith Reynolds Airport.

Airport Director Mark Davidson said the department entered the current contract July 1 for annual preventive maintenance, air filters and on‑call repairs at five facilities, including the North State Aviation leased building at 4001 North Liberty Street, Piedmont Propulsion at 4400 Lansing, other hangars and the airport’s airfield maintenance shop and main terminal. Davidson said the department solicited informal bids in March 2025 and received close base bids for annual preventive maintenance: Piedmont Service Group at $27,100; Logan Heating and Air at $27,890; and Sylvester and Cochran at $28,068. The airport’s base contract with Piedmont included $26,383 for preventive maintenance, $2,865 for air filters and $20,000 for on‑call repairs.

Davidson said heavy use of on‑call repairs this past summer prompted the request to amend the agreement and add $30,000 to the on‑call repair amount to ensure tenants are not left without HVAC.

Several commissioners pressed staff on how on‑call repairs were priced and whether hourly labor rates, overtime and travel were compared across bidders. One commissioner noted he could not find a breakdown of on‑call hourly charges for the three bidders in the briefing materials and asked whether the county would be better served by rebidding that portion. Davidson said the procurement compared the bidders on a preventive maintenance line item to “compare apples to apples” because hourly rates and overtime vary by vendor, but confirmed on‑call terms provided by vendors were included in the backup materials. Davidson said staff could rebid on‑call services if the board preferred.

A commissioner said he would support the amendment for the short term but asked staff to compare hourly charges and other on‑call costs before future renewals. Davidson said the department might return for another extension depending on needs and that tenants in some facilities—particularly 4001 North Liberty Street—have urgent HVAC needs that motivated the amendment.

The amendment was briefed Oct. 20 and will be on the Oct. 23 agenda for formal consideration.