Victoria County commissioners on Monday approved a $2,759,999 contract with Centurion Planning and Design to develop design documents for a replacement terminal at Victoria Regional Airport and authorized work to begin immediately ahead of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reimbursement grant.

The action also cleared a routine airport maintenance grant agreement and a payment application of $217,008.50 to Wolin LLC for air-traffic-control tower radios; county staff said the tower equipment is part of a reimbursable FAA grant and the county will apply for 90% reimbursement.

The vote came after airport staff described why the county should begin design work before the state reimbursement arrives. "The NOFO for the airport terminal on the federal, airport terminal grants is not out yet," Lenny, an airport presenter, told the court, adding that the project's NEPA environmental review is awaiting an FAA signature and that having design documents ready will strengthen future federal grant applications. "We should get the approval from the FAA on that environmental problem this week," Lenny said.

Why it matters: County officials said getting design work started now will position Victoria to apply promptly for federal terminal funds once a Notice of Funding Opportunity is released and to avoid the delays that harmed past applications when design or environmental work was incomplete.

What the court approved and how it will be paid: The Centurion Planning and Design contract totals $2,759,999 for design services. County staff said the design work will be funded by a TxDOT reimbursement grant the judge had described as providing about $2.5 million in state funds, with a county local match not to exceed the formula-driven 10% figure discussed during the meeting. The court approved the contract by motion and voice vote.

On equipment, Lenny described the Wolin LLC invoice and explained why the county was asked to pay the vendor before the radios are physically delivered to the airport: the radios are being tuned and prepared by the contractor offsite and are on back order. "This is... a reimbursable grant. So once we put this invoice through the system and it gets paid, we can apply for reimbursement to the FAA for 90% of these funds," Lenny said. County finance staff supported the request. Michelle, a county finance official, told the court the payment pattern is similar to other purchases that are sent offsite for outfitting — for example, sheriff’s vehicles are purchased then sent to a vendor for rigging. The court approved payment application number 1 to Wolin LLC in the amount of $217,008.50.

Other airport items: The court also approved the annual routine airport maintenance grant agreement. Staff explained the state routine maintenance grant is structured as 90% reimbursement; as an example, a $100,000 award effectively requires about $111,111 in eligible spending to receive the full $90,000 reimbursement.

What comes next: County staff said they will proceed with the Centurion design work and continue environmental coordination with the FAA and TxDOT, with design progress intended to strengthen any subsequent federal terminal grant application. The county will submit receipts to TxDOT and the FAA to obtain the state and federal reimbursements for the work and equipment paid for by the county.

Ending: The contract and equipment approvals leave the county positioned to complete design and environmental steps while monitoring the federal grant timeline. Commissioners did not set a construction schedule at Monday’s meeting.