Beaufort County airport staff recommended, and the board approved, awarding a contract to Highsmith to rehabilitate the Hilton Head control tower using a $300,000 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) grant.

Airport Director John Orazio briefed the board that the county had received a $300,000 BIL grant for tower improvements and that the county issued a competitive procurement to update the tower’s interior and building systems. Staff presented Highsmith as the recommended bidder.

The recommendation covers interior rehabilitation, replacement of air-conditioning units and roof work to bring the control tower’s accommodations up to current standards. Board members moved and seconded approval of staff’s recommendation and, after concluding discussion, the motion passed by voice vote.

The action uses federal BIL grant funding already awarded to the airport; staff said this is phase two of the tower project and will allow the airport to “rehab the interior, the structure of the building” to improve communications and safety-related facilities.

Board members did not record a roll-call vote in the meeting transcript; staff indicated the winning bidder was Highsmith and asked the board to recommend moving forward. The board’s recommendation now proceeds to the contract award/implementation steps identified by airport procurement.

Board members asked no substantive amendments to the scope during the meeting and no dissent was recorded.

Looking ahead, staff will manage contract execution and report back to the board on schedule and any change orders.