Ottawa City awards KOWI taxiway contract contingent on FAA grants

The Ottawa City Commission on March 19 voted to accept bids and authorize submission of related grant paperwork for a reconstruction of the airport taxiway at KOWI, awarding the contract to Amino Brothers Incorporated contingent on Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) concurrence and grant offers.

City Manager Silcott and Brad Waller, project engineer for Alfred Benish and Company, presented the airport bid package and staff recommendation. City Manager Silcott recommended the commission “accept the base bid in the amount of $1,160,881 and make that contingent upon FAA concurrence and receipt of the authorized FAA grant” and to award add-alternate work, for a combined total recommendation of $3,380,483.25, if federal funding is available.

Nut graf: The work was placed in the city’s adopted 2025 Capital Improvement Program and the 2017 airport master plan; staff said in testing the existing pavement the taxiway required full reconstruction rather than the previously planned mill-and-overlay approach. Staff asked the commission to authorize the city manager to submit and pursue FAA grant offers by the April 1 application deadline so contract execution can follow FAA concurrence.

Staff said the base bid (the blue phase) would proceed regardless of additional grants; add alternates (red and green phases) depend on securing additional FAA or other grant funding (including a referenced “thud” grant). Project engineer Brad Waller told commissioners that initial tests showed structural deficiencies requiring reconstruction, and that Amino Brothers submitted the low and responsive bids for both the base and add-alternate work. The base bid noted in the staff presentation was $1,160,881; the add-alternate amount cited was $2,219,602.25 for a total of $3,380,483.25 if funded.

Commissioners asked about federal funding risk and local exposure. Staff said the FAA typically funds a large share of the base work (staff cited a 95% federal participation figure for the base phase) and that the city’s direct exposure on the base phase would be roughly 5% (staff estimated approximately $55,000–$60,000 if some grants were not awarded). Staff also said bid bonds and a longer bid-hold period (120 days) were used to limit city risk while awaiting federal decisions.

The commission approved the motion to accept the bids and authorize submission of the grant application and related documents. Roll-call votes were recorded as yes from Mayor Allen, Mayor Pro Tem Clayton, Commissioner Kaler, Commissioner Crowley and Commissioner Skidmore.

Ending: Staff said, if the FAA concurrence and grants are received, the city will return to the commission with contract documents and proceed with construction—staff projected construction could begin late summer 2025 for the base phase and, if fully funded, the entire project could take roughly a year under the multi-phase schedule. The airport master plan and related materials were referenced as available at ottawaks.gov/airport.