Commissioners award Airport paving contract to Allen Myers; paving planned this summer

The commissioners on July 29 authorized procurement to sign a contract estimated to exceed $1 million with Allen Myers MD Inc. to complete paving of the St. Mary—s County Regional Airport runway.

Acting director Donnie Mills and deputy director Gary Whipple briefed the board on the project schedule, noting that airport paving requires aviation-grade specifications. "When you're paving an airport, it's a little different than paving a road," Whipple said. "You have large aircraft, high approach speed coming in, impacting this asphalt. You have to have a bigger section. It has to be able to absorb all that energy or else you're gonna be repaving your runway every 3 years."

Staff said Allen Myers is finishing a Virginia Department of Transportation contract and expects to begin work on the airport within weeks. The contractor—s planned production is about 16 paving days; the contract term runs to the end of October to allow for scheduling and required follow-up. Commissioners and staff stressed paving is one portion of the project: runway lighting, markings and an FAA flight check must be completed before higher-category approaches and larger aircraft are authorized.

Commissioner questions included the anticipated timeline and safety oversight during construction. Staff said the contractor expected to complete the heavy paving as soon as scheduling allowed and that the FAA flight check could follow in August or September if other work is completed. A motion to award the procurement and authorize the contract carried by voice vote.