Elkhart City Airport Authority members opened competitive bids for the Runway 1836 pavement rehabilitation project and voted to move the package forward for grant consideration and technical review.

The board reviewed two responsive bids for the project and compared them to the engineer's estimate. The low base bid was $1,807,580; a second bid totaled $2,119,123.12. The board's engineer had estimated a base cost of $1,976,550 and an additive alternate of $67,221. After noting the two bids were close to that engineer's estimate, members voted to take the bids under advisement for legal and technical review and to wait for a federal grant before awarding the contract.

The board then voted to approve submission of the federal grant application for Runway 1836. Members instructed staff to include the selected bid amount, the construction services agreement previously approved, and a $3,500 independent fee estimate (IFE) in the grant packet as required by FAA procedures.

Separately, the board approved a professional services agreement with Fauch Engineering to perform the IFE at a cost of $3,500. The IFE will be used to validate that the proposed professional services fees are consistent with the scope and market expectations before the grant is finalized.

No contract award or final project authorization was made at the meeting; board members explicitly tied next steps to completion of legal review and confirmation of federal grant funding.