Council approves airport grant closeouts, payments and tentative award for preconditioned-air unit

Aberdeen, S.D. — The Aberdeen City Council on Monday approved multiple airport-related actions, including the financial closeout of an ARPA-funded Airport Improvement Program grant, pay estimates for runway/apron and terminal work, and a tentative award for a preconditioned-air (PCA) unit that would mount to a jet bridge.

Transportation Director Rich Krochel told the council the city has expended $1,145,711 on an ARPA grant tied to AIP project 346001 and asked the city manager be authorized to sign final closeout documents. Councilman Johnson moved to approve and the motion passed on roll call.

The council also approved invoices and pay estimates Krochel presented for active aviation projects: Aaron Swan (material testing and quality assurance) for $7,620; Helms & Associates for $41,905.23 (administration and resident engineering); and Reedy Construction pay estimate number 2 for $437,979.06 for materials and work through June 24. Krochel said the funding allocation for that project is approximately 90% federal, 5% state and 5% local.

Council members approved additional small Helms invoices and a larger terminal-related Helms invoice Krochel read aloud; during that item he corrected himself while stating the figure, ultimately indicating an invoice amount of $5,055,962.90 for bidding services on the airport terminal expansion. Krochel also said project funding includes roughly $1.2 million in state funds and about $800,000 in AIP (federal) funds, leaving a projected local share of about $60,000.

On a separate item the council approved tentatively awarding AIP project 57 — a preconditioned-air unit — to Oshkosh Aerotech (formerly JBT/Oshkosh Aerotech) for $945,000, contingent on FAA approval of grant offers and a Buy American waiver. Krochel said the airport had previously installed jet-bridge infrastructure when the bridge was built and the PCA can now be plugged into preexisting electrical and mechanical connections; the grant amount cited for the PCA was $231,714 and the award is contingent on FAA approval.

Council members asked for clarification about the CT-80 baggage screener: Krochel said Transportation Security Administration contractors will pay to disassemble, move and recalibrate the CT-80 but the city is responsible for the new room build-out; Krochel estimated the city's local share for that terminal move and related work at roughly $60,000. He said the terminal reconstruction was awarded this year but will not start until April 1 next year because of contractor concerns about obtaining structural steel; parking-lot and terminal access-road reconstruction will begin in the coming weeks.

All airport items presented Monday were approved on roll-call votes that authorized the city manager to sign the necessary pay estimates and closeout documents.