Dalton council approves airport hangar, runway and lighting work with state and federal funding

The Dalton City Council on May 19 approved a series of contract amendments, change orders and funding agreements to complete hangar construction and to rehabilitate airfield taxiways, runway lighting and the approach-light system at the Dalton Municipal Airport.

The actions bundle grant and contract work that city staff said will add a third hangar, replace decades-old airfield lighting with LED components, perform taxiway rehabilitation and repair the MALSR approach-light system. Council approval included a GDOT supplemental agreement that provides an additional $500,000 for the hangar program and a separate GDOT funding contract and federal allocation for taxiway and electrical work.

Why it matters: the projects address aging airfield components and approach lighting the staff described as critical for safe landings in poor weather. The package mixes state airport aid and federal funds and carries a local cost for the approach-light work that the city estimated and capped in the council presentation.

City staff member Andrew Wimsle described the items as a cluster of related airport improvements and walked the council through each contract and change order. The council approved change order number 2 on the hangar development project, a $13,018 design and insurance-related adjustment covered by savings from a previous change order. Council members also ratified change order number 4 on the runway rehabilitation project; Wimsle said the runway project came in about $1 million under budget and the ratified change order covered additional safety striping. The council then approved a GDOT supplemental agreement to add $500,000 to the hangar funding package so the contractor’s scope can include the third hangar.

On funding for airfield electrical and taxiway work, Wimsle told the council the package includes $881,000 in federal funds and just over $2 million in state airport-aid funds to pay for taxiway rehabilitation and replacement of runway and taxiway lighting, the wind cone, PAPI systems and other electrical components. The council approved a construction contract with TCA Contractors Inc. to perform the electrical portion of the work; Wimsle said the electrical scope will swap 20-year-old components to LED technology.

For the MALSR approach-light replacement, the council approved a GDOT funding contract that was written at a higher maximum than the expected cost because GDOT needed to obligate amended fiscal-year funds. The contract allows up to $900,000 in state funds; Wimsle said the city’s estimated local share is about $150,000 and that the local share is capped at $300,000 if the project used the full state allocation. Wimsle said some components of the current approach-light system are irreparable; he described nonfunctioning strobe lights that lead pilots to the runway as among those inoperable. When asked about timing, Wimsle said, "This will probably be completed sometime early next year in the spring or early summer."

Discussion versus decision: most items carried motions to approve and were adopted during the meeting. Several items originated from prior contract approvals and pending state obligations; staff framed some approvals as ratifications needed to align contracts with obligated state funds. The council did not set new local funding sources beyond the previously budgeted general-fund allocations and airport aid program matches described by staff.

What happens next: staff will proceed with contract execution, supplemental GDOT agreements and construction scheduling. The approach-light work has longer lead times; Wimsle estimated completion in spring or early summer of next year.