Board awards $675,274 contract for Raleigh Regional Airport access road; commissioner recused

The Person County Board of Commissioners voted Sept. 15 to award a contract of $675,274 to Fred Smith Company to rehabilitate the access road at Raleigh Regional Airport at Person County. The board also authorized the county manager to execute the contract pending legal review.

County Manager Catherine told commissioners the project will be paid initially from the airport construction fund and that the county will seek reimbursement from an Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) when the funding is received. The North Carolina Department of Transportation has approved the use of grant funding for the work, the manager said, but the county does not yet have the grant funds in hand.

The board first voted to recuse Commissioner Long because of a family connection to a paving business. Long announced the recusal and the board approved the recusal by voice vote. After recusal the board voted on the contract award; the motion carried and the board recorded a 4-0 approval.

County staff said they received one responsive bid on the second solicitation and that engineers worked with the bidder to bring the cost down to the county's projected budget. Staff also noted Fred Smith Company previously performed runway rehabilitation work at the airport.

Why this matters: The contract will repair the airport access road and is timed to allow the contractor to begin work Oct. 1, 2025, per staff. The county will use existing airport construction funds for the start of work and seek grant reimbursement later.

What's next: County staff to finalize contract language with the contractor and return a legally reviewed contract for signature; staff said they would pause if legal concerns arise.