Adams County approves FAA grant and construction award to extend taxiway at Colorado Air and Space Port

Adams County commissioners on Sept. 9 approved a Federal Aviation Administration grant and a related construction contract to extend taxiway Romeo 3 and connect it to taxiway Alpha 8 Bravo at the county airport, a project county staff said will improve hangar access, increase redundancy and support future hangar development.

The project matters because it eases taxiway congestion in a busy hangar area, provides an alternate route when other taxiways are closed for maintenance and supports economic development tied to the Colorado Air and Space Port, county staff said.

County manager Dion Schroeder introduced the item, and airport staffer Jeff Kloska described the work as “extending pavement from our taxiway Romeo 3 … to connect it with Alpha 8 Bravo,” adding the connection will provide redundant access and improve operational efficiencies. Kloska told commissioners the FAA portion of the grant agreement being approved would contribute federal funds for the project and gave a project-level funding total available from combined grants and matches of approximately $1,234,821.

Kloska said the FAA portion presented to the board was for $445,000 and described the overall grant-match structure as involving FAA and Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) aeronautics funds plus a local match. He estimated construction would take about 60 days once started and said roughly 525 based aircraft operate in the hangar complex the project serves.

Public works staff then presented a related construction award after a public bidding process. The purchasing presentation identified the apparent low bidder as MRIs West Central Incorporated. The staff report and presentation contained two slightly different contract figures in the transcript; one place listed the contract as $1,014,214.80 and another as $1,014,002.14. Commissioners were told the low bid came in below the total grant amount and that any unused federal airport improvement program (AIP) funds would be coordinated with FAA and CDOT for other eligible project work or rolled into a next-year project.

Commissioner O'Dorisio praised the approach of leveraging external funding, saying it demonstrates “stretching the Adams County dollars.” Commissioner Henson asked about the timeline and operations; Kloska replied the build should take about 60 days and that the new connection will ease head-to-head taxiway conflicts.

The board voted to approve the FAA grant agreement (motion passed 5 to 0). The separate construction contract award motion passed with a vote recorded as 4 to 0, with one absence noted on the record.

The county will work with FAA and CDOT on any remaining AIP-eligible uses for excess grant funds; project scheduling and contractor notice-to-proceed timing were not specified in the materials presented to the board.

Votes at a glance: FAA grant agreement — approved 5–0; construction contract award — approved 4–0 (one absence).