Torrington Council OKs $135,650 engineering addendum for new airport terminal

Torrington City Council on Jan. 21 approved Addendum No. 2 to the professional services agreement with MC Schaff and Associates to design, bid and provide construction oversight for a new terminal building at Torrington Municipal Airport. Director of Public Works Jeff Harkins told the council the addendum is for engineering services not to exceed $127,146.21 plus an estimated $8,504 in material testing costs, for a total of $135,650.21.

The addendum covers design, bidding, construction oversight and project closeout for a single-story, roughly 1,855-square-foot steel terminal to be located just west of the existing terminal. "Once the new terminal building is completed, the city will demo the existing terminal using city's forces," Harkins said. He said MC Schaff will prepare a plan set from the floor plan included in the council packet and then put the project out to bid.

Why it matters: council members said the aging FBO/terminal building, which officials estimated was built in the early 1950s, no longer meets operational needs and limits the city's ability to attract aviation activity. Harkins said the new building would provide a pilot lounge and space better suited for waiting commercial and business traffic, and that the airport advisory board had previously endorsed the concept plan.

Funding and timeline: Harkins told the council the total construction cost is estimated at about $850,000, including engineering, and the engineering portion is roughly 96% reimbursable. He said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would cover 90% of the engineering services, the state (listed in the packet as YDOT) 6%, and the city 4. Harkins gave these figures in his memo and told the council the FAA responded on Jan. 13, 2025, with concurrence on the award of engineering services.

Harkins also said an independent fee estimate (IFE) by Benish of Lincoln, Nebraska, cost $36,100 and was used in negotiating the engineering fee. He told the council the city must pay project costs up front and will receive reimbursement as costs are incurred.

Council members asked about schedule and construction staging. Harkins said bidding is expected AprilMay 2025, with construction from July through December 2025 and final acceptance in January 2026. "Probably in July" was his estimate when asked when construction would begin.

Council action: Councilman Victorin moved to approve the addendum as presented; Councilman Kelly seconded. The mayor called for the vote and the council approved the addendum with no nays recorded.

Background: The city entered into a five-year agreement with MC Schaff and Associates on Nov. 2, 2022, to provide engineering services for the airport. The current addendum follows a prior amendment for runway and lighting work, which council members said was similar in form though for a different project.

What council said: Council members framed the project as an economic and quality-of-service investment. "It's hard to beat that funding scenario," one council member said, referring to the 90/6/4 funding split. Officials noted the new terminal could later be expanded to add a garage for snow-removal equipment if funds become available.

Provenance: Transcript excerpts supporting this story begin with Director of Public Works Jeff Harkins' presentation of item 3 (transcript lines starting at s=442.70502) and end after the council vote on item 3 (s=1203.595).