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Airport director seeks county approval to accept NCDOT grants covering 90% of airfield lighting project at Smith Reynolds
Summary
Smith Reynolds Airport staff told commissioners the FAA and NCDOT have allocated grants to cover 90% of construction for an LED airfield lighting and signage replacement; staff asked the board to approve the NCDOT grant agreements on the commission agenda and said additional grant amendments for construction administration will follow.
Mark Davidson, Smith Reynolds Airport director, briefed commissioners that the airport’s existing airfield lighting (525 lights and 114 signs) has proved costly to maintain and that the FAA and North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) have awarded grants to fund a replacement LED lighting and signage project.
Davidson said the county previously approved a construction contract with R.G. Tenney Electric and that NCDOT issued two grants as a block-grant state paying 90% of the construction bid amount. He gave the construction bid amount as $5,223,441 and said the NCDOT block grant equates to $3,944,241 while the state aid grant is $756,856. "What I’m asking today is for you to consider on Thursday approving those two grants," Davidson said.
Davidson also said the NCDOT will perform an independent fee estimate for construction administration and material testing (inspection will be required for airfield work), and he expects NCDOT to issue grant amendments to increase funding to cover those services. He said Avcon has provided a proposal for those services and staff will return with grant amendments for approval.
Davidson and a commissioner clarified that FAA/NCDOT grants will pay 90% of the project and the county must provide a 10% match; Davidson confirmed the county’s matching obligations are reflected in the airport CPO.
Why it matters: Replacing aging airfield lighting with LED fixtures improves operational reliability and energy efficiency at Smith Reynolds Airport; the project carries multi-million-dollar construction costs with the majority funded by state and federal grants.
Next steps: Staff requested commission approval of the NCDOT grant agreements on the upcoming agenda and said additional amendments for construction administration will be returned when NCDOT’s independent fee estimate is complete.
