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East Texas Regional Airport earns FAA praise; Gregg County to seek bids for $1.4M ARFF truck
Summary
Commissioners acknowledged an FAA certification inspection that found zero findings at East Texas Regional Airport and authorized advertising for sealed bids for an Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle; county staff said federal funding would cover roughly 90% of the roughly $1.4 million truck.
Gregg County’s Commissioner’s Court on March 31 acknowledged a recent FAA periodic certification inspection of East Texas Regional Airport that found no findings and commended airport staff for compliance with 14 CFR part 139 and the airport certification manual.
A county official said the inspection, conducted March 2–4, 2026, reflected the staff’s “sustained commitment to excellence in safety, operations and service,” and the court recognized employees and regional partners cited in the inspection letter. “They did a great job this year,” one commissioner said, asking airport staff to stand and be recognized.
Separately, the court authorized the purchasing agent to advertise and request sealed bids for an Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) vehicle for East Texas Regional Airport. County purchasing and airport staff said the project is budgeted in the current fiscal budget and estimated the vehicle cost at roughly $1.4 million; a commissioner noted the federal government would pay about 90% of the truck cost.
The court approved the bid advertisement and related motions by voice vote. County officials said KSA Engineering is the consultant for the procurement package and that the purchase is included in the county’s current budget.
Why it matters: FAA certification with zero findings signals compliance with federal safety standards for commercial service airports, while the planned ARFF procurement is a major capital purchase that will materially affect airport firefighting capability and county capital spending.
The court approved the commendation acknowledgment and the procurement authorization; staff will proceed with advertised bids for the ARFF vehicle and return to the court with bid results and any contract recommendations.
