Council approves AWAS-3 bid award, FAA grant application and consultant amendment for Augusta airport

Augusta council approved a sequence of actions to advance the Augusta Municipal Airport's AWAS-3 project: a contingent bid award, authorization to apply for and accept an FAA grant, and an amendment for consultant construction observation services.

Airport staff and Olsson engineer Brian Kums described the project as relocating an automated weather observing system (AWAS) from its existing location to the opposite corner of airport property to free a prime development area for hangar construction. Kums said the existing system is more than 20 years old and replacement parts are increasingly difficult to obtain, and that moving the unit will create a roughly 1,000-foot critical area that allows development on the west side of the airport.

Kums summarized the project cost as $645,000 in total. He said the FAA grant would cover 95% of eligible costs (stated as $612,750) with a city share of $32,250; council regularly budgets placeholder amounts for such matches. The council approved (1) a bid award to Atlas Electric LLC of Witchita, Kansas in the amount recorded in the minutes as '490,83' contingent on FAA concurrence and receipt of the grant, (2) authorization to submit the FAA airport improvement program draft grant application and accept the forthcoming grant offer, and (3) approval of amendment number one to the consultant agreement with Olsson for construction observation and inspection services pending FAA concurrence. All three motions carried by voice vote.

Staff said the FAA typically writes grant instruments based on actual bid and engineering costs and that the city had previously received a 'go letter' to proceed with design. The next step is FAA concurrence and grant offer, after which staff will finalize contract documents.