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Committee approves a slate of airport grants and contracts, including tower renovations and service agreements
Summary
Beaufort County approved multiple FAA- and SCAC-funded airport grants and associated contracts and agreements covering airfield drainage, taxiway environmental work, tower renovations funded by a BIL award, terminal advertising, air service consulting, and operating agreements for flight services; several grants are contingent on final offers and one contract had a single bidder but passed FAA review.
The Public Facilities Committee on June 16 approved a package of airport-related grants, contracts and operating agreements intended to fund airfield improvements, tower renovations and airport revenue-generating services.
Key items included a resolution to authorize CPI-based fee adjustments for hangar and office space rentals at Hilton Head Island and Beaufort Executive Airports (Item 21), and commercial operating agreements to continue pilot examination services and flight training operations at county airports (Items 22–23). Staff (S1) said these commercial agreements are standard and revenue-generating.
The committee also accepted multiple FAA AIP and South Carolina Aeronautics Commission (SCAC) grants contingent upon final offers (Items 24–31). The grouped grants include funding for HXD airfield drainage work, taxiway design and environmental easement work, fire-suppression repairs and a $300,000 BIL grant for tower renovations (Item 29). Staff explained the BIL tower grant will fund upgrades to the tower’s roof, cabinetry and controllers’ work surfaces; Highsmith Construction was later presented for the renovation contract tied to that grant (Item 32).
Procurement approvals included a contract to Highsmith Construction for tower renovations (contingent on the FAA offer), a contract with Departure Media for terminal advertising management, Bel Air Aviation for air-service development consulting, and Quality Enterprises USA for airfield drainage construction (Item 35). Staff noted Quality Enterprises’ bid was the only one received on that project and that FAA reviewed procurement documentation and gave preliminary favorable feedback.
Several items were presented and approved together to meet grant timing requirements. Committee members asked procedural questions about grant timing, local matches and the airport board’s role in rate-setting. All airport-related items on the committee agenda passed with no objection.
