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Airport board opts for porcelain-look tile to speed terminal work, citing cost and schedule risks with terrazzo
Summary
The Fargo Airport Authority voted to install a porcelain/trazle-look tile in new terminal restrooms and adjacent areas, favoring a lower-cost, faster option after hearing cost estimates, a potential one-month delay and constructability concerns for epoxy terrazzo.
The Fargo Airport Authority voted to install the porcelain/trazle-look tile option for new terminal flooring after a lengthy discussion about cost, durability and schedule.
Design and construction staff presented two main options: a terrazzo finish estimated at about $524,000 in change orders plus a potential additional $200,000 and up to a month of schedule extension for epoxy terrazzo, or a porcelain-look tile option estimated at about $351,000 in change orders that staff said could be ordered quickly and keep the project on schedule. The board heard concerns about cleaning a white finish in Fargo winters and whether the design’s current white tile could be maintained with improved cleaning equipment.
“I think if you put in terrazzo, I think you’ll be happier with it down the road based on its durability,” one presenter said during the debate, while the contractor who identified himself as Jeremiah Johnson raised a constructability concern for terrazzo around the metal cove perimeter in small restroom spaces.
The board considered life‑cycle costs, warranty questions and practical cleaning issues. Tana, the authority’s finance presenter, noted parking and capital budgets are tracking but stressed schedule sensitivity for terminal trades. After discussion, a motion to proceed with the porcelain/trazle-look tile was adopted in a roll-call vote: Roshani voted No; Hechtman, Hansgrove and Rose voted Aye. The motion carried.
The board instructed staff to proceed with procurement and to refine installation sequencing to limit operational impact and protect the project’s contractual schedule. The decision preserves schedule flexibility but leaves open questions about long-term lifecycle performance and aesthetic matching to adjacent terrazzo areas.
Next steps: staff will issue the change order for the selected tile, confirm lead times, and coordinate installation phasing to avoid extended ramp-up time and liquidated-damage exposures if later delays occur.
