June 18, 2020 at 4:38 p.m.
Indy firm low bidder for airport work
Portland Aviation Board
Indy firm low bidder for airport work
If everything goes according to plan, HIS Constructors Inc. will be working at Portland Municipal Airport over the next year.
The Indianapolis-based construction company was the lowest bidder for phase one of the airport’s proposed runway extension from 4,000 feet to 5,500 feet, agreeing to do 100% of grading and drainage for $2,398,762.
“I don’t know if this could have gone any better,” Katie England, capital planner at Butler, Fairman and Seufert, the airport’s engineering firm, told Portland Aviation Board at its meeting Wednesday.
The board accepted the firm’s recommendation of including the bid in a prepared $2,971,245 grant application the board approved to be sent to the Federal Aviation Administration.
If and when FAA signs off on the application, it will then fund phase one of the project in its entirety and the board then can vote to officially award HIS Constructors with a contract.
The final grant application total was $80,000 less than what the FAA and the Indiana Department of Transportation estimated it would cost, England said, which means it may be possible to complete 100% of grading and drainage using federal funds this year.
Under a previous agreement, the FAA was to pay 90% of both phases of the project with INDOT and Portland each paying 5% of the total cost. However, with an influx of money from the CARES Act passed by Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the FAA now has more funds and has agreed to pay 100% of all local projects in 2020.
England noted there’s no guarantee the FAA will fund 100% of the runway extension in 2021, meaning it would be the most cost effective for Portland and Indiana to front-load a lot of the costs this year.
HIS Constructors was one of 10 contractors to bid on the project and had a high end bid that was $87,502.49 less than VTF Excavation LLC, the next highest bidder.. Jutte Excavating Inc. and Fox Contractors Corp. were the only other contractors to bid on phase one for less than $3 million.
The large number of bidders is an indication that contractors are worried about the availability of work in 2021, England said. The nationwide recession could force budgets at the local, state and federal level to decrease.
The FAA has until September to approve the application, after which its fiscal year ends.
In other business, board members John Lyons, Clyde Bray, Mitch Sutton and Faron Parr:
•Voted to explore opening a COVID-19 account to keep track of expenses. Starting an account is a requirement in order to be eligible for up to $30,000 in federal reimbursement under the CARES Act for operational costs.
•Heard from airport manager Hal Tavzel that the airport has seen increased activity in recent weeks after it was close to dormant during the start of the pandemic.
“The activity seems to be picking up,” Tavzel said.
He added that the airport has sold 4,178 gallons of gas since the board’s last meeting for $13,042.17.
The Indianapolis-based construction company was the lowest bidder for phase one of the airport’s proposed runway extension from 4,000 feet to 5,500 feet, agreeing to do 100% of grading and drainage for $2,398,762.
“I don’t know if this could have gone any better,” Katie England, capital planner at Butler, Fairman and Seufert, the airport’s engineering firm, told Portland Aviation Board at its meeting Wednesday.
The board accepted the firm’s recommendation of including the bid in a prepared $2,971,245 grant application the board approved to be sent to the Federal Aviation Administration.
If and when FAA signs off on the application, it will then fund phase one of the project in its entirety and the board then can vote to officially award HIS Constructors with a contract.
The final grant application total was $80,000 less than what the FAA and the Indiana Department of Transportation estimated it would cost, England said, which means it may be possible to complete 100% of grading and drainage using federal funds this year.
Under a previous agreement, the FAA was to pay 90% of both phases of the project with INDOT and Portland each paying 5% of the total cost. However, with an influx of money from the CARES Act passed by Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the FAA now has more funds and has agreed to pay 100% of all local projects in 2020.
England noted there’s no guarantee the FAA will fund 100% of the runway extension in 2021, meaning it would be the most cost effective for Portland and Indiana to front-load a lot of the costs this year.
HIS Constructors was one of 10 contractors to bid on the project and had a high end bid that was $87,502.49 less than VTF Excavation LLC, the next highest bidder.. Jutte Excavating Inc. and Fox Contractors Corp. were the only other contractors to bid on phase one for less than $3 million.
The large number of bidders is an indication that contractors are worried about the availability of work in 2021, England said. The nationwide recession could force budgets at the local, state and federal level to decrease.
The FAA has until September to approve the application, after which its fiscal year ends.
In other business, board members John Lyons, Clyde Bray, Mitch Sutton and Faron Parr:
•Voted to explore opening a COVID-19 account to keep track of expenses. Starting an account is a requirement in order to be eligible for up to $30,000 in federal reimbursement under the CARES Act for operational costs.
•Heard from airport manager Hal Tavzel that the airport has seen increased activity in recent weeks after it was close to dormant during the start of the pandemic.
“The activity seems to be picking up,” Tavzel said.
He added that the airport has sold 4,178 gallons of gas since the board’s last meeting for $13,042.17.
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