Craig Daily Press

Craig — Officials may have to shift some funds around to move forward with renovation projects at Moffat County Regional Airport.

The price for buying and installing a manufactured terminal building is about $120,000 more than the Airport Board estimated it would cost.

Now, officials are trying to find a way to afford the terminal building this year so the county will not lose a $111,240 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration.

“Obviously, we weren’t close at all” with our terminal building estimate, Airport Manager Jerry Hoberg said. “We still have some options, though.”

County officials chose to demolish the existing terminal and install a new one last year when the FAA agreed to grant money for the project, Hoberg said.

As long as they were renovating the terminal building, he added, officials decided to pursue grant money to repave the front parking lot, as well.

Between the FAA and the Colorado Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division, the county accumulated $169,365 for buying and installing a new terminal building.

Compared to the Airport Board’s original project estimate of about $188,000, it was still less than needed but could have been workable.

The Airport Fund could contribute as much as $10,000, Hoberg said, and county and city officials agreed to put in $4,000 each, as well as about $14,000 combined in free construction services.

Those added dollars would take available funds above the estimated cost.

However, bids submitted to the Moffat County Commission on June 3 were far beyond expected costs. The low bid, from Domson Excavation and Trucking, totaled $249,150, about $62,000 more than budgeted.

After demolition of the of the old terminal building, engineering work and utility hook-ups, the total projected cost for the terminal building is estimated at $308,152.

Prices came in so high because it’s now thought there is a storm drain pipe running down the middle of the airport lot where the new terminal building is proposed to go, Hoberg said.

“At that time, when we did the first estimate, we didn’t know that was in there,” he said.

Hoberg added that it’s possible the county could use a Colorado Department of Local Affairs grant first intended for the airport parking lot to help make up the difference in the terminal project.

DOLA awarded $92,673 to repave the parking lot, but officials said the agency would allow all of that money to go toward the terminal building instead.

However, with the DOLA grant added to FAA, CDOT, city and county funds, officials have about a $20,000 deficit for the terminal and no money for the parking lot.

Hoberg said one option is to go back to DOLA and request an out-of-cycle grant to make up the difference.

County Budget Analyst Tinneal Gerber said the county would ask for the additional grant on the basis that project bids came back so high over budget.

Officials have until project bids expire around Sept. 1 to get enough funding to move forward without more delays.

There also is the chance that asbestos removal for the old terminal building will be less than budgeted, Hoberg said, which could free up a couple thousand dollars.

The county has $70,000 left over from the County Road 7 paving project this year. That money also could go toward the airport.

If no money were found elsewhere, the Airport Board would be left with few options.

“It leaves us looking for money,” Hoberg said. “And we’d be looking for about $20,000. Maybe the city and county would see fit to put that into the project. If not, then we’d be looking at doing the project next year.”

Collin Smith can be reached at 875-1794 or cesmith@craigdailypress.com