craigdailypress.com

The Craig City Council approved a bid last week from Connell Resources, Inc. in Steamboat Springs to conduct apron rehabilitation work at the Craig-Moffat County Airport.

The total cost of the project, including engineering already completed by Armstrong Consultants, Inc., is $474,436.50.

The bid approved for Connell’s portion of the project is $408,436.50, about $130,000 under budget, Craig City Manager Jim Ferree said.

The Federal Aviation Administration is funding 90 percent of the project. The state is funding an additional 5 percent.

Because the airport is owned by both the city and Moffat County, the local governments are splitting the remaining 5 percent cost, or $23,722.68.

However county and city officials were expecting to split 2.5 percent of the project.

“This year, the state increased the local match money,” city council member Ray Beck said. “It used to be 2.5 percent and now it is 5 percent. That’s the reason for the increased amount of match funds from the city.”

As part of approving the Connell Resources bid, the council also had to approve the allocation of $5,861.34 to cover its additional share of the project, which it did unanimously, 7-0.

That additional money could come out of the city’s airport operating fund, Ferree said.

“It’s a little more than what council budgeted for its share of the local match, but it’s still very good leverage,” he said. “Twelve thousand dollars from the city gets us a $400,000 project. That’s not a bad deal.”

In 2006, rehabilitation began on the east side of the apron, but funding ran short before the entire project could be completed.

According to its report, Armstrong Consultants recommended rehabilitation to the western portion of the apron due to significant cracking and accelerated deterioration from water ponding as a result of improper drainage.

The size of the western portion of the apron is 440 feet by 230 feet.

In addition to rotomilling the existing surface and overlaying with fresh asphalt, Connell Resources will also install two concrete gutter pans to improve apron drainage.

Now that the bid has been approved, Connell is expected to begin work August 6. The project is estimated to take 21 days to complete.

Click here to have the print version of the Craig Daily Press delivered to your home.