 Plans for the new hangar have been in the works a few years. Old
hangars were knocked down and site preparation completed last year.
The project funding is 90 percent federal, 5 percent state and 5
percent county. The county funds come from the airport's rental of
farm ground.
The involvement of state and federal funding makes the process
subject to management by a professional engineer and regulations
such as setting bid specifications.
A problem was discovered this month when the committee opened the
two bids.
A bid from Logan Construction was made to specifications for a
51-foot Erect-A-Tube building at $258,000.
Tarter Construction came in at $237,000 as the lowest bidder.
However, the proposed Full-Fab building was one foot less, at 50
feet. There were also differences in the quality, such as the number
of cables per door.
The bidding process was handled by the consulting engineer, Chuck
Hagloch of Hanson Professional Services, Springfield.
The airport committee felt it should stay with the deeper hangar
as there is little spare room for many of the size of planes that
would fill these hangars. The few inches would make a difference in
the potential for damaging aircraft when moving them in and out of
the hangar.
The committee also felt that for the quality that the
Erect-A-Tube offers, the $21,000 difference would be a better
investment.
Under normal circumstances, the lowest bidder is awarded the
contract. The question was taken to the Illinois Department of
Transportation, asking for approval for the preferred structure.
At the time of the board's adjourned session this month, an
answer had not come back.
When it came to a full board vote, airport chairman Gene Rohlfs
recommended that the board approve a bid for a five-place nested
T-hangar not to exceed the highest bid of $258,800, contingent on
approval by the Illinois Department Transportation, Division of
Aeronautics.
[to top of second column] |
An intense 25-minute discussion pursued whether the board could
or should do this.
Rohlfs hoped that by stating the highest bid amount, if the
county gained the state's approval, they could move on construction
right away.
There are already a couple of renters waiting, Rohlfs said. And
if there would be a delay, it might be September rather than June or
July when construction is completed, he added.
However, other board members observed:
-
That by approving
a bid amount, the county is then committed to take a bid,
including the lesser bid for the lesser building that is not
desired, if the state would not approve the higher bid.
-
Even if the
committee rejected the current bids and went out for bids again,
they may not be allowed the same specifications or get what they
want, and it would take a lot more time.
In the end, it was agreed 6-5 to send the bids back to committee.
-
Voting yes: Chuck
Ruben, Jan Schumacher, Bob Farmer, Andy Anderson, Kevin Bateman,
Andy Meister
-
Voting no: Rick Aylesworth, David
Hepler, Bill Martin, Pat O'Neill, Rohlfs
Terry Carlton was absent.
Airport committeeman Chuck Ruben pointed out that if Rohlfs would
get an answer from the state soon, he could call an airport
committee meeting to approve a bid, and the board chairman could
call a special board meeting "to speed the process along."
Board chairman Bob Farmer agreed.
The committee has set rental of end units with storage units at
$230 per month.
[By
JAN YOUNGQUIST] |
