Saturday, August 27, 2011

Bid awarded for roof replacement at DuBois Regional Airport

REYNOLDSVILLE - Yesterday, Clearfield and Jefferson Counties Regional Airport Authority awarded a bid to replace the roof at the DuBois Regional Airport terminal.

Only one proposal for the project was received and accepted. Dunkel Roofing, Punxsutawney, submitted an offer for $136,812.50 to tear off the existing rooftop and replace it. Ed Nasuti of Lee Simpson and Associates Inc., DuBois, the authority's consulting engineer, when asked by a member of the authority if they should wait until spring to advertise the project a second time with the hopes of getting more competition, noted the project was advertised both locally and in state publications but his theory is roofing companies are currently busy and the project comes at the end of construction season when the push is on for companies to complete the projects they have already contracted. He recommended the authority award the project to Dunkel noting, the cost of materials will not be any less in the spring and may be more.

Nasuti estimated the current roof is about 12 years old but may be as old as 20 years in some sections. Bob Shaffer, manager, said the present roof leaks in a number of places and badly in several of the terminal's offices where it has ruined the carpeting in three locations. He said a new roof is "sorely needed."

A grant from the Federal Aviation Administration will pay 85.5 percent of the cost and the remainder of the expense will be shared equally by the state Department of Transportation's Bureau of Aviation and the authority.
Nasuti said yesterday, depending on when the funding from FAA arrives, work should start in late September or early October.

Voting to award the bid were Joe Barber, Loren Bishop, Jay Chamberlin, Gene Mineweaser, Joel Peterson and Rick Wise, authority members. Todd Arnold and David Stern were absent and a vacancy currently exists on the authority.
In a related matter, the authority also accepted a contract with Lee Simpson and Associates to design, advertise, supervise and inspect the project at a cost of $26,091.24.

In other business, the authority:

• reported work is underway to develop the property and build an access road with cul-de-sac in the air commerce park to service a five-acre parcel recently purchased by AVERA Capital Partners, Houston. The Texas-based commercial real estate development and investment firm, is constructing a building to be used by a company affiliated with the Marcellus shale gas extraction process. Components for a building to house the company are expected to arrive about mid-September.

Shaffer said the gas and water lines to service the property have been installed and work to prepare the site is progressing.

The authority approved having its access road and cul-de-sac paved in conjunction with the parking lot for the building. The authority had expected to pay $32,500 to build the road's base and top it but by piggybacking with AVERA can have the road's surface finished for an additional $18,000 more. The authority's portion of the cost for the road will be paid with a Capital Budget Grant from the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Aviation.
• hired Lee Simpson and Associates Inc., to develop a wildlife hazard assessment and management plan for the airport's property.

The plan is required by FAA to upgrade the airport's present plan. Nasuti said his company will work with a sub-contractor who utilizes staff from Penn State University, DuBois campus, to study the property, beginning in September, for a year.

Once the data has been gathered, Lee Simpson will write a plan to control wildlife and keep it from interfering with activity at the airport. The cost is $96,242 - Shaffer said the cost is much lower than ones he has heard of costing nearly $300,000.

• accepted an offer for five fire suits from Kaza Fire Services, Ebensburg, at a cost of $10,921 through COSTARS - the state's cooperative purchasing program. Shaffer said the suits currently used by airport employees are 10-years-old and have deteriorated from cleaning and exposure to the elements.

In a recent Part 139 air carrier certification inspection conducted by FAA officials, Shaffer said the examiner recommended replacing the suits, each consisting of fire-proof boots, jackets, pants, gloves, hoods and helmets.
 
• approved a one-year contract with Open Flow Gas, DuBois, to purchase natural gas to service the airport's buildings at a cost of $5.485 per unit.

The authority's next meeting is Sept. 23 at 8:30 a.m. at the DRA terminal boardroom.

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