Steve Johnston is hopeful the decades-old beacon and lights at the Lake Havasu Airport have just a few months left in them.
Otherwise the airport’s manager might have to close it down at night.
The Lake Havasu City Council approved a conditional contract Tuesday night for a new beacon at the airport that would replace the 20-year-old model that slowly has been fading into an era of dead technology. The contract is contingent on the receipt of a Federal Aviation Administration grant project for roughly $209,447, according to city documents. If approved, the grant would fund the beacon, ramp lights and electrical vault at the airport. Johnston said he’s amazed all three have survived the Havasu heat for two decades.
“These are electrical parts that have been in the sun for 20 years,” Johnston said. “If (the vault) and ramp lights failed, we would have to shut the airport down at night. And that could be a huge safety concern in the event of an emergency. We’re open 365 days a year and 24 hours a day right now, and people use it. So it would be a big concern if we had to shut down.”
The electrical vault essentially works like a giant circuit breaker, Johnston explained, but the current vault doesn’t have a cooling system and causes a ‘serious safety concern.’
“It’s basically a heated steel box with electrical regulators and no air conditioning,” he said. “We don’t know when or even if it’s going to fail but with our heat and conditions, I’m a little surprised it’s lasted this long.”
Another concern is the age of the equipment, said Mark Clark, the city’s Public Works director.
“Everything is 20 years old,” Clark said. “There aren’t too many parts available for equipment that old. With that potentially high voltage out there, it reaches a cost and reliability standpoint and concern.”
The council awarded Phoenix-based AJP Electric the contract for the new beacon. AJP received the award solely because of a lower bid, Clark said, even though Lake Havasu City-based McAtlin Electrical Group also bid on the project.
“Public bidding laws don’t allow for a local preference,” Clark said. “Both bids were complete and when that happens, you’re then only looking at price and AJP was lower.”
The grant opportunity breaks down to 95 percent (or $204,077) from the FAA, 2.5 percent (or $5,370) from the Arizona Department of Transportation and 2.5 percent (or $5,370) from Lake Havasu City, according to city documents. While submittal and approval are still conditional, Johnston said the probability should be very high.
“With the federal government, I’d never say anything is 100 percent, but based on plenty of conversations we’ve had, I’d say we’re ready to rock and roll,” Johnston said.
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