Friday, April 13, 2012

Contract approved for construction of Tulsa airport runway

A $366,005 preliminary engineering design services contract was approved Thursday by the Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust for construction of runway safety areas at Tulsa International Airport's 6,101-foot west, or general aviation, runway.Subject to approval and grant funding by the Federal Aviation Administration, the contract was awarded to Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. of Fort Worth.

FAA regulations require 1,000-foot runway safety areas, or clear zones, at the end of commercial runways by Dec. 31, 2015, said Jeff Hough, deputy airports director of engineering and facilities.

Tulsa International's 10,000-foot main north-south runway and its 7,376-foot east-west crosswind runway have the standard RSAs, but the west runway is several hundred feet short of the standard RSAs on the north and south ends, Hough said.

Jacobs Engineering will consider the use of a combination of safety area grading, runway "declared distances" and an Engineered Material Arresting System to achieve the federal standard and maintain maximum runway length, TAIT studies show.

An EMAS is a system of crushable concrete blocks at the end of a runway that stops an aircraft that overshoots a runway without damaging it.

"Jacobs will put a bid package together that ultimately results in a construction project," Hough said.

Two construction projects - a $77,184 air traffic control tower restroom renovation at Tulsa International and a $66,896 perimeter road rehabilitation at Jones Riverside Airport at Jenks - also were approved by TAIT.

Trustees accepted the air traffic control tower restroom project and approved a final $3,859 payment to Twin Pines Construction Inc. of Sand Springs.

The air traffic control tower, which is owned by the city of Tulsa although the FAA owns the equipment and furnishings, is at least 50 years old, airport executives said.

The control tower's restrooms did not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which prohibits discriminatory access to public or commercial facilities, officials said.

The board accepted the Jones Riverside perimeter road rehabilitation project and approved a final $30,388 payment to Tri-City Seal Company Inc. of Tuttle.

The project repaved about a mile of the four-mile-long perimeter roadway, which circles the airfield and hangars at the airport.

Trustees also approved amendments to professional service agreements with consultants who are assisting the Tulsa Airport Authority staff in implementing a financial management system that will be independent of and operate separately from the city of Tulsa's.

The board approved amendment No. 1 to its database development agreement with GDH Consulting Inc. of Tulsa.

The amendment revises the scope of the agreement, extends its term through Aug. 31 and increases GDH's compensation by $63,360. GDH's not-to-exceed compensation under the agreement is $246,360, airport executives said.

Carl Remus, deputy airports director of finance and administration, said GDH is programming a digital system that will permit TAIT's conversion from spreadsheets to a database environment.

"GDH is replacing all of our spreadsheets and how we process information as it relates to spending money," Remus said. "It includes budgets, how we track payments against projects and accounts, which will help us with cash flow projections."

Leigh Fisher Management Consultants, the San Francisco-based airport consulting firm, estimates the new financial management system and revised procedures will save TAIT from $300,000 to $600,000 annually through greater efficiencies and reduced staff time, officials said.

Trustees also approved amendment No. 2 to its professional services agreement with Magnir Group LLC of Tulsa. The amendment extends the term of the agreement through Dec. 31 and increases Magnir's compensation by $7,875, to a not-to-exceed $25,200.

Magnir is assisting TAIT staff in the new financial management system process, officials said.

The Tulsa firm is writing requirements for proposals, reviewing proposals, conducting negotiations and drafting contracts for potential software and installation vendors, Remus said.

"We want to make sure we have them on board through the end of the process," he said.

Actions taken Thursday by the Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust

— Approved $366,005 engineeringdesign contract: Tulsa InternationalAirport’s general aviationrunway safety project.

— Accepted $77,184 Air TrafficControl Tower restroom renovationproject: Tulsa International.

— Accepted $66,896 perimeterroad rehabilitation project: Reseatingand repair of a mile of four-milelongperimeter roadway at JonesRiverside Airport.

— Amending database developmentagreement and increasingcompensation by $63,360:Consultant designing new financialmanagement system.

Source: Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust

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