Fremont Airport Advisory Committee members met Friday and discussed a 40 percent higher cost estimate for engineering and construction costs for an aircraft parking apron.
The group also talked about the wording in a hangar lease agreement and confusion over markings on a former runway.
In August, Burns McDonnell submitted an engineer’s estimated cost of construction for an aircraft parking apron at Fremont Municipal Airport at a cost of $952,490 - or almost $1 million.
Of that figure, the estimated design and administration cost was $184,353.
In a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) the firm released last week, the estimated cost for the apron project has risen to almost $1.4 million — an approximately 40 percent increase — with the estimated cost of $237,625 for design services, survey and geotech costs and $151,200 for construction services and administration costs.
Committee Chairman Ron Vlach and member Robert Steenblock wondered how the estimate could have increased by that percentage.
Dave Goedeken, director of public works, said he will talk with the consultants to determine the reason for the estimated increase.
Robert Crain, project manager of aviation services for Burns McDonnell, previously told the Tribune there essentially is no usable parking area on the current apron. He also said the apron isn’t consistent with FAA design standards.
Goedeken said he had $1 million budgeted for the project, which was in line with the original figures.
He also showed the advisory committee a CIP that the city submits to the State of Nebraska Department of Aeronautics (NDA), which goes to the Federal Aviation Administration.
That document lists the total construction cost of the new apron area at $918,964 — with $827,068 coming from federal funds and $91,896 from local monies.
Goedeken then showed the advisory committee a CIP from Burns McDonnell.
That plan listed the total project cost for the apron at $1.4 million with $1.3 million coming from the federal government and $1,468.825 listed as the local share.
Goedeken said he will meet with the NDA to make sure everyone is on the same page.
The CIP is not due to the FAA until the end of January, so Goedeken said he has time to go through the paperwork.
The advisory committee also heard from lessees of aircraft hangars, who attended the meeting to talk about recent a hangar rental agreement prepared by the former city attorney.
Kirk Diers, who said he has been a tenant since 1988 and with is family since the early 1950s, said he’s purchased insurance for his own rental properties – but couldn’t understand the insurance part of the airport lease agreement.
So he asked Fremont attorney Dave Mitchell to look at it.
Mitchell, who’s also a pilot, said the lease has numerous areas of inconsistencies.
He cited a place where the agreement says the lessee may renew the lease for a five-year term by notifying the city in writing 60 days before the termination date.
“Then it goes on to say it will terminate after a month-to-month basis - under somewhat confusing provisions,” Mitchell said.
“That same paragraph ends by saying the lease terminates by either party giving the other party 30 days advance notice – where earlier in that same paragraph it said the lease terminates in five years….,” Mitchell added.
The attorney also said the agreement is drafted in such a way that the tenants are basically insuring against all losses of any nature, almost regardless of fault.
“There are confusing insurance provisions that invite disputes between the insurance companies and could really tie things up if it’s not set out much cleaner,” Mitchell said.
Tom Randall of Great Plains Communications - which he said may be one of the major users of the airport – indicated that the company was advised by its insurance company that the agreement was one-sided.
Mitchell offered to help with the agreement.
Original article can be found here ➤ http://fremonttribune.com
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