Airport authority opens bids for runway project
The Fayette County Airport Authority on Tuesday opened five wide-ranging bids for site preparation work needed for a planned runway-extension project. Bids for erosion and sedimentation control and clearing and grubbing ranged from $141,750 to $80,050.
Penn Development Services of German Township submitted the apparent low bid.
Authority board members approved awarding the contract to the lowest responsible bidder after the engineer, solicitor and state Bureau of Aviation review the bids.
The other contractors and their bids were Piccolomini Contractors of Waltersburg, $89,276; Macson Corp. of Clairton, $113,390; Ligonier Construction, $137,555 and Angelo’s Landscape and Supply of Canonsburg, $141,750.
William Shiderly, a representative of Michael Baker Jr. Inc. of Moon Township, updated the board on the status of the natural gas line replacement project, which will be performed before the main runway can be extended.
He said the gas line project will be advertised in June, and a contract will be awarded in July.
The work will start in August and be completed by the end of the year, Shiderly said.
The authority has agreed to cover all costs associated with replacing the three 30- to 36-inch gas pipelines, which lie under the area where the runway would be extended, with stronger piping intended to withstand the force of airplane traffic.
Spectra Energy of Houston, Texas, owns the lines.
Due to the location of the pipelines, only 3,458 feet of the 3,832-foot runway can be used.
After the new lines are installed, the authority wants to lengthen the runway to 4,500 feet.
In unrelated business, the authority held a closed-door executive session to discuss its “litigation strategy” for a lawsuit challenging the authority’s changing of the site’s name from the Connellsville Airport to the Joseph A. Hardy Connellsville Airport.
Solicitor Mark Rowan said a number of residents including one member of Connellsville City Council filed the suit in Fayette County Common Pleas Court.
Following the 45-minute executive session, in which other matters were also discussed, the board authorized Airport Manager Sam Cortis to interview and hire a maintenance worker at $8 an hour.