Airport hangar bids over budget; engineer to develop alternative plan
The Fayette County Airport Authority (FCAA) Board and its engineering firm will consider its alternatives after receiving bids for its hangar project nearly $1 million over its budget.
Certain board members, R.W. Sleighter Engineering Inc. representatives, Commissioner Al Ambrosini and airport authority manager John “Bud” Neckerauer were present for the bid opening Tuesday, but there was no action taken to award a contract.
That authority moved last month to solicit bids for the planned hangar project that would allow for additional aircraft storage space for smaller aircraft and provide hangars for the larger, corporate airplanes.
“We had very good participation by the contractors,” said engineer Rob Sleighter, owner of the Lemont Furnace firm. “We have plenty of flexibility within the plan and we will get the project where it needs to be for the authority.”
The lowest bid was from Tedesco Construction Co. of McKeesport totaling $2.934 million. Fairchance Construction Co. of Fairchance offered the next lowest bid at $3.029 million with Maccabee Industrial Inc. of Belle Vernon and BCS Construction Inc. of Altoona submitting bids of $3.053 and $3.785 million, respectively.
The bids included the construction of a 4,000-square-foot building that, if built, would house three large corporate hangars and two buildings that would each have space for six smaller aircraft in addition to stormwater and earthwork tied to preparing the construction site.
The project is to be funded by a $1 million grant through the state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) received by the county for the improvement project coupled with a matching contribution made by Joseph A. Hardy III, 84 Lumber and Nemacolin Woodlands Resort founder.
Following the bid opening, board member and project spokesman Sam Cortis said that the bids will be reviewed by Sleighter and an alternative plan devised so that the project can go forward.
It was unclear if any action would be taken at next week’s regular meeting.
Sleighter said that the project can be structured to fit the authority’s budget.
“We built in several alternatives within the specifications that will allow this project to move ahead,” he said.