Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
The New Rockford Airport Authority presented a plan Monday to rebuild the airport hangar destroyed in the July 8, 2018 storm.
Airport Authority member Larry Danduran brought the proposal before city commissioners, which calls for the construction of a 60-by-140 building north of the former site. The three-member board reviewed three bids recently and recommended that the city approve the proposal from New Rockford-based Lesmeister Construction. Owner Jesse Lesmeister would build a Nucor steel-framed structure at a cost of $246,282. The hangar will have two doors, one 58-by-14, large enough for aerial applicators, and the other a sliding 48-foot wide door facing north. The hangar could house six planes.
President Stu Richter, who campaigned on the premise that the hangar could be rebuilt without levying additional taxes, said he was pleased to see that the proposal was within the $339,000 currently available in the airport account. The total cost is estimated at $302,000, which offers some breathing room for incidentals. The structure would be rough, however, as there isn’t room in the budget for any major interior finishes or site prep.
Danduran requested that the city provide site prep labor. The material, estimated at $6,000 from local contractor Mark Rue, was included in the budget. The proposal adds $10,000 for electrical fit-up, to include a new 200-amp service and minimal interior wiring other than to the hydraulic doors and basic lighting. Plumbing would also be simple, with a septic holding tank installed and restroom rough-in.
“We’ll take a minimal approach to start with,” Danduran said. “I feel confident that we can come in at or below” the proposed cost.
There is approximately 1,200 sq. ft. available for storage, with the potential to add a second floor in that area if needed, as the sidewalls will be 18 or 20 feet in height.
The building will also sustain itself once built, Danduran asserted, citing that the authority could generate approximately $7,200 per year in hangar rent at $100-$125 per month per plane. He said that budget would cover the annual operating costs.
The commission approved the proposal, and site prep work is slated to begin this fall. There is a 12-week delay in the steel material, however, due to COVID-19.
Commissioners also got their first look at the bids for the water plant upgrade. Bids were opened virtually on July 24, and even the lowest bidder among five contenders came in about 20% over the engineer’s estimate.
Watford City based North Star Logistics, doing business as Sentry Crane and Services, bid just over $2.5 million for the project, which involves building a precast concrete addition to the existing water treatment plant, adding a reverse osmosis water treatment system, renovations to the existing treatment plant, electrical and mechanical work associated to the project, and construction of a new detention pond. Representatives from the company attended the meeting, while Wade Senger and Travis Dillman of Interstate Engineering outlined seven key areas where they proposed to work with the company to reduce the overall cost of the project before awarding them the bid.
The commission gave clear direction on which areas they wanted to focus and tasked Interstate and North Star to develop more accurate cost savings numbers in those areas. They will hold a special meeting later this month to review the details and make a decision on awarding the bid.
“We get one shot at doing it. Let’s do it right,” Richer commented.
Meanwhile, progress continues on the water main replacement project. Crews currently have one block left on First Avenue North, then will move onto more residential streets. Senger says that the most challenging work is likely behind them, so work on the remaining blocks should move more quickly. BEK is on schedule, per Senger, with 23 blocks to finish by Oct. 15. Border States Paving will return soon to pave the streets around the school before fall classes begin. The commission approved BEK’s July bill, totaling $1.21 million, as well as Interstate Engineering’s $73,000 bill for services rendered in July.
The city also approved the sale of $4,734,000 in revenue bonds for the water project. With this action, they qualify for the lower interest rate and will realize $50,000 in savings each year, which was welcome news amid the concerns about the water treatment plant upgrade going over budget.
Richter asked commissioners to consider a verbal proposal to repaint the downtown city shop, located in the 900 block of Central Avenue. Richter said this contractor specializes in painting steel and verbally quoted $6,500 to do the work. He will also fix leaks in the roof while here. The commission approved the expenditure pending receipt of a written estimate from the contractor not to exceed $6,500.
The 2021 preliminary budget got a nod from officials as well. Per the request, the city would levy a total of $298,977 in property tax revenue. Notable items in the budget include $80,000 for exterior repairs to city hall, including new roofing and siding and a new pickup for the public works department. The police contract with Eddy County will increase 5% as well.
The next regular meeting was moved to Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. due to the Labor Day holiday.
