Thanks to a $4.7 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration, much-needed work on the main runway at Leesburg International Airport should soon be under way.
The Leesburg City Commission approved four resolutions Monday night connected to the $5.2 million rehabilitation project on the runway, which is 6,300 feet long and known as 13-31. The FAA grant will fund 90 percent of the project, which includes paving, paved shoulders and improved lighting. The other 10 percent – $520,749 – will come from CARES funding, according to a memo from Tracey Dean, airport manager.
On Monday during the regularly scheduled meeting at the Venetian Center, commissioners agreed to accept the FAA grant money and spend up to $137,000 with Hoyle, Tanner and Associates – the company that designed the runway rehabilitation – for construction administration services. Commissioners also approved a plan to spend $161,900 with GAI Consultants Inc. for construction engineering and inspection services.
But the biggest chunk of money – a little more than $4.9 million – is going to CW Roberts Contracting Inc. The Tallahassee-based firm submitted the lowest bid for the rehabilitation project. Representatives from Hoyle, Tanner and Associates reviewed all bid responses and selected CW Roberts over two other firms.
All three firms and their bids are listed below:
- CW Roberts Contracting Inc. – $4,909,299.94;
- Ranger Construction Industries Inc. – $4,915,905.68; and
- DAB Constructors Inc. – $5,264,444.44.
The contract states that both the city and CW Roberts agree that “time of the essence” in getting the project completed, so work on the runway is expected to begin in the near future. A grant letter from the FAA to Dean also calls for the project to be completed with “undue delay.” The letter also states that FAA representatives will be “monitoring your progress to ensure proper stewardship of these Federal funds.”
