PORT ANGELES — Quick action by port and Federal Aviation Administration officials has effectively saved more than $1 million in federal grants for improvements to William R. Fairchild International Airport.
The port receives annual entitlement grants from the FAA for approved capital improvement projects, Airport Manager Doug Sandau told port commissioners Monday.
When one of those capital projects fell through after a private partner pulled out, the port could have lost the funds forever, he said.
Federal grant funds cannot be transferred from one project to another.
“This could have cost the port $1.5 [million] to $1.7 million,” Sandau said.
Sandau worked with FAA officials, who took the rare step of issuing the port a letter of intent to allow the airport to transfer the money to a new project.
“They didn’t want the airport to lose this money,” he said.
Taxiway lights
Instead of improvements to executive jet hangars and an apron, as envisioned earlier, the money will be used to fund new taxiway lights that are beyond their lifespan and on the verge of failure, Sandau said.
Many key FAA employees currently are on furlough, leaving the airport and the FAA with a tight schedule to get the change in project through the red tape before the deadline, the commissioners were told.
Quick turnaround
“All this came about Friday afternoon,” Sandau said.
The port will have only one day to turn around the paperwork once it arrives from the FAA, he said.
To expedite the paperwork, port commissioners passed a resolution to pre-approve administrative action on the funds.
2012 budget calendar
Also Monday, the commissioners approved the first draft of the port’s calender to develop the 2012 budget.
The final calendar is scheduled to be adopted Aug. 8.
The calendar includes:
• Strategic planning and possible public workshop meeting, Aug. 22.
• Discussion of capital improvement plan, Sept. 12.
• Discussion of the operating budget for receipts and expenditures, Oct. 10.
• Status report, further guidance and public work session, review preliminary budget, introduce budget and general tax levy resolutions and establish the time and date for public hearings, Oct. 24.
• Conduct public hearings on general tax levy and budget, establish general tax levy, Nov. 7.
• Adopt final 2012 budget, Nov. 21.
“This is almost the same [calendar] as last year’s,” said Bill James, port finance director.
James presented the executive director’s report.
Port Executive Officer Jeff Robb was not present.
Tumwater bridge
The port commissioners Monday awarded the contract for the Tumwater Creek bridge opposite Westport Shipyard’s building to Redside Construction LLC of Port Gamble for $552,460.60.
The project includes removing an old bridge and railway crossing and installing a bridge capable of supporting the port’s 70-ton Travelift.
The bridge will be able to support 100 tons when completed, James said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.