Tulsa Int'l Airport Contracts Worth $13.1 Million OK'd

Aug. 14, 2006
Upgrading the airfield system and the west concourse of the passenger terminal alone will cost an estimated $2.3 million.

Tulsa Airports Improvement Trustees on Thursday approved engineering design contracts valued at $905,726 for three airfield and passenger terminal construction projects at Tulsa International Airport estimated at $13.1 million.

Two of the engineering contracts were awarded to Benham Cos. LLC of Tulsa.

Benham received a $206,500 contract to provide design and bidding services for improvements to the airfield electrical and lighting system. It also was awarded a $270,000 contract to provide design and bidding services for phase 2 of the terminal improvements project.

Jeff Hough, deputy airport director of engineering and facilities, said the airfield and terminal electrical upgrades are necessary because the airfield's and the 65-year-old terminal's original 5-kilovolt electrical systems must be upgraded to 15-kilovolt systems. Upgrading the airfield system and the west concourse of the passenger terminal will cost an estimated $2.3 million, he said.

"Our old system is completely maxed out," Hough said. "Upgrading gives us a lot of capacity. Electrical demand back when the original system was installed isn't what it is now."

The estimated $3.3 million phase 2 of the terminal project follows $31.9 million in terminal security upgrades, terminal expansion and relocation of passenger security checkpoints over the past four years.

Phase 2 includes installation of fire suppression systems, new ceilings and lighting in the baggage claim areas; new information booth, elevators and concessions at the center terminal security checkpoints; and security doors at concourse exit lanes.

The board also approved a $429,226 engineering contract with PBS&J Corp. of Tampa, Fla., for design and bidding services for a 1,500-foot extension of Taxiway Charlie on the south side of the 7,695-foot east-west crosswind runway. The estimated $7.5 million project will include installation of lighting off the east end of the runway.

Difficulties and misunderstandings associated with negotiations of five-year rental car concession agreements with six rental car companies required an amendment to a professional services agreement with Leigh Fisher Associates, the San Francisco-based airport consultant, airport officials said.

The board agreed to extend Leigh Fisher's contract, which expired June 30, until Sept. 30 and to increase its compensation by a figure not to exceed $26,000. The original contract was valued at $49,565.

The board also agreed on individual five-year rental car concession agreements with Tulsa-based DTG Operations Inc., doing business as Dollar Rent A Car, and DTG Operations Inc., doing business as Thrifty Car Rental; Tulsa-based Vanguard Car Rental USA Inc., doing business as Alamo and National; Enterprise Leasing Co.-Southwest, doing business as Enterprise Rent-A-Car; Hertz Corp.; Avis Rent A Car System Inc.; and Budget Rent A Car System Inc.

Rental cars, which provided the Tulsa Airport Authority with $3.6 million in revenue last year, are the second largest nonaeronautical revenue source at Tulsa International after parking receipts, which totaled $4.4 million last year. Landing fees, paid by airlines and charter operators, totaled $5.8 million in 2005.

The board held an extended discussion about minimum conditions of operation for fixed-base operators (FBO) at Tulsa International.

A new FBO, Aircraft Turbine & Support, has had a temporary one-year lease on the west side of Tulsa International since February. Its owner, Joe Cole, requested a 20-year FBO lease, although he has only 12,000 gallons of above-ground fuel storage capacity while five incumbent FBOs have at least three times that capacity.

Cole also is storing fuel in tanks owned by Southwest Airlines.

Airports Director Jeff Mulder said the airport board's lease with Southwest doesn't allow the airline retail sales of fuel.

"Our view is that fuel storage with Southwest is not consistent with our other leases, and 12,000 gallons of storage is smaller than that at existing leases," Mulder said. "We want to make sure this is a viable proposal . . . to provide service and have adequate fuel storage to do that. Also, we want tenants to have a level playing field."

Tom Clark, president of Tulsair Beechcraft, an FBO at Tulsa International, said he and the other FBOs are concerned about precedents.

"The concern we have is if you start making exceptions now, where will it stop?" Clark said. "I'm all for the little guy, but this is not a football game. All of us have made tremendous investments out here according to license agreements with this city. They need to be on the same playing field as the rest of us."

Trustees asked staff and Cole to negotiate the issues and deferred further consideration of the proposed 20-year lease until next month.

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