Aberdeen Airport Board Rejects Bid for Snow Removal Equipment Building

July 8, 2005
The Aberdeen Airport Board rejected a bid from Zeller Brothers Thursday for the construction of a new snow removal equipment building.

The Aberdeen Airport Board rejected a bid from Zeller Brothers Thursday for the construction of a new snow removal equipment building.

The board decided, on the recommendation of Terry Helms of Helms & Associates, to reject the bid and readvertise in hopes of a more competitive bidding process.

The $1.43 million bid from Zeller Brothers, an Aberdeen construction company, was the only bid received before the June 23 deadline. The board has $1 million in federal airport improvement funds for the project.

The board plans on taking bids for the new snow removal equipment building this fall and construction to hopefully begin next spring.

Helms also submitted a proposal for the board to lump a number of upcoming projects together in order to ensure a state or federal grant. The proposal includes a new regulator for one of the runways, a new electric gate in the hangar area, asbestos removal from the old terminal, the demolition of the old terminal, and all the design work for the new snow removal equipment building where the old terminal sits.

The board approved the proposal and will now proceed with the grant process.

The cost of the demolition of the old terminal is currently budgeted at $25,000, but if the price increases above that state law requires the city to open a bidding process for the job.

The old terminal's demolition is the only part of the combined projects that might have to be bid.

The amount for all the projects would come to $150,000. Helms said the government typically does not write grants for less than $100,000.

In other business Dave Osborn, city transportation director, said the Live Disaster Drill on June 23 was a success.

The board also approved $2,500 to send a night employee to a weather observation class in central Wisconsin later this month. Osborn was not sure of the cost of the trip, so the board decided to set aside a maximum $2,500 to cover the costs.

Currently only one employee of Mesaba Airlines is able to do weather observation at the airport. If weather equipment is to fail at night the airport would be required to shut down service.

The board also voted on its own reorganization. Chuck Bensen was re-elected chairman of the board, Dr. Kennon Broadhurst was elected vice chairman and Steve Kaiser was elected secretary. New members Michael Erickson and Patrick Schloss joined the board at the meeting. Erickson has previously served on the board.