Dec. 17--A long-awaited project to build 12 new T-hangars at the city-county jointly owned general aviation airport got the go-ahead Monday from the board that manages that facility.
Robert Lansford, president of the Lansford Company, the contractor that won the design-construction bid for the T-hangar project, said they will be ready to begin work as soon as the Texas Department of Transportation Aviation Division releases the funds. TxDOT is the state agency through which Federal Aviation Administration funding is funneled to small community airports such as the Kerrville facility and is funding up to $650,000 of the $800,000 project.
Funding in the airport budget will make up the difference in the project, and the city of Kerrville and Kerr County will contribute to the work by providing paving and site work for the project.
Under the terms of the design-build contract with Lansford, the company has agreed to complete the work for the bid price regardless of the company's actual cost and will reimburse the city and the county for the cost of any materials or leased equipment.
For builders like Lansford, that is part of the risk-reward of a design-build project, since he will eat any overruns and benefit from any cost savings. Lansford said he has done similar projects at other airports before and is confident in the project.
"I'm very comfortable with the situation. I think it's a great thing that you have the participation from the city and the county," Lansford said.
Lansford could not say when he expects to get final approval from TxDOT, noting that the holidays will delay it, but he said he expects to be able to begin work by March and finish the project in six months.
The plan is to build 12 new T-hangars -- hangars for individual, privately owned planes, usually a single-engine aircraft named for the shape of the hangar. The airport currently owns 16 T-hangars, all of which are being leased for $250 per month, generating revenue for the airport.
This year, the city and the county will each contribute $80,000 to the $380,000 spending plan.
Copyright 2013 - Kerrville Daily Times, Texas
