Terre Haute Airport Board Reviews Bids for New Fire Rescue Vehicle

Apr. 28—Terre Haute is slated to get new firefighting equipment through a federal grant from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The airport's board of director's met Tuesday in a special meeting to review two bids submitted for a new Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle, which can carry a dry chemical agent as well as at least 1,500 gallons of water and the ability for firefighting foam production.

The vehicle, to be stationed at the airport, is used as a first response to aircraft emergencies, with the airport supported by the Terre Haute Fire Department.

The board approved Oshkosh Airport Products at $699,738, the lowest of two bids submitted. The second bid was from Rosenbauer at $703,174.

The airport will know Monday if the grant is finalized, said Monica Newhouse-Rodriguez, managing principal of Newhouse & Associates, a consultant for the airport.

In other business, Newhouse-Rodriguez, along with airport executive director Jeff Hauser and Kara McIntosh, director of operations, are attending the 2021 Maintenance Repair Overall conference in Orlando, Fla., which runs through Thursday. It is the first time in more than a year that airport officials have been able to market the airport on a face-to-face basis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This is a very unique opportunity, as normally 8,000 people attend, however it is a lot smaller this year, but the [ Terre Haute] airport worked to identify leads before coming and it has worked to their advantage," Newhouse-Rodriguez said. "The [major] airlines are not here... which works as an advantage giving opportunities to talk companies that we might not get a chance to talk with otherwise."

Airport officials have slated at least five meetings with companies at the conference, which targets companies that maintain aircraft for airlines, cargo companies, paint aircraft or build specific parts for aircraft.

"This is an area that will be gaining momentum in the next few years and we are trying to establish knowledge of Terre Haute's airport, that there is space for development, the airport's long runway length (9,021 feet) and its ramp space, all of which are key to bringing some operators that work on aircraft" to Terre Haute, Newhouse-Rodriguez said.

"We just have to find a company that wants to expand and is the right fit as Terre Haute as a lot to offer," she said.

Reporter Howard Greninger can be reached 812-231-4204 or [email protected]. Follow on Twitter@TribStarHoward.

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