Council Members Want More Info on MCI Project's Progress Hiring Minority, Women Firms

Members of a City Council committee voted Wednesday to demand more information on the role construction firms owned by women and minorities are playing at Kansas City International Airport.

Crews broke ground on a new single terminal at KCI more than a year ago. It’s expected to open in early 2023. As part of the deal, the airport terminal’s developer, Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate, agreed to award 35% of the work to construction firms owned by minorities and women.

In a presentation to City Council members last month, Edgemoor said it was on target to meet those goals. The developer said minority-owned firms made up approximately 16.4% of the construction work already paid for, and women-owned firms represented 12.9%. A City Hall report confirmed those numbers.

That’s below Edgemoor’s pledge: 20% for minorities and 15% for women.

Edgemoor’s presentation says the company has contracted even more work with minority-owned firms to put the company above its goals, but it has ground to make up for women-owned firms over the next nearly three years of construction.

Some council members have said they receive continual complaints from local firms that don’t think the work is being shared equitably. Councilwoman Teresa Loar, 2nd District at-large, last week requested access to the names of all firms that bid on various parts of the project, the names of winning firms and any minority- or women-owned subcontractors on their teams, the goals for minorities and women on each contract, and proof they were met. She told Aviation Director Pat Klein she wanted her committee — Transportation, Infrastructure and Operations — to review those bids.

But Klein replied in an email that compiling the information and preparing a presentation for the council would be an “astronomical request.” In turn, Loar prepared a resolution asking for the same information on all bids. It passed committee 3-2.

“Who is working on our airport? Because when this was campaigned for, we were going to have 15,000 new jobs for Kansas City, Missouri, residents, and I don’t know if we’ve got 50 new jobs for Kansas City, Missouri, residents,” Loar said.

In Klein’s email last week, he said “this request would easily risk breaking our budget and scheduled opening,” which Loar called the “most absurd thing” she had ever heard.

Klein also said presenting information about just one procurement package — of near 100 — would take an entire committee meeting.

“So you are then looking at 100 (committee) meetings to look back?” he said.

“We obviously want to provide this Mayor and Council the information they need to govern, but this request has impacts that will negatively affect this project delivery. Is there a less onerous way to get you information you need that allows the project to be completed on time and on budget?”

In the committee meeting, Kevin O’Neill said he was concerned the request would devolve into City Hall picking on certain bids. But Loar said that was not her intent.

After the committee meeting, Klein sent an email to the City Council, Mayor Quinton Lucas and other city officials saying the Aviation Department had no problems with the resolution because it is “less onerous” than the request Loar sent last week.

“KCAD understands a project of this magnitude deserves significant oversight and we strive to give the mayor and council the information needed for that oversight,” he wrote.

Loar replied that her resolution was identical to the email she sent him last week.

Klein also noted that Edgemoor, aviation and a representative of the city’s owner have been giving updates to Loar’s committee and providing information to council members.

Loar voted for the resolution along with Councilwoman Melissa Robinson and Councilman Eric Bunch. O’Neill and Councilwoman Katheryn Shields voted against the legislation. The full City Council was expected to consider it Thursday.

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