Feb. 10-- A five-year $15.9 million capital improvement plan for Jones Riverside Airport at Jenks was approved Thursday by the Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust, which also signed off on a $217,886 contract to renovate four taxi-lanes at the general aviation airport.
In addition, trustees approved additional purchases of furniture for the west passenger concourse and were advised that American Airlines' bankruptcy has left TAIT with $303,419 in unpaid landing fees and passenger terminal leases.
The 2013-2017 Jones Riverside capital improvement plan includes 15 projects. Anticipated undertakings for fiscal 2013, which begins July 1, include the $169,000 overlay of Taxiway Foxtrot; the $844,000 widening, from 50 to 60 feet, of the 2,807-foot east-west crosswind runway; the $595,000 renovation of the eastwest runway; the $238,000 installation of Precision Approach Path Indicator lights at either end of the crosswind runway; and the $50,000 preparation of construction plans for installation of sanitary sewer lines in the airport's Southwest Commercial Area.
The board approved a $217,886 contract with Contech LLC of Broken Arrow, the lowest responsible bidder, to rehabilitate Taxilanes JJ, RR, SS and TT at Jones Riverside. Four bids were received. The engineer's estimate of costs was $218,500.
Trustees approved a $77,335 agreement with Around the Clock Freightliner Group LLC of Broken Arrow for the purchase of an airport shuttle bus at Tulsa International Airport.
One bid was received.
The estimated cost was $83,000.
Jeff Hough, deputy airports director of engineering and facilities, said the new shuttle will replace a 10-year-old shuttle in the 14-shuttle airport fleet.
The board approved a $24,942 sole-source purchase contract with ARCONAS, of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, for additional furniture for the west passenger concourse, the $18 million reconstruction of which was completed in January.
Hough said the additional furniture, including curved five-seat clusters, corner tables and 200 cable management devices, must be purchased from ARCONAS to be compatible with furniture previously ordered from the company.
The board also approved a $14,829 contract with SBD Commercial Interiors of Jackson, Mich., the lowest responsible bidder of six bids submitted, for tables, chairs and study carrels for the west concourse's new Business Center as well as for tables and chairs for the children's area.
All of the new furniture on the west concourse is expected to be installed at the end of March or early in April, officials said.
Also approved was a 20-year sublease agreement with BizJet International Sales and Support for 223,150 square feet of land near Hangar 32, at the northwest corner of Tulsa International. Effective Jan. 1, the sublease is at the area's standard rate of 22 cents per square foot per year or $49,093 annually.
In the monthly operations report for January, passenger traffic totaled 206,442 travelers, a 3.2 percent increase compared with January 2011.
Cargo traffic in January was 4,180 tons of freight, a 1.17 percent increase from the same month last year.
Aircraft operations -- a landing or a takeoff -- at Tulsa International totaled 8,719 in January, down 1.9 percent from January 2011.
Aircraft operations in January at Jones Riverside totaled 13,679, a 20.96 percent decrease from the same month a year earlier.
Carl Remus, deputy airports director of finance and administration, provided an update on the bankruptcy case of AMR Corp., the parent of American Airlines.
When AMR filed its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization petition on Nov. 29, American and American Eagle Airlines, its regional airline affiliate, owed landing fees and terminal lease payments at Tulsa International of $303,418.94, Remus said.
Known under the U.S.
Bankruptcy Code as pre-petition debt, AMR's outstanding bills are beyond collection in the normal course of business, Remus said.
"We have to stand in line like all the other creditors," Remus said. "What makes it so hard to predict is they have so much cash ($4 billion) on the books. It may make a difference, you don't know."
Jones Riverside Airport improvement set
Highlights of Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust/Tulsa Airport Authority monthly meeting on Thursday
--Approved five-year $15.9 million capital improvement plan for Jones Riverside Airport.
--Approved $217,886 taxilanes reconstruction projects at Jones Riverside.
--Approved $77,335 purchase of shuttle bus at Tulsa International Airport.
--Approved $39,771 furniture purchases for west passenger concourse at Tulsa International.
--January passenger traffic at Tulsa International reported at 206,442, a 3.2 percent increase from January 2011.
Source: Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust, Tulsa Airport Authority
D.R. Stewart 918-581-8451
Copyright 2012 - Tulsa World, Okla.
