Small Town News

Airport runway project advances

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A Lovell construction company got a boost during these tough economic times with the $7 million airport runway project at the South Big Horn County Airport.

Mountain Construction of Lovell signed the contract last week for the project for $7,179,979.65. Dusty Spomer, director of operations of GDA Engineering, said three bids were received, one each from Mountain Construction, Century Company of Lewistown, Mont., and Oftedahl of Casper. Spomer said they were pleased with the three bids but had hoped for a few more. The bids were let in April, about the same time that the Wyoming Department of Transportation received American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funds and projects were being bid out at the same time. "There was a glut of projects," he said.

The $7.1 million project is funded through state and federal funds but not through any ARRA funding, Spomer said. The funding breakdown is 95 percent funding from the Federal Aviation Administration, 3 percent from the state Aeronautics Commission and 2 percent local match.

Mountain Construction Director Dave Frost said the project will make a positive impact on the company this year.

"Due to the fact that Wyoming was the first state in the union to spend its stimulus money, we had work to bid on and stayed somewhat busy (this construction season)," Frost said. He said every bid was competitive, with out-of-state companies submitting bids as well.

"This job is a real good thing for us and came at the right time," Frost said. Bids were opened and tentatively awarded in April but funding was not approved until about three weeks ago and the contract officially signed last Monday, Frost said. "In this economy we waited it out. We wanted this job."

Frost said they are completing some preliminary work including getting all the required permits for the job and should be on site at the South Big Horn Airport near Greybull in two to three weeks.

The project involves grading, applying base and paving the new runway, installing lighting on the runway and converting the old runway to a taxiway.

The new runway, Spomer said, will be able to accommodate much larger aircraft than the current runway can. He said the new runway is designed for the KC-97 and PB-47 military aircraft, two older military aircraft the airport was able to accommodate. The intention of the new design is to support the C-130.

Ultimately, he said, the new runway will be able to support business jets of any size and commercial aircraft such as the Boeing 737 or 757. It can also support military aircraft such as the C-17 depending on configuration and load.

"Upon completion, the new Greybull runway will be one of the widest, longest, heaviest load-bearing runways in the state," Spomer said. "It extends the possibilities and the airport board and county commissioners are looking forward to marketing the airport."

Frost said depending on the winter weather this year they hope to be able to do some grading and complete crushing for the project so it can be completed by late summer 2010.

Spomer said the contract calls for the project to be done in December 2010.

At the peak of construction, Frost said they likely will have 30 employees working on the project. The electrical work for the lighting has been subcontracted out to Intermountain of Riverton and the reclamation work was subcontracted to Rocky Mountain Reclamation of Laramie.

Frost said he plans on appointing his son, Stuart Frost, as project manager.

"We're tickled to death to get this project because work is difficult to get," Frost said, adding that they are also happy that the project is local.



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© 2009 Greybull Standard Greybull, Wyoming. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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