Airport starting over on bids for lighting project

After receiving a 60-day extension to complete work on a terminal lighting update, the Cedar Rapids Airport Commission on Monday voted to seek new bids for the project.

Four companies submitted bids to install new energy-efficient interior and exterior lighting at The Eastern Iowa Airport that will be partially funded by an $84,615 grant from the Iowa Office of Energy Independence. The commission will match it with $169,230 in airport revenue to pay for the project.

Two of the bidders could not meet the original Dec. 31 deadline and the other two bids were higher than the estimated cost for the project. The commission voted Monday to reject all four proposals, acting on the recommendation of an engineering consultant and advice from the city attorney's office.

Airport Operations Director Sara Mau said the Iowa Office of Energy Independence has agreed to extend the deadline without jeopardizing the $84,615 grant. Mau said the airport commission will likely take up the bids at its next regular meeting on Oct. 25.

“We will likely see most of the work completed by the end of January,” she said. ”All of the paperwork would need to be completed by mid-March.”

The work will involve replacing 190 metal halide lights installed in 1985 on the outside of the terminal with energy efficient LED (light-emitting diode) lighting. An additional 559 older T12 fluorescent lights inside the terminal will be replaced with energy efficient T8 lighting.

Upgrading the exterior lighting is projected to cut energy use by as much as 80 percent and reduce ongoing maintenance costs. Using more energy efficient T8 lighting inside the terminal also is expected to significantly reduce electricity consumption.