Dubuque company awarded airport contract

A Dubuque-based construction company has been awarded a $4.8 million contract for the first phase of a $47 million multiyear passenger terminal modernization project at The Eastern Iowa Airport.

Tricon General Construction Group's bid was 12.1 percent higher that an architect's probable cost of $4.3 million for the project. Kleiman Construction of Cedar Rapids submitted the only other bid of $5.2 million.

The Cedar Rapids Airport Commission on Monday voted to award the contract to Tricon, based on the recommendation of staff and Mead & Hunt, the airport's design consultant for the terminal modernization work. Matt Dubbe, an architect with Mead & Hunt of Madison, Wis., said the bid was close enough to the architect's estimate to warrant recommendation for approval.

Dubbe noted that a significant number of local commercial construction projects are underway or will be starting very shortly.

'That is putting a higher demand on contractor resources and driving construction prices higher,” Dubbe said.

The first phase of the terminal modernization will include a new canopy on the front of the terminal, Mechanical equipment west of the terminal will be hidden behind a steel screen and an existing cul-de-sac will be removed and replaced with a landscaped area.

Panels will be added to the walkway from the terminal to the parking lot to block the wind.

Ninety-seven percent of the costs will be eligible for Federal Aviation Administration funding.

The majority of the money will be federal Airport Improvement Program entitlement funds, which are about $3.5 million each year. The airport will use airport commission funds to cover the remainder and pay that back with passenger facility charge revenue.

While owned by the city of Cedar Rapids, the airport does not receive any city or county property tax revenue. The airport derives its funding from airline revenues, terminal concessions, ground and facility leases, landing fees, ramp fees, parking revenue and farmland rental.