County approves bids for two airport safety projects
A $705,387 bid to remove about 1,250 trees to improve safety at Delaware Coastal Airport and a nearly $2.5 million bid for the third phase of a runway taxiway replacement project were approved June 3 by Sussex County Council.
Both bids passed unanimously.
Strobert Tree Service Inc. was awarded the contract for the tree work on county property, which was required by the Federal Aviation Administration to maintain a safe airspace immediately surrounding the airport outside Georgetown.
The project is included in the airport’s Obstacle Action Plan and the recently completed airport master plan update.
The tree removal work will be done in the approach to runway R4, extending in some cases in the direction of the relocated Park Avenue. Work is scheduled to be completed by the end of the month.
Assistant County Engineer Mark Parker said it makes more sense to remove the trees. Cutting off the tops would be a temporary solution, and they would have to be cut again when they grew, Parker said.
Council Vice President John Rieley asked if the county would receive any revenue from the sale of the trees, but Parker said few have any value.
Council also approved a $2,477,777 bid to Allan Meyers Construction for the third phase of the six-phase project to replace Parallel Taxiway B. There are two design phases and four construction phases.
The county in June awarded Allan Meyers a $3,375,555 bid for the second phase of the project, which was the first part of construction. Work is underway.
“This is a big project for us,” Bryant said of the new taxiway.
When completed, the taxiway will be the length of the 550-foot runway.
The bid approved June 3 was the lowest of three the county received. Construction administration services and other fees will push the full cost of this phase to $2,828,177.
Airport Manager Bob Bryant said the FAA required the county to do the taxiway project in six phases funded over six consecutive years because of the high total cost.
The third phase of the project, for which Allan Meyers received a bid June 3, will complete the first half of the taxiway construction.
The taxiway project is needed to comply with FAA safety standards. People must cross the current taxiway when walking between the terminal and planes, which is unsafe, Bryant said. The taxiway will be moved to the opposite side of the runway.
The county will receive 95% of the cost of this phase and the next from the FAA, up from the usual federal contribution of 90%, Bryant said.
Kevin Conlon came to the Cape Gazette with nearly 40 years of newspaper experience since graduating from St. Bonaventure University in New York with a bachelor's degree in mass communication. He reports on Sussex County government and other assignments as needed.
His career spans working as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers in upstate New York, including The Daily Gazette in Schenectady. He comes to the Cape Gazette from the Cortland Standard, where he was an editor for more than 25 years, and in recent years also contributed as a columnist and opinion page writer. He and his staff won regional and state writing awards.
Conlon was relocating to Lewes when he came across an advertisement for a reporter job at the Cape Gazette, and the decision to pursue it paid off. His new position gives him an opportunity to stay in a career that he loves, covering local news for an independently owned newspaper.
Conlon is the father of seven children and grandfather to two young boys. In his spare time, he trains for and competes in triathlons and other races. Now settling into the Cape Region, he is searching out hilly trails and roads with wide shoulders. He is a fan of St. Bonaventure sports, especially rugby and basketball, as well as following the Mets, Steelers and Celtics.
