Robert LaFayette, on the screen, CHA Consulting, gives the Warsaw Board of Aviation Commissioners quick updates on projects Tuesday. Also pictured are Warsaw Municipal Airport Manager Nick King, left, and Board President Jay Rigdon, right,.Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — During a meeting lasting less than 13 minutes Tuesday, March 19, the Warsaw Board of Aviation Commissioners approved several invoices from CHA Consulting, the airport’s engineering consulting firm, and heard some brief updates on projects.

Robert LaFayette, CHA section manager aviation planning, reported he didn’t have an update on the runway 27 obstruction mitigation (power line lowering) project but it’s still on track.

“We requested and we are waiting. AEP is also waiting. We requested an update on the cost procurement to see if there’s been any change up or down. We just want to get a little more information so that we can be ahead of it either way. They are waiting for some bids to come back, and then they will report back,” he said.

Hopefully next month, LaFayette said, there will be a cost update.

On the runway 9-27 safety area, he said they did receive some comments from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). “As soon as we get done completing the revisions to the RSAD (runway safety area dimensions) study, which we are anticipating to be complete by Monday for internal review, and getting that back to the Chicago ADO next Friday — I think we are in good shape there,” he said, adding that he thinks they’re on a really good path for that project.

For that, he presented a CHA invoice for $23,167.16, with the local share of that being $1,158.36. The board approved the invoice.

The next update was on taxiway E-1 and the project to rehabilitate it. He said the construction documents were issued for bid on Feb. 21. The bid opening is scheduled for March 20, and “everything is looking good there. We still have to wait for all the bids to come in to really have an update for you,” LaFayette stated.

Board President Jay Rigdon asked if there was any interest shown on the project by bidders. LaFayette said he was “unsure,” but another representative of CHA said there were two contractors who attended a previous meeting so CHA was expecting two bids.

LaFayette then presented an invoice for that from CHA for $30,822, which is all the state’s share. The board approved the invoice.

In a quick update on taxiway B’s rehabilitation, he said they awaiting FAA approval on information they submitted before they can resubmit the grant application. He hoped to have a better update at the April 9 meeting.

The last invoice LaFayette presented was for $1,200 for general services from CHA for refining the ongoing capital improvement plan and to implement some other state-funded projects at the airport. The board approved the invoice, which is all local funds.

The only thing Airport Manager Nick King had to report was, “I have some good news. We sold more fuel this year so far than we did last year at the same time. So, we’re up almost 2,500 gallons year-over-year for the year-to-date, so that’s a positive and that’s just Jet A … and for us to be barely two months into the year and be up almost 1,000 gallons in Av gas from where we were last year, that’s very, very positive.”