County to pay 2 percent of airport expansion

Cook County/Grand Marais Airport Administrator Rodney Roy presented a breakdown of costs and the timeline for continued improvements to the airport to Cook County commissioners on Tuesday, March 22, 2016.

Last year the dirt work was done, said Roy, and this year the concrete work will be completed on the $5.4 million project which will extend the runway from 4,200 feet to 5,000 feet in length and from 75 feet to 100 feet wide.

Roy said the phase 1 runway extension was completed at a cost of $2,445,334, but with grants from the federal government, the state of Minnesota and Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB), the county only paid $25,024.77 of that.

Phase II’s estimated cost is $2,901.926 and out of that the county will be responsible to pay $45,096.32, leaving the county’s total financial responsibility totaling $70,121.09 out of $5,402,421.86. Roy said it was rare for a county to have to pay so little on a project of this magnitude.

By extending the runway the airport will increase utilization of the facility year round, he said.

Currently corporate jets can land at the airport in the summer, but because of ice in the winter, it needs to be lengthened to 5,000 feet so pilots can also land those aircraft in winter.

Roy asked the board to approve a five-year master professional services agreement with RS&H, Inc., an independent consultant which has worked with the airport for the last several years, to complete the design, construction administration and procurement of services for the airport projects, and to approve a similar motion to have RS&H design and perform the construction and remodel/ expansion of the arrival and departure building, which the board voted unanimously to do.

Roy said it was because of RS&H’s efforts to find money for the $5.4 million expansion the county’s financial responsibility was less than 2 percent of the total cost. He said on projects of this size there is usually a 90-10 split, with government grants covering 90 percent of cost while the county pays for 10 percent of the work.