$6.2M in upgrades for Little Rock airport endorsed

Work part of long-term project

The different pieces of the next round of improvements at the state's largest airport are quickly falling into place.

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Three years after Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field completed a $67 million renovation of its passenger terminal, the airport has turned its full attention to upgrading the 12-gate concourse that will, when finished some time next year, offer amenities many modern travelers expect.

On Wednesday, the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission lease committee endorsed a proposed $6.2 million contract with Flynco Inc. of Little Rock. Under the contract, the flooring, wall and ceiling finishes and millwork will be replaced, the exterior roofing and flashing will be repaired and the heating and cooling and electrical systems will be upgraded. Two cooling towers and two air-handling units also will be replaced.

The improved electrical system will be needed to handle the estimated 800 seats that will be replaced under a separate contract estimated to cost $700,000, which the lease committee also recommended Wednesday.

As part of the new amenities, each new seat will include AC outlets and USB ports to allow passengers to recharge smartphones, computers or other electronics while waiting for flights, airport officials said. Such outlets are at a premium in the existing concourse, which was built long before the proliferation of personal electronic devices.

The cost for the seats, which are expected to last 25 years and replace ones installed in 1972, include shipping, installation and taxes, airport officials said.

The contracts for the concourse renovation and new seats recommended Wednesday are on top of a $4.4 million contract to replace five passenger boarding bridges that the full commission approved earlier this month. The existing bridges, owned by American Airlines, are between 32 and 45 years old and have reached or exceeded their useful life. The airport will own and maintain the new bridges.

The funds to pay for the projects will come from a combination of money from airport operations, state grants and passenger facility charges. Those charges are the revenue Clinton National derives from $4.50 it collects for each ticket to board a flight at the airport.

All commercial service airports collect the charge. In the case of Clinton National, the charge generates about $5 million annually and can be spent on airport improvements.

The work is part of a long-term commitment to modernize Clinton National, Shane Carter, the airport spokesman, said after the meeting.

"The airport is the first and last impression of Little Rock, and the commission wants to make sure the airport reflects the positive image and a comfortable environment," he said.

The committee also recommended a proposed $334,678 contract, also with Flynco, to upgrade bathrooms in the baggage claim and ground transportation area of the terminal and in the rental-car lobby on the first floor of the parking deck. That contract is outside the scope of the concourse renovation program, Carter said.

The concourse upgrade began last year when, among other projects, a $2.5 million project to build new restrooms in the concourse was completed.

The concourse renovation comes as part of a larger program to upgrade airport facilities that hadn't been upgraded since the existing terminal opened in 1972.

The renovation of the passenger terminal included remodeling the ticket lobby, the addition of an in-line automated baggage-handling system, expansion of the passenger security checkpoint, new administrative offices and energy-saving upgrades.

At the time the terminal renovation was completed, the airport, then known as Little Rock National, was formally named Bill and Hillary Clinton National.

Lease committee chairman Stacy Hurst expressed some concern that Flynco was the only bidder for the concourse renovation and asked why more companies didn't bid.

Tom Clarke, the airport's properties, planning and development director, said representatives of four companies participated in a pre-bid meeting.

But one company pulled out after it had a staff scheduling problem and didn't have a construction manager available for the project. A third one decided it was uncomfortable with the additional requirements imposed on all contractors working in the secure areas of the airport. Everyone who works in the secure area of the airport must undergo a screening to receive badges.

Clarke said the Flynco bid was within an independent estimate developed for the project.

"We feel this [contract] represents a good value for the airport," he said.

The latest round of work, should the full commission approve it next week, is expected to begin by late summer and be completed by the end of 2017.

Most passengers should expect little in the way of inconvenience, as much of the work will be done at night and outside of peak travel periods, Carter said. Work on the passenger boarding bridges, at times, will force relocation of airlines to other gates, he said.

"The concourse will continue to function during renovation," he said. "We worked very hard on a schedule that would minimize any inconvenience to passengers."

The airport also has other construction work planned. The lease committee recommended a $1.5 million contract award to Clark Power Corp.

For much of the year, newcomer Gus Vratsinas and Hurst were the only members of the lease committee. The third and final member, Meredith Catlett, participated for the first time Wednesday. She was recently appointed to the commission by the Little Rock Board of Directors.

All three were joined by commission Chairman Jesse Mason after the meeting to participate in interviews with law firms vying to be the airport's outside counsel.

The law firms interviewed included the current outside counsel, Cross, Gunter, Witherspoon & Galchus. The other two firms were Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP and Kutak LLP.

Metro on 06/16/2016

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