SCRAA Designates Preferred Engineering Firm
An aerial view of the land that might be impacted by a new regional airport. (file photo)
by Charlie Comfort
Oskaloosa, Iowa- The South Central Regional Airport Agency (SCRAA) took another step forward in the regional airport project Thursday evening as they look towards the next phase of the project. At Thursday evening’s meeting, the SCRAA voted unanimously to proceed forward with using HDR Inc as the preferred engineering firm for the next phase of the airport project. Board Secretary Joe Warrick once again did not participate in Thursday’s meeting due to orders from Supervisor Chairman Mark Doland not to participate. However, Warrick was in attendance at Thursday’s meeting.
Both HDR Inc and Foth of Des Moines had responded to the SCRAA’s request for proposals. Foth of Des Moines and HDR Inc had also both applied to be the engineering firm for the first phase of the airport project, which ended in June after the FAA issued a finding of no significant impact for the airport project.
Jerry Searle will be the main project consultant in the next phase of the project, which includes land acquisition, final airport design, and construction of the airport. Searle was also the main consultant on the first phase of the project, through HDR Inc.
It was noted, during presentations by the firm, that to date only four greenfield airport projects have been completed in the State of Iowa, and that Searle has been the main project consultant on all four of those projects. A greenfield airport is the construction of an airport from the ground up, meaning it was not added onto an existing facility. The South Central Regional Airport will be considered a greenfield airport once construction is completed.
During discussion, SCRAA board member Sid Pinney expressed his concern that the firm that is designated by the SCRAA as the preferred engineering firm have a plan in place for strategic communications. More specifically, Pinney recommended that the firm have a plan for monitoring social media presence regarding the airport and being prepared to respond to social media postings as needed. Pinney stated that of the groups that submitted a proposal and presented to the SCRAA, HDR had the only plan in place for strategic communications on all levels. He stated his preference to go with HDR was not only because of the strategic communications plan, but also because the board has a history of working with Jerry Searle in phase one and that it would be preferred to go with an individual who is knowledgeable of the project.
Board member Randy Borgerding agreed with Pinney in regards to a communications plan, but also noted that while prior knowledge of the project would be nice, it could also be beneficial to have a completely new set of eyes and ears on the project as it begins to move into one of the most important stages of the project.
After discussion, the board ultimately chose HDR on a unanimous vote. After the vote, Pella City Manager and SCRAA staff member Mike Nardini reminded the board that their vote was simply to designate a preferred engineering firm. The SCRAA’s vote will be communicated to the FAA, who will have the final say in the selection of an engineering firm. From there, contract negotiations will ensue. Nardini said that within 60-90 days of Thursday’s vote, an engineering firm will be in place to start land acquisition.
