NoCo regional airport recommends approval of terminal design contract

LOVELAND — The Northern Colorado Regional Airport Commission will seek approval from the Loveland and Fort Collins city councils to proceed with awarding a $1.58 million contract for design services for a new, larger terminal for the airport.

The commission also at its Jan. 20 meeting approved an $88,147 contract for construction-management services for the terminal.

Planning for a new terminal has been on commission agendas for many months, with the actions taken this month moving it to the point of construction if the commission can find money to fund the gap in the project’s budget. The airport’s original terminal was built in 1989 before jet passenger service was a factor and before Transportation Security Administration requirements came into play.

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Originally thought to cost $15 million as noted in the regional airport’s master plan, the cost is now anticipated to be $26.4 million. Of that, $16.9 million from federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, will be committed to the project, according to earlier decisions by the commission. After existing grants are applied, a funding gap of $7 million exists, airport documents show.

Jason Licon, airport director, said the commission has a few months to work out where the additional money will come from. He cited an application for a state infrastructure loan, reducing the scope of the project to meet the funding available, seeking additional funding from Fort Collins and Loveland, an effort to seek philanthropic support for the airport, and grants that may become available through the federal infrastructure bill.

“This is another step in the process,” Licon said. 

The actions taken Thursday included recommending a contract to the city councils to use Dibble Engineering and Vaught Frye Larson Aronson Architects Inc. to complete the design of the structure and related parking lots and roadways. Those design services were listed at $1.58 million.

Because of the contract size, the commission was able on its own to approve a contract with Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Greeley for construction-management services. Those services were listed at $88,147.

If all goes according to plan, construction will begin in January 2023, with completion expected in the second quarter of 2024.