LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) - Angelina County is moving forward with a runway extension project at the county airport, with commissioners approving an environmental assessment contract with Woolpert Incorporated.
County Judge Keith Wright presented the contract and outlined project costs during a commissioners’ court meeting. The environmental assessment will cost approximately $348,000.
“It’ll take approximately five or six months depending on their schedule, but then you got to go through FAA review and approval which, you know, add some time to that,” Wright said.
Cost breakdown
Wright said the Federal Aviation Administration requested a breakdown of estimated costs for the project.
Design costs total about $265,000, divided into 30% and 70% phases. The 30% phase costs $80,000, and the 70% phase costs $185,000.
The county has purchased seven properties to date for $2.531 million. Five properties remain to be acquired at a cost of $2.557 million. All properties have been appraised.
Miscellaneous costs include $13,650 for survey work, $23,100 for appraisals, $8,400 for review appraisals and $50,000 for negotiation fees. An environmental appraisal estimate cost $4,200.
Wright said the county has spent or will spend approximately $5.796 million without construction costs.
The grant totals $4.88 million, and the county will be reimbursed for most expenses. The county’s total cost will be around $430,000 after accounting for the required 10% match of $480,000.
“This does not include the construction costs or construction management. This is just what they asked for,” Wright said.
Wright estimated construction of the runway at about $3 million, bringing the total construction cost to approximately $3.25 million with construction management fees.
“We’ve asked for an earmark on the construction as well. And if we don’t get that, we’ll come back to the court for some type of financing to go ahead and finish the project,” Wright said.
Design and progress
The county is receiving proposals for design consultants at the end of the month. Wright said he, Airport Manager Gary Letney and another official will serve on the review team to bring recommendations back to the court.
Letney said the county is in the process of buying 12 properties for the runway extension.
Seven properties have been purchased, with five remaining. The county has bought five houses so far, with five more to go. Two of the properties do not have houses on them.
The environmental assessment is required to access grant money from a congressional earmark secured by Congressman Pete Sessions.
Letney said the assessment will determine if the site is suitable for the runway extension.
“We believe there’s no problems. We’ve never had any problems out there with environmental, so there’s never been any much there except farmland,” Letney said.
The environmental assessment is expected to take five months to complete. Assessors will look for potential issues such as old fuel tanks from former service stations or impacts to creeks.
Letney said there are no creeks at the end of the runway where the extension will be built.
“The land we’re buying really won’t even have a runway on it. It’ll just be the safety zone and so it’s just going to be field really with a fence around it probably,” Letney said.
The county last conducted an environmental assessment for a runway extension in 2003.
Environmental assessments for hangar construction have been done as recently as last year.
Letney said the county hopes to complete the runway extension about a year and a half after the environmental assessment is finished, for a total timeline of approximately two years.
The project is funded by a federal grant and will not affect local taxes, though Letney noted it does come from federal taxes.
Letney said the runway extension will allow the airport to accommodate larger jets and increase air traffic.
“It should get us into another level with jet size and we’re hoping to see bigger jets and more quantities and more hangers and just keep this thing growing which grows the economy,” Letney said.
He said the expansion will support economic growth in Lufkin, Diboll, Zavalla and Huntington.
“It’s just a business draw and it helps the local economy actually in the whole region just to keep on growing,” Letney said.