SALISBURY – After agreeing nearly a year ago to create plans for a new airport hangar, county commissioners could give the go-ahead Monday to start building it.
The Rowan County Board of Commissioners will consider awarding a construction contract and approving a budget for the project at its 3 p.m. Monday meeting. The board meets on the second floor of the J. Newton Cohen Sr. Rowan County Administration Building.
The low bid for construction is less than $1.1 million from KMD Construction of Salisbury, said County Manager Gary Page in a memo to commissioners.
“Talbert and Bright Engineering is in the process of securing a bid from KMD Construction to upgrade the hangar with a foam fire suppression system instead of a water system,” Page wrote. The county’s current estimate for that upgrade is $443,000.
Commissioners are considering building a 15,000-square-foot aircraft storage hangar at the Rowan County Airport. As proposed last November, the community hangar would house monthly tenants, and it would be converted into a corporate hangar if a company is interested in basing its aircraft there full-time.
In May, Talbert and Bright told the county board that the hangar project would likely cost a total of $1.7 million, including construction, site preparation, utilities and fees.
Commisisoners said they were still interested in building the hangar, but they wanted to bring that price tag down closer to $1 million.
The new proposed budget for the project is only slightly lower at $1.6 million. But Rowan County’s estimated cost is just over $1 million, because the N.C. Division of Aviation has committed $550,000 toward the project.
“The staff has been working with the city of Salisbury and Salisbury Rowan Utilities to provide the water and sewer lines as a separate project form the hangar construction,” Page wrote. “At this time, we have a tentative verbal agreement with the city to use $65,000 from the Airport Development Zone Fund to pay for the estimated utility costs.”
Also at Monday’s meeting, commissioners plan to:
• Hold a public hearing for the rezoning of 58.86 acres at 336 Pietryk Drive from corporate park to rural agricultural. The property owners, Edward and Debra Pietrick, say they have had difficulties refinancing their home due to the current zoning.
• Consider approval of a family subdivision waiver for William Greene, who owns a 7-acre parcel at the 1100 block of Rock Grove Church Road and wants to subdivide the property and deed a five-acre parcel to his cousin.
• Approve a memorandum of agreement with the Cleveland Community Fire Department to locate a new West Rowan Ambulance Station on their property. The volunteer fire department wants to charge the county a $100 per month lease rate in exchange for moving and maintenance of the EMS site.
• Authorize the Rowan Public Library to apply for a $5,000 grant from the Margaret Wood Foundation, a $1,000 grant from the American Library Association, a $125,000 grant from the State Library of North Carolina and a grant from the Salisbury Community Foundation.
• Approve the transfer of a surplus vehicle to Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.
• Approve the transfer of surplus property, two K-9 cages, to the Landis Police Department for their patrol cars.
• Reduce membership on the Parks and Recreation Commission from 10 appointed members to 6, plus one county commissioner.
• Approve a proclamation honoring Veterans Day in Rowan County.
• Recognize retiring Facilities Management Director Rick Ridenhour.
• Consider board appointments and budget amendments, including a $17,300 increase to the health department for veterinarian fees due to a rise in animal shelter adoptions this year. The department is also budgeting a $17,300 increase in revenue from adoptions.
• Meet in closed session for an economic development matter and approval of closed session minutes.
Contact reporter Karissa Minn at 704-797-4222.
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