Port district selects new engineering firm

Port District 7 commissioners selected their engineering firm from among five presenters at a special meeting Monday.

Selected was T-O Engineers, from Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, rated number one through a series of criteria approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. The selection committee was made up of two commissioners, James Keene and Dennis Lohrman; secretary Joanne Davidson; and airport Manager Bob Babler.

Other firms submitting packets included Century West, of Ellensburg; J-U-B, of Spokane; Reid Middleton, Spokane; and Stantec, of Spokane. Stantec, formerly known as USKH, has had the contract for the past five years.

“All the firms were highly capable,” chair Keene noted.

The new engineering firm will guide the port district through projects selected under a new revised master plan that will be worked on in the months ahead.

On the list of tasks is a pavement project on the 4,200-foot asphalt runway, which has several three-quarter-inch cracks in it.

Other projects that have been discussed include a fueling capacity that the airport has needed. Commissioners note that this would be well into the future. Currently planes use, among other places, Wilbur’s refueling station.

Projects are approved and funded through the FFA and Washington State Department of Transportation, Airports.

Keene said likely upcoming projects will include any need dealing with safety.

Airport projects are one of T-O Engineers’ specialties and they have projects at Ephrata and Quincy, as well as other venues.

A representative of T-O Engineers has been a frequent guest at the port district’s monthly meetings.