LR airport officials affirm negotiations
Members of the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission during a meeting on Tuesday voted to proceed with negotiations with two firms that are expected to oversee the final design and construction of a new central utility plant at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field.
The new plant must be constructed in order for other long-term airport redevelopment plans to be carried out, according to airport officials.
A joint venture composed of Clark Contractors and Con-Real emerged as the topranked option among the four responses received from firms seeking to provide pre-construction and construction manager services following the airport’s request for qualifications.
On Tuesday, commissioners voted to authorize Executive Director Bryan Malinowski or his designee to enter negotiations with Clark Contractors and Con-Real.
In the event officials are unable to reach a satisfactory agreement, the executive director can enter negotiations with the next-highest-ranked entity or entities, according to the action by the Airport Commission.
Once negotiations conclude, Malinowski is expected to bring the Airport Commission a recommendation for the scope of work and compensation for pre-construction services, and then later present to the panel an amendment to finalize a guaranteed maximum price for construction.
The project’s architect under contract is Architectural Alliance, Suzanne Peyton, the airport’s director of properties, planning and development, recalled for commissioners on Tuesday.
Environmental reviews, a sustainability management plan and the execution of contracts for the relocation of switchboards have been completed, Peyton said.
Also complete and ready to be bid is a drainage relocation redesign, she added.
Without dissent, commissioners voted to move ahead with the recommendation presented by staff.
Tuesday’s meeting also marked the final session for Stacy Hurst, the Airport Commission’s vice chair/treasurer, who has served on the panel since 2015. Her five-year term will expire at the end of the month.
A former member of the Little Rock Board of Directors, Hurst served as secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism under former Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
During the meeting, Malinowski recognized and thanked Hurst for her service, saying that she will be sorely missed.
Echoing Malinowski, Chair Jill Floyd called Hurst “an amazing commissioner” and noted her diligence with regard to matters related to the airport. “You leave no stone unturned, and I appreciate that,” Floyd said.