Commissioners award contracts for new buildings at airport

February 6, 2018

Barbara Miller
Observer Reporter

After analyzing 45 bids for two metal buildings on concrete slabs to be constructed at Washington County Airport, the board of commissioners Thursday awarded four contracts totaling $3.1 million.

The larger building will house public safety vehicles, but as a backup command center to the county’s Public Safety Department at the Courthouse Square complex, it will be more than a garage.

A second building will house a county training facility for the Juvenile Probation Office and airport equipment.

DiMarco Construction of Clairton, Allegheny County, will be the general contractor at a cost of $2,413,000. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning will be handled by East West Manufacturing, which bid $191,900.

Plumbing contractor will be McRandal Co. Inc., at a cost of $317,000. Three Rivers Electric will install the electrical system for $230,793.

The last three companies are all based in Pittsburgh.

Because there were no bids received for a fire-protection system, the county purchasing department will again advertise for bids.

The bids were reviewed and recommended for award by Bruce Pollock of RSSC Architecture of Wexford, Allegheny County, and Robert Griffin, economic development director of Washington County Redevelopment Authority, which oversees the operation of the airport.

The costs of the project are to be paid from the county’s allocation of natural gas well impact fees under Act 13.

The slope next to Airport Road where the buildings will be constructed is too steep to be used for hangars, said William McGowen, executive director of the Redevelopment Authority.

The construction project, which could be finished as early as this autumn, will allow a third building known as the green hangar, now being used to store equipment, to again be leased to house aircraft, McGowen said.