Renovation of a transportation facility in Mason City, Iowa. Design plans call for the renovation of a transportation facility.

https://globegazette.com/news/local/mason-city-municipal-airport-rejects-general-terminal-bids/article_d016f20f-2abb-55e5-9912-9512863a8a89.html Mason City Municipal Airport rejects general terminal bids Until a better picture is developed with one project, the Mason City Municipal Airport will have to wait on another. The Mason City Airport Commission rejected the submitted bids for the general aviation terminal expansion project on Monday. Rejection of the bids will delay the terminal improvements but will not affect the commercial terminal project. The general aviation terminal is a smaller facility and a part of the airport where private aircraft come and go from. Airport manager David Sims said this project would expand the office space and lobby space to make room for customers that use the building. The project had a budget of approximately $706,000 that was to be funded through the CARES funding that Mason City Municipal Airport received. Since the bids were rejected, funding for the general terminal will be determined after the commercial terminal costs are known. At the May 9 meeting, the commission opened bids for the general expansion project. Henkel Construction submitted a $976,745 bid and Dean Snyder Construction submitted $1,066,095 as their bid. The contract was going to awarded at a May 16 special meeting but was pushed back to Monday. "Any money spent over and above on this project detracts from the budget of the commercial terminal, which is still unknown as we're in design development at this point in time," said Sims. "We will within the next few months have a much better idea of what the budget or what the actual cost of the commercial terminal will be." Higher bid figures was contributed to several factors like material costs and since the project would be a federal project according to Sims. He added if the commission rejected the bids, they could ask why the bids were priced higher than the estimate. Contingency funds for the commercial terminal could be used for the general terminal if the commission felt comfortable enough. Currently there is $1 million set as contingency, which could turn the project into a locally funded item according to Sims. Several of the commission members expressed concerns they had about the bids that were priced over the estimate. "I think it's the desire of the airport commission to get this done. We need it but I don't know if we can justify 38% over estimate," said commission member Gary Wattnem. Commission member David Guetzko motioned to reject the two bids, adding he did not want to jeopardize the commercial terminal. Sims said rejecting the bids will push the timeline back a year for the general terminal. As more details about the commercial terminal are developed, a better idea of how to go forward with the general terminal will form. ____________________________________________________________ ttps://www.spartnerships.com/pipeline/current/pipeline.html - The remaining commercial airports to receive funding are: Sioux City - $3.15 million. Dubuque - $2.78 million. Waterloo - $2.19 million. Mason City - $1.57 million. Southeastern Iowa - $1.57 million. __________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/business/development/2022/03/16/american-rescue-plan-iowa-airports-kim-reynolds-covid-money-des-moines-international-eastern-iowa/7041055001/ Des Moines International Airport -- $58.8 million Dubuque Regional Airport -- $2.8 million Eastern Iowa Airport -- $28.4 million FortDodge Regional Airport -- $1.6 million Mason City Municipal Airport -- $1.6 million Sioux Gateway Airport -- $3.1 million Southeast Iowa Regional Airport -- $1.6 million Waterloo Regional Airport -- $2.2 million _____________________________________________________________________________ https://globegazette.com/news/local/skywest-airlines-to-discontinue-service-at-mason-city-municipal-airport/article_58d5dc52-744b-5545-8b01-53aaba1d18b3.html - Those who have used SkyWest's airline service out of the Mason City Municipal Airport may need to make other arrangements in the coming months. On Thursday, SkyWest announced via press release that it would be discontinuing service at 29 airports across the United States, one of which is Mason City. SkyWest cited "an ongoing pilot staffing imbalance across the aviation industry," as the reason for the discontinuation of service. "This is a situation unfolding across the aviation industry," David Sims, Mason City Airport Manager, said. "This is not an issue specific to Mason City or to SkyWest." SkyWest is required to give 90 days notice of discontinuation, so service will continue uninterrupted for the time being. Sims is already at work looking to replace SkyWest's service out of Mason City, but he said it would be unlikely for a replacement airline to be in place in before the 90 days is up. However, Sims said there is a chance the Department of Transportation (DOT) will require SkyWest to continue to serving Mason City until a replacement airline is chosen, to ensure a smooth transition. "This is the beginning of a process to find a replacement carrier, it will take several months," Sims said. "Customers should not be concerned about their travel, SkyWest will be here for at least the next 90 days if not longer." If the 90 day period comes to an end and SkyWest isn't required to continue service, June 8, 2022 would be its final day of service in Mason City. This news comes at an awkward time for the Mason City Municipal Airport, which is currently reviewing the possibility of building a brand new airport terminal building, estimated to cost more than $13 million. Sims said that the news of SkyWest's departure from the airport won't shelve the terminal project, as much of the work needed is required for the airport to maintain any operations. That being said, Sims admitted the news may require the airport commission to take a fresh look at the project and potentially re-evaluate. "That project we will be looking at a little closer," Sims said. "But the need for that project is still there... no decision has been made yet but we are certainly looking at it." Specifically, Sims said that the commission will have to take a closer look at the design to ensure it "fits our future needs." Construction of the new terminal is slated to start this year, with a requirement to be complete by May of 2024 for the $12 million in federal funding to be used. SkyWest started to serving Mason City on a three-year Essential Air Service Contract on March 1, 2021. Fort and Sioux City were the other Iowa destinations that will be cut from SkyWest's service in 90 days. SkyWest offered daily service to and from Chicago O'Hare International Airport in Mason City. ___________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.kimt.com/news/public-comment-period-open-for-mason-city-airport-terminal-modernization-project/article_2c2310da-832c-11ec-8ebb-5b16b3e3c0ab.html - MASON CITY, Iowa - The Mason City Airport Commission is hearing from the public about plans to modernize the current terminal. Options include: *Construct a new terminal facility with all public spaces on one level west of the existing terminal to meet current building codes, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) standards for passenger terminal facilities. *Expand the terminal apron to the west to meet standards for regional jet and narrow body charter operations. *Extend the access road to provide curbside service to the proposed terminal building to meet Statewide Urban Design and Specifications (SUDAS) standards. *Expand the parking areas to increase capacity to meet local municipality parking requirements. *Demolish (partial or full) the existing terminal, FAA annex, and restaurant. The public comment period is open until February 10. Comments can be submitted or emailed to the airport until then. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Terminal Building Improvements As of January 26, 2022, a design engineer has been selected. Bidding is anticipated to take place in the summer of 2022. *Project information has been obtained through a public capital improvement plan (CIP). A CIP is a financial schedule for short- and long-range projects which is updated regularly. Information listed in the CIP often evolves based on funding availability and the project details, including timeline and value, are subject to change. The content management team will continue to pursue additional details as they become available.