Mid-Delta Regional Airport will once again use Michael Baker International for its upcoming supplemental airport inspection.
The Greenville City Council approved Mid-Delta Regional Airport director Sam Washington’s request to extend the professional services at their Tuesday meeting.
Those professional services include program management and general consulting.
According to Washington, the inspection is scheduled for Feb. 19 and $4,000 has been used of $6,000, which an order set aside for consultants of Michael Baker International to assist with inspections.
“What I’m asking for is an opportunity to take another couple thousand dollars to extend this so that the consultant can be here with us the four days of the inspection … he’ll be here two days prior to the inspection to make sure we’re tidy and everything is good and he’ll stay here with us until the inspection over,” Washington said.
Washington highlighted with the money he has in advertising, $2,000 of that would be sufficient for Michael Baker International’s extended services before and during the inspection.
Once the inspection is complete, Washington said it would mark the end of the company’s services to the airport.
Councilman James Wilson said he wants to make sure when the consultants come, the airport and staff are getting the most they possibly can out of them so their services will become less needed.
“We’ve got to make sure we have the knowledge to do it ourselves so we won’t have to keep calling them,” Wilson said. “Let’s try to get all we can out of them and learn all we can so next time, we won’t need a ‘middle man.’”
Washington greed with Wilson and said with this particular inspection, he just wants to have an extra set of eyes, considering what they’ve dealt with in past inspections.
“I wanted to have someone removed from this so we can have somebody else, hopefully on the outside, that can help ward off unforeseen issues,” Washington said.
Washington informed the board the consultant from Michael Baker International has been coming to participate in training sessions with he and the staff, which have been taking place on the first Friday of each month.
Regarding the consultant, Washington said, “He’s been able to provide us with lots of good feedback and when we look at areas of the airport where we need help, he gives us feedback and says, ‘Here’s how you do this and do it effectively.’”
According to the company’s website, “whether it’s developing airport master plans or designing new runways, it knows the business of airports from the smallest general aviation facilities to the busiest international airports in the world.”
The company provides planning, design and construction services to airports worldwide, serving as an on-call extension of staff to many of its clients.
Washington said there are only two items left over from the office of inspection to take care of but some factors, such as weather, have prevented he and his staff from successfully addressing them.
“Weather is what’s holding us up,” he said. “We’ve been clearing the fence line, we’ve been burning the fence line off, but we can’t burn while it’s raining.”
The other matter Washington and his staff are trying to address is painting centerline stripes on the taxiway bravo.
Washington said they have everything they need such as paint from the street department.
According to Washington, three consecutive dry days are needed in which the temperatures are in the 50s or above so they can paint the stripes and the paint will hold.
“That’s all we’re waiting on right now, as soon as we get that, we’re done,” Washington said.
