Airport planning HVAC upgrades; recommendations coming soon

South Arkansas Regional Airport is seen in this News-Times file photo.
South Arkansas Regional Airport is seen in this News-Times file photo.

A study has gotten under way for the HVAC system at South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field and recommendations on how best to upgrade and improve the system could come back as early next month.

Mickey Murfee, chairman of the El Dorado Airport Commission, said he and SARA manager Johnathan Estes met Aug. 19 with engineers who are working on the project and accompanied the engineers on their first walk-through of the airport terminal to begin the evaluation.

"They walked all over this building and went down into the bowels of it ...," Murfee told airport commissioners during a regular meeting Sept. 13.

HVAC improvements are included in a comprehensive renovation/restoration plan that was drafted for the SARA terminal in 2015. The plan was updated in 2017 with an estimated cost of $2.1 million to renovate the building.

Since the update four years ago, commissioners have been exploring various potential funding sources to try and raise money for the project.

Last month, Estes told commissioners that Federal Aviation Administration officials have inquired about the project and asked that the project be added to the airport's long-term Capital Improvement Plan.

The CIP is a multi-year planning document that outlines and prioritizes improvement and development projects for the airport.

Garver, the engineering firm of record for SARA, prepares the CIP, which typically includes a five-year outlook.

The plan is submitted to the FAA as part of its Airport Capital Improvement Plan, a grant program that funds infrastructure improvement projects for airports across the country.

Each year, a certain amount of ACIP funding is allotted to airports for improvements to runways, taxiways, ramps, signage, lighting, markings, etc.

Estes explained that the FAA suggested that SARA's five-year CIP be amended to include the terminal renovation project, which, Estes said, will likely come under consideration in the federal fiscal year of 2027 or 2028.

After hearing the news, Murfee suggested that airport commissioners proceed with long-running plans to address issues with the HVAC system and leaks in the terminal building.

The HVAC system part of the master plan to renovate the airport terminal but the airport commission previously decided to address the project separately because issues with the HVAC system need immediate attention.

Airport commissioners and Estes have said a problem with energy efficiency in the terminal building affects the operation of the HVAC system.

"The building lets in a lot of unconditioned, outside air, which makes the HVAC system have to work overtime," Murfee has said.

When the power system is turned off, moisture and a persistent odor permeate portions of the terminal.

Airport commissioners said that a mechanical engineering study would determine if new, modern HVAC units would be a good fit for the airport terminal and if they could be relocated to ground level.

Three existing HVAC units sit on the roof on the second floor of the terminal.

The EAC voted in June to pay for the mechanical engineering study and Blake Dunn, of CADM, Architecture, Inc., said he would contact a Little Rock engineering firm, who assisted CADM with developing the 2015 master plan to improve the terminal building.

Murfee said the two engineers that visited El Dorado on Aug. 19 have since formed their own firm and are familiar with the SARA terminal.

"Blake Dunn told me this morning by email that we can expect our recommendations for that in late October, so we're about six weeks away from getting that and knowing what they'll say," Murfee said last week. "They know all about it ... and Blake Dunn has given them all of the previous reports so they've got a lot of information to mull over."

"Blake Dunn said this is a good time for us to get this program started because the further into the year it gets, the more requests they're going to get of these folks' time so I think it was a good thing to go ahead and get these guys onboard," Murfee added.

Commissioner Aubra Anthony agreed and said that because of coronavirus (COVID-19)-related disruptions and delays in the manufacturing of and delivery of materials and the availability of contractors, costs for construction projects have risen.

Anthony suggested that the commission also tap into potential funding sources and federal grants that are funneled through state agencies, including the Arkansas Department of Heritage.

"We could get significant material dollars from it. The sooner you ask, the sooner you can get into pipeline before it gets into real competition (for grant funds)," Anthony said, adding, "So, it's like the (Scout Motto): be prepared. That's motivation for us to move on this."

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