2026/27 AIRPORT AIRSIDE IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT (RECONSTRUCTION OF RUNWAY 01/19)
The City has a Master Agreement with Bolton & Menk, Inc., of Ames, IA, for engineering services at the James Herman Banning Ames Municipal Airport. Recent work has included the design, final plans, and bidding for the Reconstruction of Runway 01/19. With design complete and construction about to begin, two amendments to the Master Agreement are needed for the construction phase engineering services.
Amendment No. 1 – AGIS Design Survey ($114,200, lump sum). In May 2025, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued Engineering Policy 25-01, which updated its requirements for the Airports Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) survey program. Also, the Airport’s approach category is changing from “B” to “C” because of the higher approach speeds of aircraft already using the Airport. To meet the design standards for those aircraft, the Runway 01/19 profile must be flattened.
Together, these changes require an AGIS design survey, which the FAA uses to develop or amend instrument flight procedures. The work includes geodetic control, aerial photography, an aeronautical survey of the runway and navigational aids, and FAA-compliant mapping and data submittals. It is scheduled for September 2026 through March 2027.
Amendment No. 2 – Construction Phase Services ($2,098,400). This amendment provides the engineering services needed for the Reconstruction of Runway 01/19, project inspection and closeout. Construction observation includes a full-time Resident Project Representative (up to 3,894 hours), a second observer during critical operations (up to 2,130 hours), and up to 100 field visits by the project manager.
| Service | Amount | Fee Type |
| Construction Administration | $569,600 | Lump Sum |
| Construction Observation | $1,294,700 | Hourly, Not-to-Exceed |
| Construction Testing | $74,200 | Cost Plus Fixed Fee, Not-to-Exceed |
| AGIS As-Built Survey | $84,300 | Lump Sum |
| As-Built Airport Layout Plan | $39,400 | Lump Sum |
| Construction Grant Application | $3,600 | Lump Sum |
| Construction Grant Closeout | $32,600 | Lump Sum |
| Total Amendment No. 2 | $2,098,400 |
The two amendments total $2,212,600. Both are eligible for FAA reimbursement of up to 95%. The estimated local share is $110,630 ($5,710 for Amendment No. 1 and $104,920 for Amendment No. 2). The approved project budget included an estimated $2,650,000 for these services. The two amendments come in $437,400 under that estimate, and the required local share is covered by the local funding already identified for the project.
The revised project revenues and expenses are shown below (the formatting of items in the table matches the FAA's :
| Fiscal Year | Available Revenues | Amount | Revised Anticipated Expenses | Amount |
| Design Phase | Design Phase | |||
| 2024/25 | Federal Grant - Design (95%) | $1,140,095 | PSA - Design | $1,196,600 |
| 2024/25 | Airport Improvements Fund | $130,000 | Design Independent Fee Evaluation (IFE) | $3,500 |
| Construction Phase | Construction Phase - FAA Grants 036/037 | |||
| 2025/26 | Federal Grant 036 (95%) (accepted) | $7,810,900 | Administration/Legal/Advertisement | $6,209 |
| 2026/27 | Federal Grant 037 (90%) (anticipated spring 2027) | $12,769,200 | AGIS Design (Amendment No. 1) THIS COUNCIL ACTION | $114,200 |
| 2024/25 | Airport Improvements Fund (Reprogrammed) | $25,000 | End Fire Glideslope Design | $75,000 |
| 2025/26 | G.O. Bonds | $531,750 | Construction Services THIS COUNCIL ACTION | $1,942,100 |
| 2026/27 | G.O. Bonds | $623,250 | AGIS As-Built THIS COUNCIL ACTION | $84,300 |
| 2026/27 | G.O. Bonds (previously issued) | $975,000 | As-Built Airport Layout Plan THIS COUNCIL ACTION | $39,400 |
| 2026/27 | Airport Improvements Fund | $42,500 | Grant Closeout THIS COUNCIL ACTION | $32,600 |
| Construction Contract - Runway 01/19 | $19,118,791 | |||
| IFE - AGIS and Construction Services | $10,000 | |||
| Glide Slope Refurbishment Kits | $340,000 | |||
| Flight Checks | $210,000 | |||
| Total Available Revenue | $24,047,695 | Revised Total Expense | $23,172,700 | |
| Available Revenue over Anticipated Expenses* | $874,995 | |||
*Federal grant reimbursement is based on actual eligible costs. Because lower eligible costs also lower the federal share, the actual local savings will be less than the amount shown.
- Approve the following amendments to the Master Agreement with Bolton & Menk, Inc., of Ames, IA, for the 2026/27 Airport Airside Improvements Project (Reconstruction of Runway 01/19):
- Amendment No. 1 for the AGIS Design Survey, in the lump sum amount of $114,200.
- Amendment No. 2 for Construction Phase Services, in an amount not to exceed $2,098,400.
- Do not approve the amendments. This would leave the City without the engineering services the FAA requires to administer, inspect, test and close out the grant-funded runway reconstruction, and to update the Airport’s AGIS data and Airport Layout Plan.
- Refer this item back to staff for further information.
The FAA requires these engineering services to administer, inspect, test and close out the federally funded runway reconstruction, and to update the Airport’s AGIS data and Airport Layout Plan. The fees are less than estimates included in the approved project budget and are eligible for 95% FAA reimbursement. Therefore, it is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council adopt Alternative No. 1 a-b, as noted above.