Federal regulators are moving ahead with plans to replace the aging air-traffic control tower at Tucson International Airport, with the project soon to enter the design phase.
The Federal Aviation Administration in early March issued a bid request to design the new TIA tower and an adjacent base building, with responses due March 28.
The design process is expected to start in May and take about 18 months to complete, said Jill Merrick, vice president of planning and development for the Tucson Airport Authority.
A related environmental assessment is expected to be completed this summer, Merrick said, adding that the overall project will take several years to complete.
TIA's current tower opened in 1958. Air-traffic controllers have complained that the 112-foot tower is too short by modern standards, too far from main aircraft approaches, and its windows are too small and subject to blinding glare.
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Merrick said the estimated total cost of the tower project is about $43 million.
The new tower site, selected in a process finalized last year, is on the west side of TIA's main north-south runway. The existing tower is east of the runway at the airport's executive terminal.
RENTAL CAR SHUFFLE
The latest round of lease and concession agreements for rental car companies at TIA will result in some changes.
The Tucson Airport Authority board approved five-year contracts Tuesday with the seven highest bidders - all current providers - based on minimum "privilege fee" amounts the rental companies agree to pay along with rent.
Enterprise was the top overall bidder, at more than $11 million over five years including separate bids for its Alamo and National car-rental subsidiaries. Enterprise offered to pay $4.4 million over five years for its operation, as well as $3.5 million each for the Alamo and National operations.
Hertz was the second-highest bidder, offering $5.7 million over five years. The other winners were Avis, Budget and Dollar.
Because the top bidder gets first choice of rental counter space and larger space, the rental companies will likely shuffle counter locations after the new concessions contracts go into effect Aug.1, TAA spokeswoman Mary Davis said.
Besides the privilege fee, rental-car companies also pay rent and charge a $4.50-per contract customer facility charge that is passed through to the airport authority to help pay off debt and fund improvements to the rental-car facilities.
Buffelgrass grant
Tucson International Airport and Pima County were recently awarded a $2.8 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Administration for a joint, three-year buffelgrass-eradication project, TAA's Merrick said.
Buffelgrass is an invasive African species that is fast-growing, highly flammable and potentially devastating to the desert ecosystem.
The joint project includes about 530 acres of land on and around the airport, as well as property at the county's Mission Complex.
In fall 2010, the TAA board approved spending $800,000 in funds to meet a partial funding match required by the FEMA program.
In the next step in the process, the Pima County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider matching funds for its part of the project, as well as an intergovernmental agreement, at its April 17 meeting, Merrick said.
Work is expected to start in a couple of months, after TAA and the county finalize an agreement, she added.
Contact Assistant Business Editor David Wichner at dwichner@azstarnet.com or 573-4181.