Port of Whitman approves funding for City of Tekoa airport fuel

Port of Whitman commissioners approved to execute a loan/grant agreement with the city of Tekoa to assist with the airport fueling station at their meeting Wednesday morning, July 3.

In early June, Tekoa Councilman Roy Schultz requested funding from the port during a meeting. He explained the airport fueling provider wanted to sell his business, and the city did not have the funds to keep the fueling station in operation.

The drafted agreement between Tekoa and the port said the port would grant Tekoa $9,000 and loan $9,000, that would be paid back at $.75 per gallon of fuel sold starting in Oct. 2020.

Tekoa city council also approved the agreement.

In other business, the port also rejected the lone bid for the Flightline Drive Realignment and Drainage Project at the Colfax Airport.

The project would entail paving airport roads and installing a drainage system.

The project went out to bid in June, and Motley-Motley of Pullman submitted the lone bid which surpassed the engineer estimate cost of the project by 44 percent.

Engineers estimated the project would cost about $465,000, but the bid came in for about $656,000.

Commissioners decided to issue another bid call in November for construction in 2020.

The Federal Aviation Agency issued a grant for $497,661 for the project and the port anticipates another $150,000 will be added next year.

“We predict that if we put the bid out in November, it’ll be at the beginning of the bidding season and contractors will be a lot more interested,” Port Properties Manager Debbie Snell said.

Port commissioners also agreed to send a letter of support for the Pullman-Moscow Airport development program grant.

The grant would help attract a second airline with flights east to Denver and require community donations to increase the chance of getting the grant. They have approximately $235,000 from community donations to date.

During commission updates, Port Chair Kristine Meyer said the Palouse River and Coulee City (PCC) rail system met June 25 and announced they have $12 million for capital projects.

Meyer also said PCC is in the final negotiations with Omaha Track as the new operator for the Marshall to Moscow line. Omaha is expected to take over in August, and they plan to hire many of the employees of present operator, Washington & Idaho Railway.