The airport facility building is finished - well, almost.

Actual construction of the Vernal Regional Airport building itself is complete, but finishing touches like a paved apron, paved parking, curb and gutter, and landscaping remain undone.

That’s because final construction costs exceeded the $328,000 grant received to fund the building’s completion.

“The grant came from the Utah Permanent Community Impact Board (CIB) which under-funded construction by about $100,000,” says Darlene Burns, Uintah County commissioner.

Airport manager Kelly Harvey said, “the building was completed around January-ish 2009” and currently houses heavy equipment, maintenance machinery, and office space.

“What we need now is basically some road base or gravel for the parking area to keep the mud from tracking onto the driveway or into the building,” Harvey says.

To date, however, “because of the cost over run there is no asphalt or skirting around the building” said Burns, who spoke to the joint meeting of city and county officials on Feb. 26.

The shortfall, says Kelly Hays, Uintah County facility manager, “is not due to errors in design projections or a rise in material costs, but rather an unexpected expenditure to hook up sewer to the installation.”

Hays, who came on the project at the building phase, says engineering projections for construction were based on sewer access.

But, there is no sewer access available along the airport road.

According to Hays the builder, Brett Woods Construction, had to adjust the scope of construction to provide a septic wastewater disposal system instead.

“This is a prefabricated metal building, so there wouldn’t be any change orders for building construction,” explains the manager.

Usually, on facility-type prefabricated buildings, no architectural firms are used, as engineering services develop plans for building construction, says Hays.

Nonetheless, a quarter of the final cost in overage is a substantial over run say officials in attendance at the meeting, who requested more information about the history of the project.

Still, time is of the essence, says Ken Bassett, Vernal City manager, noting concern for the integrity of the building and the safety of its surroundings.

“There is no pavement or concrete around the building,” says Bassett. “This allows the spring melt to run mud onto the tarmac and driveways.”

According to the Vernal City manager “we have received a bill for one-fourth of the amount to complete construction.”

Burns stated that information would be compiled for the next meeting of city and county officials in the last week of March.

In the meantime, “recycled road base may be applied to the parking area to slow the mud flow,” says Hays, who adds they plan to furnish the office space with recycled county-owned furniture. “What we really need are filing cabinets, got any?”

mbernard@vernal.com