b'WINTER OPERATIONSBIS 53 When researching the new location, KLJ performed an airspace line-of-sight study for the FAA. It helped determined that the building could be 28 feet high and not obstruct the view of air traffic controllers. Ubl describes the structure of the building itself as relatively straightforward. We laid out the footprint, covering the location and sizes of the doors, and included specifications for the roof materials, thickness of the walls, colors and other items.The main component of the building was pre-engineered steel from Nucor, cut to the architects specifications. We basically ordered a kit of parts, says Ubl. The only drawback was that we had to wait for all of the parts to be delivered so we could start on the shell of the building. Better Crew QuartersThe new snow removal equipment building includes improved accommodations for airfield maintenance workers. There are five beds, so they can take a break at the airport and get some sleep during longer snow events. The break room includes a microwave, refrigerator and kitchen table. Everything is self-contained, says Haug. There are showers in the mens and womens bathrooms.responsible. From 7 feet in, our company was in charge. Basically, bl had architectural oversight of the whole building, while KLJChallenges Overcomehandled site improvements, including utilities, apron, new accessHarsh weather delayed construction because Bismarck received roads, parking, fencing and security. near-record amounts of snow during winter 2022/2023. The area The firms worked together on some assignments, such asalso had the longest period with at least 8 inches of snow on the electrical design, creating bid documents and site selection.ground and broke several other weather records. By mid-April They also collaborated on change orders, although KLJ had final2023, a significant amount of snow still covered the jobsite, so the responsibility to submit those to the FAA for approval. Becausecontractor used bulldozers to push snow out of the way. KLJ specializes in the aviation industry, it was also responsible forFortunately, the weather in fall 2023 was much better, and overall program and grant management, including all interactionsthe main shell of the building was done before the winter of with the FAA. 2023/2024, says Neigum. We had a tight schedule; we had to The need for a new storage facility wassend two close-out reports to the FAA by early May 2024 in order getting more and more obvious, says Tomto get the grant money. We were able to finish those by Aprila Neigum, a senior project manager with KLJmonth early.Engineering. The old building was too small;Procurement issues caused another slight hiccup. Getting a it had already been updated several times.few electrical components held us up a bit toward the end of the The doors were undersized. In fact, the airportproject. They came in well after the shell was completed. We were maintenance people sometimes had to removeable to work around that to stay on schedule, Ubl affirms.attachments to get some of the plows into theTOM NEIGUM Meetings were held throughout the project to inform existing building, he explains. stakeholders about the status of construction. Attendees usually The new facility has room for all of the airports snow removalincluded representatives from KLJ, bl, the airport, air traffic equipment, with six storage bays. Each has a door on oppositecontrol, FAA local office, North Dakota Aeronautics Commission ends, so vehicles can enter through one and exit through the other.and the local Fire Department.All of the deicing equipment, plus liquid runway deicer and sandReady for Winterinventory, can fit inside the new building. In the past, liquid deicer andThe impending 2024/2025 winter seems less intimidating with the some other materials had to be stored outside, subject to the elements. new snow removal equipment building complete. By design, it will The location of the previous building also was not ideal. It wasincrease the airports efficiency to tackle the snowy, icy weather that tucked back, away from the taxiways and runways, Neiguminvariably comes through Bismarck. explains. The new building is located at the west side of the airfieldIt will be nice to have all of our equipment under one roof, Haug right off the taxiways, and provides the maintenance crew with adeclares. There is now room to store even larger snowplows. We better line of sight of the conditions on the airfield.AirportImprovement.comOctober 2024'