"Construction Costs Rise for Expansion of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa., Airport"

Friday, June 20, 2003

Construction Costs Rise for Expansion of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa.,
Airport
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (PA) Times Leader


Construction costs for the first part of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
International Airport expansion are running over budget and likely will
run higher for the new terminal project in the next phase, the airport
director said.

Additional work not written into the specifications for the parking
garage and roadway network is pushing individual costs between 3 and 4
percent higher, said Director Barry Centini.

"I think when you're doing $20 million worth of work you're going to see
change orders," he said Thursday at the airport's monthly meeting of the
bi-county board of commissioners. "We're looking at our next project of
$42 million. We're going to see some changes."

Centini responded to questions about a $134,207 change order submitted
for payment by Pikes Creek Site Contractors. The contractor was the low
bidder at $10,382,811 for site work in the first phase of the expansion
project.

Since being awarded the contract in November 2001 the cost has risen to
$10,831,895 with added work.

The $6 million garage is 95 percent complete and the roadway network is
about 75 percent. The terminal project has not been started.

At the airport's request, Pikes Creek is doing additional work for
electrical and phone service and enlarging a catch basin that drains
storm water into the neighboring municipality of Avoca.

"We paid a fortune to have all these jobs planned out," said board
member Lackawanna County Commissioner Robert Cordaro. "This is a
substantial increase."

Centini said the work went beyond the limits set forth in the contracts
and is being done partly because it's needed and to stay in good
standing with Avoca.

"(Avoca) had their engineers there saying they would feel better if it
was a little bigger," Centini of the catch basin. "Our engineers felt it
was fine, but we acquiesced and said, 'Hey, we've been good neighbors.'
They've been good to us all along."

The airport anticipates that state and federal money will pay for a
share of the increases, added Centini. Most of the money for the
expansion totaling more than $62 million is from the state and federal
governments with the airport and Lackawanna and Luzerne counties
contributing the remainder.

The expansion is under way to improve the airport facilities, increase
service and spur economic development in Northeastern Pennsylvania,
airport officials have said.

But passenger numbers for May were down 14 percent compared to the same
period for last year. For the first five months of the year, operations
revenues are down $177,998 compared to 2002.

The numbers could improve later in the summer if Delta's Comair regional
jet service increases the number of seats on its flights to 50 from 40.
Centini said he has an "inclination it's going to happen," but needs
airline confirmation.

Delta Comair spokesman Nick Miller confirmed Centini's comments. The
airline will increase the seats on the equivalent of two-round trip
flights. The jets are the last flights to arrive from Cincinnati and
Atlanta each night and the first to leave for those destinations in the
morning.

The change is being made in August so the airline can position certain
size jets in markets where they are needed, Miller said.

After the discussion of the increased construction costs, the board
unanimously approved the change order payment. But it was not in total
agreement on an employee vacation and sick leave policy.

Luzerne County Commissioner Steve Urban said the policy discriminated
between clerical personnel and management on the amount of sick leave
they can carry over from year to year and sell back.

As far as he was concerned, said Urban, clerical personnel are part of
management and should be allowed to sell up to 100 days of unused sick
leave to the airport upon retirement just like management.

Instead the policy allows clerical personnel to sell up to 60 days of
unused sick leave.

Centini said the clerical personnel have benefits similar to the
unionized employees. Management operates under different schedules, has
decision-making responsibilities and is called back to work overtime,
unlike the clerical workers.

The policy was put to the board for a vote, said Centini, because of the
dispute over payment to James Brunozzi of $21,075. Brunozzi retired from
his superintendent of facilities position in April after 19 years of
service. He left to work full-time on the staff of state Sen. Robert
Mellow, D-Peckville.

Luzerne County Controller Steve Flood has refused to pay the money to
Brunozzi. But with the approval of the policy by the board in 5-1 vote
with Urban opposing it, Flood can no longer refuse, said Luzerne County
Commissioner Tom Makowski.

"As long as the board approves it," he said, "it's the controller's
responsibility to pay it."


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