The Delta County Board on Tuesday approves the request for qualifications, or RFQ, from Mead & Hunt for design and construction of upcoming improvements at Delta County Airport. (Courtesy photo)

ESCANABA – The Delta County Board on Tuesday approved Mead & Hunt to complete several improvement projects at Delta County Airport.

The board has authorized spending a total of $425,000 in the Airport Capital Improvement Program for design and construction to expand the airport’s snow removal equipment building and relocate the sand building. Mead & Hunt, based in Middleton, Wis., had the only response to the airport’s request for qualifications, or RFQ. County Administrator Emily DeSalvo noted an RFQ, rather than the usual request for proposal or RFP, is a Federal Aviation Administration regulation.

The Delta County Airport will work with Mead & Hunt on the projects, which are expected to start between now and 2027. Mead & Hunt has named Andrew Panetta as project manager, Stephanie Green as client manager and Stephanie Ward as principal-in-charge.

The Airport Advisory Board at a special meeting Friday unanimously approved Mead & Hunt, an architectural, engineering, planning and construction services firm. The county board’s vote Tuesday was the final authorization needed.

Mead & Hunt has been the airport’s engineering consultant the past two years. The RFQ stated “Mead & Hunt and our partnering firm, Dynamic Design Group, Inc. (DDGi), have unmatched knowledge of these upcoming projects and the conditions and situations surrounding them. Our familiarity with the airport and our work on the recent airport projects provides us with a thorough understanding of the proposed improvements.”

In other business Tuesday, the council:

– Granted an extension to Face Addiction Now Delta County to spend all of its $19,800 Opioid Settlement Fund grant over the next year. The original deadline was 30 days after receiving the grant. In its Oct. 2 letter of request, FAN stated it had spent $5,549.39 of the grant.

– Discussed Delta County’s full-scale exercise, “Operation Northwoods Landing,” on Sept. 25 to simulate responding to a large-scale disaster at the airport. Delta County Emergency Management Coordinator Paul R. Geyer and Delta County Airport Manager Ashleigh Young completed the exercise, which the FAA requires every three years, according to DeSalvo. DeSalvo also stated this training event was the largest ever done at the airport, drawing more than 90 participants and 15 different agencies, one board member said.

– Noted the Woman, Infants and Children, or WIC, system in Michigan will be unavailable as updates are made from 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, through Sunday, Oct. 19. The public will not be able to buy WIC foods or formula during this period, DeSalvo said. She directed the public to go to michigan.gov/wic for more information.

– Discussed that the IT Committee is looking at different locations to move the data center out of the courthouse basement. The IT Committee is also considering placing additional cameras in the boardroom to record different angles, not just from the ceiling.

– Announced the county is officially in the new fiscal year and staff are wrapping up accounts for FY 2025. An audit for FY 2025 will be done sometime in February or March.

– Authorized filling the vacant veteran service officer position now that David Dziewior has taken over as the Veterans Affairs director.

– Motioned to seek a probation officer, after Judge Perry Lund promoted Matt Hughes to juvenile probation supervisor.

— Reappointed Cheryl Ohman to the Delta Area Transit Authority Board and Michelle Miron to the Department of Human Services Board.

– Accepted the resignation of John Denholm, a longstanding member of the Planning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals, as he is no longer a Delta County resident.

Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.