Lee County supervisors approve $609,292 airport airfield lighting contract

At a recessed meeting, a county official presented a contract with Appalachian Foothills Contracting of Lexington, Kentucky, to perform an airfield electrical rehabilitation project at the Lee County airport, describing a scope that replaces lighting and underground wiring and converts fixtures to LEDs. “Total contract amount, $609,292,” the presenter said, adding that “the county's portion of that is about $13,000, 2%. FAA covers 90%. State covers 8%.”

The official told the board a pre-construction meeting had been held and the contractor planned to start work the following Monday, and requested authorization for the vice chairman to sign the agreement because the chairman was not available. Supervisor S1 moved to approve the contract and to allow the vice chairman to sign; S5 seconded. The transcript records the motion and second and contains no recorded opposition during that exchange.

Why it matters: FAA discretionary funding filled the district’s previously insufficient entitlement balance, enabling the full scope of lighting and wiring upgrades to move forward without the county bearing the bulk of the cost. County staff described the project as replacing incandescent fixtures with LED units and pulling and replacing underground conduit wiring — improvements officials said will reduce maintenance and improve lighting reliability.

Board next steps: The board authorized execution of the contract and directed staff to proceed. The transcript does not include a roll-call vote tally; the motion was seconded and no opposition is recorded in the public segments of the meeting.

Authorities and provenance: The contract item was introduced by the county presenter (S3). Topic in transcript: SEG 012–SEG 081; motion recorded SEG 073–SEG 076.

Ending: No additional conditions or amendments were recorded on the contract in the transcript; staff said construction was scheduled to begin immediately.