Airport Director Mark Davidson told commissioners the Smith Reynolds Airport received a FAA contract‑tower grant award totaling $1,786,300 under the FY2025 Contract Tower Program and that renovations require flexibility to address unknown site conditions. Davidson said Lomax Construction was the low bidder for tower construction at $1,232,500 and staff requested an FY26 appropriation of $119,745 from airport committed fund balance to bridge local cash needs until federal and state reimbursements are processed.

Davidson said the FAA/NCDOT review included an allocation for possible unknown site conditions (including potential hazardous materials such as asbestos) and that the tower will be closed for approximately 60 days during construction. He said staff coordinated with the FAA and flight‑safety offices on runway operations and that Unicom service would be used during the tower closure.

On a separate airport item, Davidson described a NCDOT grant (using FAA airport infrastructure funds) of $881,000 to purchase a new crash‑fire‑rescue truck. The low bid from Oshkosh Airport Products was $1,000,300. The project requires a local match and contingency; staff asked to appropriate $172,776 from airport reserves to cover the local share and allow purchase. Davidson said the county bid the truck to meet FAR 139 requirements and had considered a list of optional safety upgrades (disc brakes, engine brake, electric ladder) totaling roughly $50,000; because of pricing the Oshkosh bid remained lower than a Rosenbauer alternative even with added features.

Commissioners asked about exposure if federal reimbursement were delayed by the federal shutdown. Davidson and budget staff said they would not authorize purchase until a grant agreement was executed and that the state (NCDOT, as block‑grant manager) is the primary reimbursement path; staff said they will check with state partners about possible impacts from the shutdown.

Both items included requests to amend the FY26 budget ordinance and the county capital projects ordinance to accept transfers from airport fund balance and to position projects for timely execution once grant agreements are in hand.