The engineering firm for the city-owned Washington-Warren Airport for the next several years is the firm that’s been assisting the city with the airport.

During its Nov. 23 meeting, Washington’s City Council unanimously voted to hire Talbert & Bright to provide airport planning, environmental analysis, preliminary and final designs, estimating, bidding and construction management and other functions. The firm also will be expected to help prepare applications for grants related to airport work and provide technical assistance and advice concerning airport needs, future development, funding strategies and implementation of airport projects, according to a city document.

The N.C. Department of Transportation requires that local governments that own airports seek requests for qualifications from engineering firms every five years. The city received four proposals. Talbert & Bright’s compensation depends on the work it does for the city.

The city, with assistance from Talbert & Bright, continues to seek funding sources to help pay for improvements at the airport. Talbert & Bright was involved with the most recent major project at the airport, the building of a new terminal building. The grand opening of that new facility was held in May.

In January, the City Council adopted a resolution related to improvements at the airport. The city decided to use $89,109 in state grant funds to help pay for lighting rehabilitation for runway 5-23.

The city provided $9,901 (or 10 percent) of the total $99,010 in state aid to airports earmarked for that project. This grant was to be combined with another grant, approved by the council June 9, 2014, to help fund airport improvements. The overall project’s cost is $419,740.80, according to Lewis.

The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation provided $288,657.90 toward the overall project, with $89,109 coming from the Vision 100 funds program. The city provided $41,974.10 toward the overall project cost.

The project deadline is July 1, 2018.

The project includes replacing the runway edge lights, replacing the runway lighting circuit and installing a new, lighted wind cone, among other work.

That action is in addition to other airport-related actions taken by the council in recent years.

In December 2014, the council amended the city’s budget ordinance to complete funding for engineering services for the engineering of the approach surveys and analysis project at the airport.