In late January 2017, water began to seep into the basement and crawl space areas of the Airport Terminal Building.  After an extensive investigation, the source was determined to be from the main 4 inch water line suppling the Airport Terminal Building, and more specifically, under a 30 foot section of the Terminal Building that could not be easily reached.  Emergency measures were taken to put in place a temporary water line alternative so that the leaking water line could be shut off to reduce any potential for sinkhole formation under the Terminal Building.  Staff subsequently proceeded with making repairs to ensure that the compromised water systems were repaired and back to normal before the busy Spring Break traffic and NAIA Women's Division 1 Basketball Tournament players and fans began to arrive.  Following the City's Purchasing Policies and State law 7-5-4303 MCA, staff is asking that the City Council adopt a resolution declaring an emergency for the repairs to the Airport Terminal Building water line main.  Passage of the resolution requires 3/4 of the Council members present to vote in favor of the resolution.  The emergency declaration allows the City Council to authorize the payment of all repair costs required to put in place a new replacement water line for the Terminal Building.  These repairs were completed on a time and materials basis.

City Council may:

• Approve the Resolution Declaring an Emergency, authorizing payments to the contractors for the repairs made; or
• Not Approve the Resolution Declaring an Emergency.

The estimated cost to complete the repairs to bring in a new water line into the Airport Terminal Building has been determined to be in the range of $80,000.  The funding is available in the Airport's Capital account where other projects can be delayed if necessary.

In late January 2017, staff began to notice water seeping up along the foundation wall in the Airport Terminal's boiler room located in the basement of the Terminal Building.  It was subsequently discovered that a nearby crawl space area was also becoming wet.  With the help of the Public Works Water Utilities staff, the water leak was determined to not be in the street in front the Terminal Building, and subsequently had to be along the remaining 30 feet that ran from the street to the boiler room under the Terminal Building.  Realizing that a plan to remedy this leak situation was going to take some time, staff began to worry that the prolonged leaking of the water pipe under the Terminal Building could result in a sinkhole situation that could ultimately cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix.  It was determined that an alternative water source was needed to temporarily feed the main water supply lines of the Terminal Building so the leaking water line could be shut off.   This was accomplished by temporarily tapping into the water supply for the fire sprinkler suppression system. 
 
Subsequently, a number of plans were evaluated including pipe bursting the old line and a plan to sleeve the existing 4 inch pipe with a 3 inch poly pipe.  The pipe bursting plan was eliminated because the pipe that would be burst was ductile iron, which is difficult to split and usually causes the ground to heave.  If the ground heaved, it would likely crack the glass curtain wall of the Terminal Building and the terrazzo floor.  The plan to sleeve the old pipe with a smaller poly pipe was dismissed after our contracted architects, CTA, did a water supply analysis based on the existing needs of the Terminal Building.  That calculation reflected that the Terminal Building would still need an additional 2 inch water line source.  The only other available source was from the water lines for the fire sprinkler suppression system and staff already knew that any permanent fix could not include the water lines for the fire sprinkler suppression system. 
 
The Airport's Building Maintenance Superintendent identified a plan that moved the water supply line to the west, into an abandoned service tunnel that could then be piped into the Terminal Building the approximate 30 feet needed to be parallel with the boiler room where the existing water main feed entered the building.  The pipe would then turn 90 degrees back to the boiler room through two foundation walls that had to be core drilled. Additionally, the repairs required bringing a new water line from the south side of the road in front of the Terminal Building, across all four traffic lanes and then under the 20 foot wide sidewalk to the location of the abandoned service tunnel.  Since a new water line was going to be installed, that line was upgraded to a 6 inch water line to ensure any additional future water needs for the Terminal Building could be easily met.
 
During March the Airport Terminal Building usually becomes significantly busier with Spring Break travelers.  This March, staff is anticipating an even busier Terminal Building with the additional influx of basketball players and fans coming to Billings for the NAIA Women's Division 1 Championship Tournament.  The anticipated high usage of the Terminal Building during March accentuated the need for the Terminal Building's water and fire protection systems to be at full service and capacity, and no longer in a compromised state.

Since the Airport Terminal Building is one of the City's busiest public facilities, used 365 days per year, the whole community would be considered a stakeholder.  Additionally, there are a number of local and national businesses located within the Airport Terminal Building that are totally dependent on the Terminal Building being open and operational in order for their businesses to be open and profitable.

This Council action follows the requirements of the City's Purchasing Policy and Section 7-5-4303 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA).