Agenda Memo

City of Boulder City Council Agenda Item Meeting Date: March 5, 2026 Agenda Title Consideration of a motion to adopt Resolution 1372 authorizing the City Manager to execute a grant agreement with CDOT Division of Aeronautics for a pavement maintenance project at the Boulder Municipal Airport

Staff Contact • • •

Eric Vences, Airport Manager, Transportation and Mobility Blythe Bailey, Director, Transportation and Mobility Luis Toro, Senior Counsel, City Attorney’s Office

Draft Motion Language Staff requests council consideration of this matter and action in the form of the following motion: Motion to adopt Resolution 1372 authorizing the City Manager to execute a grant agreement with CDOT Division of Aeronautics for a pavement maintenance project at the Boulder Municipal Airport.

Executive Summary The purpose of this agenda item is to obtain approval by City Council for the City Manager to accept and sign a grant agreement with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Division of Aeronautics for a pavement maintenance project at Boulder Municipal Airport. This grant, if accepted, will have the impact of bringing a CDOT Division of Aeronautics award of $450,000 towards an upcoming capital project to rejuvenate the primary runway and taxiway surfaces. The CDOT grant assurance

assigned for this project type is three years, and therefore will not extend the City's grant obligations to continue operating the airport past May 2040. While not required for application, CDOT procedures require a municipality's governing body to support successful applications via resolution prior to a final award. Obtaining council support now will expedite acceptance of an award if granted.

Council Action Options Option

Outcome

Approve motion language as drafted

If the motion is approved the grant will be accepted and the project will move forward this year.

Define and adopt a modified motion

Council would need to define any modifications or amendments to the draft motion language. This will likely require staff to bring back an amended version of the resolution and/or grant agreement.

Deny the motion or take no action

If this motion is denied the project will move forward with local only participation and alternate revenue sources in the general fund will need to be identified.

Refer back to staff

If council refers this item back to staff we risk not completing the project this year which has the potential to stress the pavement causing deeper more expensive repairs in the future.

Alignment with City Plans and City Council History Sustainability, Equity and Resilience (SER) Framework and Citywide Strategic Plan Alignment SER Framework Goal Area This item aligns with the safe SER goal area. Citywide Strategic Plan This item aligns with strategy 2: Advance efforts to enhance regional disaster prevention, preparedness, and response that leverage existing partnerships and prioritize city investments. Staff Notes This item ensures our public infrastructure at the airport is well maintained and reliable. The airport has historically been utilized for fire and disaster response. Most notably during the 2013 flood the airport acted as an evacuation and emergency operations

hub. Well maintained primary runway and taxiway surfaces will ensure our pavements are safe for all aircraft to utilize.

Alignment with Additional City Plans This item is not applicable with any other City Plans.

City Council History The grant has not been considered at a prior city council meeting.

Analysis The CDOT Aeronautics Division has awarded a grant, in the amount of $450,000 to the City of Boulder that will provide funds for Runway 8 and Taxiway A to be crack sealed and seal coated. The project estimate submitted with grant application materials calls for a total project cost of $633,000. If the grant is accepted our local share will be $183,000. The local share will be covered with the approved 2026 budget by utilizing capital and airport administration budgets. This project is a typical pavement maintenance project. Crack seal and seal coats are typically applied to pavements to extend pavement life and are considered preventative maintenance. It is typical for seal coats to be applied every three to five years at airports. The runway was reconstructed in 2020 and included a seal coat of Taxiway A. Both sections of pavement are due for rejuvenation. If the project is delayed by even one more winter season the risk for minor cracks developing into major cracks increases with each freeze thaw cycle. It is important that this project occur to maintain a safe landing and take off surface and to comply with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant assurances. This grant agreement will be funded with State and local monies. The CDOT grant assurance assigned for this project type is three years, and therefore will not extend the City's grant obligations to continue operating the airport past May 2040. It is recommended that this grant be accepted to leverage CDOT Division of Aeronautics dollars with minimal grant assurance periods.

Equity Analysis This item does not have significant equity impacts. This is because the project is for preventative maintenance to existing pavements and will follow current City of Boulder purchasing guidelines.

Fiscal Note Estimated Fiscal Impact Narrative This project is estimated to cost $633,000. If we utilize $450,000 of CDOT grant monies the remaining local share of $183,000 will utilize FY 2026 approved budget and reallocate budgets from airport administration ($58,000) and capital programs ($125,000) within the airport fund.

Climate, Resilience, and Sustainability Considerations This item does not have significant climate or sustainability impacts. This is because the project is a pavement maintenance project on existing pavements and will not disturb earth or waterways.

Community Engagement Based on the nature and scope of this project, city staff determined that a formal community engagement process was not necessary. This is because this project is for pavement maintenance necessary to preserve pavement integrity as required by FAA grant assurances.

Workplan Considerations This project was identified in the 2026 Workplan under the Transportation and Mobility Department for the airport. This project will not cause another workplan item to be deprioritized.

Next Steps for City Council There will not be subsequent agenda items following a decision for accepting this grant award. Upon approval, staff will route the attached agreement and resolution for signatures and proceed with next steps with CDOT Division of Aeronautics.

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Attachments Attachment A - Draft CDOT Pavement Maintenance Grant Award Letter Attachment B – Resolution 1372