Shelby County has received the funds needed to pave the runway at the Shelby County Airport.

County Commissioners awarded a bid Monday night to Dunn Construction for the paving project.

According to Todd McDonald, the runway will receive a new asphalt surface and a sealant will be applied to the taxiway and older apron areas.

The $920,000 project will be funded by 95 percent federal monies and 5 percent state/county funds.

According to the bid, the runway will be closed for a maximum of 120 hours, and the contract includes a penalty clause of $100 per hour if the time limit is exceeded.

According to County Manager Alex Dudchock, the project is a continuation of the county’s airport improvement plan.

The resolution awarding the bid on Monday night stated the grant from the Federal Aviation Association amounts to $872,538. The state and the county will then contribute $22,961 each.

In other business relating to the Shelby County Airport, Dudchock reported that county staff members had met with members of the newly formed Shelby County Aviation Association.

&uot;It’s a very positive step,&uot; he said.

In other business, the commission approved a $200,000 grant for a Senior Community Center in Calera.

The 9,000-square-foot facility will be located on a three-and-a-half acre parcel of land on Highway 25.

Finally, the commission approved a number of bids during Monday’s meeting:

* Astech had the low bid on miscellaneous CBRNE equipment at $1,608. These funds are from 2005 Homeland Security grant monies.

* Metro Trailer Repair had the low bid on decontamination trailers at $7,500.

* Meeks Environmental had the low bid on sewer pump station wet wells and a treatment plant clairifier at $150 per hour (standard hours), $200 per hour (non-standard hours) and .03 per gallon for material disposal fees at the permitted site.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, county resident Jeff Smitherman came before the commission to ask about the legality of efforts by Alabaster Mayor David Frings to enforce codes outside the city limits of Alabaster.

Smitherman lives just outside the city limits on property his family has chosen to develop as a quarry.

He asked county officials about the legality of Alabaster’s efforts and threatened if the commission did not take action to stop the city, he would campaign against any effort at zoning in that unincorporated area.

Dudchock told Smitherman he would provide answers to his questions through the county’s Department of Development Services.