Work on the passenger terminal renovation — funded primarily through a $40 million state grant — is expected to start in mid-July to meet a substantial completion date of October 2018. Bids on the first of three phases will be awarded in late June, officials told Chemung County legislators Monday.
A July start date leaves about 15 months for crews to transform the airport into a functional and inviting space, complete with glass walls, a landscaped courtyard, a raised concourse and new jet bridges to accommodate larger planes, updated infrastructure and a renovated restaurant area.
“That, for a project of its size, is moving at the speed of light. There’s a lot of challenges involved,” said Jeff Wood, of McFarland Johnson, the airport’s consulting firm. “We’ve spent a lot of time going through a phasing plan, nitpicking everything, trying to figure out how to make it work. We think we’ve got a plan that will work.”
The passenger terminal will remain open and operating during construction, leaving a group of architects, consultants and engineers with the task of finding ways to divert passenger traffic while performing heavy construction.
Operations will be shifted to the western half of the existing terminal during the first phase of construction, said Jonathan McCredie, principal of Fennick McCredie Architecture, a Boston-based firm handling the airport’s design.
A temporary wall will divide the terminal, and certain functions — baggage claim, car rentals and an existing Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant — will shift to extra space in the ticket lobby area. Two of the airport’s four gates will also be blocked off.
From there, the terminal’s eastern half will be demolished and rebuilt, a process expected to be complete by April 2018. After the new section is complete, security will relocate to the new terminal entrance and the existing checkpoint will be demolished. Work will then shift to the western half, including renovations to the ticket lobby area.
The final phase will include finishing touches and behind-the-scenes work, McCredie said.
Officials don’t know exactly the consequences for not meeting the state’s October 2018 deadline, but Wood said state officials insist the project be completed quickly. “What we hear is that the governor, he wants to see action happen on these projects. He’s been instrumental in delivering money to communities and hasn’t seen enough progress on projects,” Wood said. “We are very confident that we will have a facility that the public sees that will be ready in October 2018.”
Multiple shifts of construction crews may be needed to meet the deadline, and the county legislature will have its part, too. The board will need to swiftly approve any bids, contracts and change orders associated with the project so construction can continue uninterrupted, Wood said.
Officials also are working with the Federal Aviation Administration to cover the $18 million share not funded by the grant. Discretionary and airport improvement funding could be secured for the project, as well as passenger facility charges, which are included in airfare prices for departing customers and can be used only for airport improvements.
The county must identify other sources of funding if FAA money doesn’t come through, said Deputy County Executive Mike Krusen. A letter will be sent to the state indicating that a combination of the airport’s existing capital improvement funding, passenger facility charges and local funds would be used to make up an unexpected shortfall.
“We have a high degree of confidence that we will get that money,” Krusen said, “but (the state) won’t let us proceed without that.”
A series of resolutions approved on April 10th by the Chemung County Legislature paves the way for work on an ambitious terminal renovation at the Elmira Corning Regional Airport to start in July.
Legislators unanimously voted to authorize advertisement of three bid packages for the $58 million project, approve an agreement with the airport’s consulting firm to oversee design and bid preparation, and allow County Executive Tom Santulli to send a letter of assurance to the state Department of Transportation, which will supply $40 million in grant funding.
A fourth resolution will allow County Treasurer Joseph Sartori to take out up to $15 million in revenue anticipation notes as needed for the project, which would then be reimbursed with state grant money.
‘AIRPORT OF TOMORROW’: State gives $40M for expansion
Each of the project’s three phases will have its own bid package, according to the bid authorization resolution.
The first package includes reconfiguration of the terminal, which will be divided in half by a temporary wall while construction starts on the east side. The baggage claim area will be relocated and two gates closed off while the eastern part of the terminal is demolished and a new foundation, steel skeleton, roof and temporary enclosure are built.
Airport’s $58M overhaul will occur in phases
Officials have said the project’s $18 million local share will be covered by the Federal Aviation Administration, including discretionary funds, the airport’s annual entitlement, and passenger facility charges that are included in departing ticket prices and can only be spent on airport improvements. However, the state requested a letter that identifies alternate sources of funding in case an anticipated $9 million of FAA discretionary funding isn’t obtained.
The October 2018 completion date “results in significant construction challenges as well as financing issues that must be addressed before this project can proceed,” Santulli wrote in a letter to legislators explaining the assurance process. “While we are extremely confident that we have identified a number of funding sources to minimize our local share contribution, it is imperative that we be flexible with project financing and provide assurances that funding will be available for project completion.”
New Elmira airport terminal could be done by late 2018
Once complete, the Elmira Corning Regional Airport’s terminal will include a landscaped courtyard, glass walls, a raised concourse and new jet bridges to access larger aircraft, updated infrastructure and a renovated restaurant area.