The opening of a new terminal building at the
Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport on April 27 comes 10 years after the planning process began, says Cliff Moshoginis, airport director.
The choices were to renovate the existing 57,000-square-foot terminal or build a new one.
"We weighed the options on the current terminal which is past its useful life," Moshoginis says.
"The building itself had gone through three additions and things like the HVAC system were getting dilapidated."
And the baggage claim and airport security areas became congested at peak travel times after the 9-11 attacks in New York.
The new 94,787-square-foot terminal will remove baggage screening and other security procedures from public view and also make the baggage claim area less congested.
The projected cost of the project was $40 million, however Moshoginis says the actual cost will be just over $36 million. He said the building is designed to accommodate any expansion which may be necessary within the next 30 years.
"The timing was good," he says of the new building. "The cost of materials like steel was lower."
Funding for the project came from state and federal grant money, which covered about $29.7 million of the total cost, with the remainder coming from parking and ticket fees and other sources.
Plans for a possible re-use of the old airport building will depend on whether anyone is interested in using the building for commercial or aviation-related activity. Moshoginis said if there is no such interest, the building will be demolished.
The public will get a chance to see the new terminal at an open house at 3 p.m. April 16.
Writer: Jane C. Parikh
Source: Cliff Moshoginis, Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport
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