PELLSTON -- Plans will be drawn for two future construction projects at Pellston Regional Airport after the Emmet County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved their funding Thursday night.
Engineering firm Mead and Hunt has been hired to conceptualize and design a new general aviation terminal for private aircraft for about $90,000, which could replace the current structure in about three years. A second contract for $60,000 was also awarded Tuesday for the airfield electrical vault to provide backup power.
Both will be paid 100 percent by surcharge funds collected from traffic coming in and out of the Emmet County-owned airport.
The terminal conceptualization forecasts the next large-scale construction project at the Pellston airport. Construction remains ongoing at an $8 million building to house snow removal fire fighting and airport rescue equipment paid largely with an FAA grant and $189,000 of local taxpayer funds. The county also built an $8.1 million main commercial terminal in 2003.
"The (terminal) that is out there is fairly old and small," said Mead and Hunt representative Ron Engel, speaking with the commissioners earlier in the week. "What this project will do is just the design to look at concepts, floor plans and renderings to try to get an idea and figure out what it is (the county) wants on paper."
The terminal is currently used as both the main operations building at the airport including offices and conference areas, as well as a living room-size waiting area for private pilots and passengers.
The terminal began seeing added use in July when Lakeshore Express launched a 30-seat charter jet service flying three times weekly round-trip to Midway International Airport in Chicago.
Kelley Atkins, Pellston Regional Airport manager, told the board that between pilots that have up to eight hour layovers and the addition of the charter jet passengers, the terminal needs to be upgraded to accommodate peak-travel crowds. The county would also like to build a new terminal with improved amenities to maximize its attraction of private pilots and generate fuel sales at the airport.
"These corporate pilots with the layovers are the ones with the credit cards. They decide where they want to fuel up," Atkins said.
"I think I understand we are doing anything we can to attract more private planes in here," said Emmet County Commissioner Les Atchison, District 7.
Lakeshore Express owner Greg Stallkamp told the News-Review by phone Thursday his company is planning to add a fourth trip each week from Pellston to Chicago, but believes the terminal is adequate for his company's needs for 35 people with passenger and crew.
"At first we thought it would be way too small, but it has never been a problem for us," Stallkamp said. "I think it is a great facility, very well designed. It could be a little bit larger, but for our needs -- since we're about the largest group that is ever going to fly out of there -- the space itself has never posed a problem."
Stallkamp did however say it can be "somewhat" congested during a full flight when everyone has their luggage for the 15-20 minutes of waiting prior to takeoff.
"If they have unlimited funds -- maybe at most they should double the size of the area. Aside from that it is a great facility and nothing is absolutely necessary," he said.
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