City representatives are making headway on a project that could bring a positive economic impact to Pontotoc County.
About 30 airplanes touch and go out of Ada Municipal Airport every day.
When pilots land, they come through an outdated terminal, which was built in 1950. When Ada City Council members voted unanimously to accept a bid from an Ardmore construction company to build a new terminal, airport staff members were thrilled.
“It shows that a lot of people put a pencil to it and wanted to make this work,” said airport manager Terry Hall.
Scott Darbison–manager of flight base operations–said, “We get a brand new office, which will be good for me!”
The bid went for about $1 million–almost $200,000 less than the project’s estimated cost.
Hall tells us this has been in the works for three to five years.
“There’s always the vision of a new building, to give the airport a new look, to bring it more up to date with contemporary standards,” said Hall.
The new terminal will be about 4,200 square feet, and will feature contemporary amenities such as a new lounge. It will also be farther away from the runways to meet standards set by the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission.
Although the airport manager says the current terminal is still fully operational, it is 64 years old and in need of this facelift, which could mean great things for both the airport and the city of Ada.
“This actually becomes the new front door of the city,” said Hall, “because a lot of people fly to town to do business.”
Darbison added: “Hopefully it will bring more business into the airport. We get quite a bit of transient aircraft in, but it will really help to have a new terminal where people feel more comfortable.”
Hall says half of the project will be paid for with a grant from the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, and construction could begin this summer. We spoke with council member Bryan Morris over the phone later Wednesday afternoon, and he said accepting the bid was a no-brainer.
http://www.kten.com/story/25021689/ada-accepts-bid-to-build-new-airport-terminal