Airport terminal plans move forward

By TOM LAVENTURE

tlaventure@yourdailyglobe.com

Ironwood Township — With air terminal modification bids due in a week the work to renovate the Gogebic-Iron County Airport to better handle an increase in passengers will be underway before the year is out. 

The renovations will expand the current holding area seating from 27 to 46, according to airport manager Michael Harma at the airport board meeting on Monday. The seating is required as Denver Air Connection flights are now boarding in excess of 30 passengers on Chicago flights and nearly as many to Minneapolis.

The terminal modifications are a redesign of existing space and not an expansion of the building, he said. The changes are also to increase the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) area.

To create this space, the ticket counter will be shifted east of the current location in the terminal lobby, he said. The baggage carousel will also shift and a second carousel will be added to allow for boarding screenings and arrivals. 

The redesign will also reduce the size of the air traffic organization room, which is the airport’s operations area.

“We are shrinking the ATO office and the airline is on board with that,” Harma said. “They know we need a larger passenger seating area.”

The anticipated challenges for the project are with manufacturer delivery times for a new door and several new chairs, he said. The project will also require working around airport flight operations and makes Saturday an optimal day for working as there are no commercial flights.

There are currently two bid estimates, Harma said. The deadline is a week away. 

Dan Siirila, the airport board member from the Gogebic County Commission, said that the approved contractor must have a letter on file with the county noting that all people working on county property are covered under Worker Compensation Programs of the U.S. Department of Labor.

The board discussed the issue of a pay increase or bonus for five airport employees who worked through the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown as essential workers. The board tabled discussion to determine the potential impact on other county departments and the outcome of the federal pandemic relief legislation.

In the airport manager’s report, Harma said that a major airport project for next construction season will be completing the taxiway reconstruction. The east and west taxiway sections have been reconstructed in the past five years and the remaining center section will have its first rebuild in 25 years. 

During the construction, planes will need to turn around on the ramp or take an alternate course on the runway.

The airport parking expansion is nearly completed with the lights in place, Harma said. The remaining work to press pavement around the lights and build up areas on the edges will require the lot to be closed until the work is completed.

New tri-fold hangar doors have arrived and are installed on Hangar No. 5, Harma said. The work was delayed for a month waiting for manufacturer delivery.

The airport has leased a 5,000 gallon jet aviation fuel truck with a pump. The truck is critical as demand has brought the fuel farm level down to 300 gallons at one point before the fuel trucks arrived, he said.

It is a good temporary solution to a long-term goal of expanding the fuel farm or purchasing a fuel truck, Harma said. 

In other business, the board directed the airport staff to create a draft hangar storage lease agreement. The agreement would be to better define airport and renter rights, rates and liability to include a hold harmless clause for the counties. 

The action also directed staff to include payment due dates on fuel purchase and hangar lease invoices. The updated invoices will note that interest will be assessed with nonpayment and eventual cash-only fuel purchases and possible loss of hangar space.