Lake County Executive Airport terminal building nearly complete
Published by: The News-Herald
By: Chad Felton
Original article found here
The Lake Development Authority has recently approved two change-order contracts, bringing the construction of the new terminal building at the Lake County Executive Airport in Willoughby closer to completion.
According to LDA Executive Director Patrick Mohorcic, a $38,590 change order was authorized to Marous Bros. Construction to meet First Energy Corp. requirements for relocating a transformer and bollards to a safer location.
Additionally, a $37,599 order was authorized to Marous stemming from “issues with the balcony” at the terminal building.
“We still needed to approve the change order,” Mohorcic said, addressing the board, adding that construction of the structure is anticipated to be finished by the end of the month.
Ancillary work, including furniture installation, is expected to finish in July.
“A meet-and-greet area will (also) be used as a conference room and meeting space,” Mohorcic said.
Airport Manager Nicholas Belluardo also updated the board on a flurry of activity, including work with federal authorities to fully reopen facility approaches.
“We’re still working with our partners to re-establish those, and I think we’ve found some good friends there who are helping us expedite the flight checks,” he said. “Runway 23 is open during the day for approaches.”
Belluardo added that checks are conducted at night to verify data, such as operational lighting, for night approaches.
“Runway 5,” he anticipates, “will be long-term,” regarding certification for approaches, with the Federal Aviation Administration requiring survey data before moving forward.
“We (airport management) also had a meeting with Shaker Heights-based Mannick and Smith Group discussing ideas and concepts for a snow removal building,” Belluardo said. “The FAA is pretty defined on what it will fund in an SR building and what it won’t….it’ll only fund a facility big enough for the number of pieces of equipment eligible for federal funding.
“Operationally, we know it takes more than a snowplow or broom to clean our airport, and the FAA will only allocate 1,600 square feet, which is essentially just paying for four walls, a roof and a door,” he continued. “Any other amenities would be our cost, so we’re working on what is going to balance local investment with (the) functionality of the building.”
Investment includes seeking federal dollars for expanding the structure layout to accommodate additional equipment, such as mowers.