It doesn't hurt to ask.
The Aeronautics Board of Trustees, which oversees operations at the Kalamazoo County/Battle Creek International Airport, plans to apply to the Federal Aviation Administration for federal funds to build a new $39.4 million airport terminal.
It's hard to say whether the board will get the money.
Yet it is becoming clear that renovating and expanding the existing terminal, parts of which were built in the 1950s, is not a practical option.
We probably would have been able to muddle by with the current terminal for quite a while longer, were it not for 9/11.
But the aviation catastrophe of that day has meant that flying in America has changed dramatically, and the buildings that facilitate aviation are being expected to meet new demands. The Kalamazoo terminal has little space for luggage inspections. At 6 a.m., when the first flights of the day are getting ready to leave, the line of passengers waiting to clear security stretches nearly to the door. There are few amenities for waiting passengers once they're in the boarding area.
Two years ago, county officials made plans for a new $30 million terminal. But that plan was shelved after construction bids came in higher than expected and federal funding became uncertain.
This time, the strategy is to secure the federal funds first and then decide how much new terminal can be built.
With the lion's share of those passengers going through the airport traveling on business, Kalamazoo's business community has an interest in making sure that local airport facilities are adequate. Anyone trying to persuade a business to locate in this area knows that it is easier to make the pitch if there is a convenient airport.
Airport officials believe this is a good time to apply for federal airport construction dollars. The funds are there. They can't be used for anything else.
It is estimated that the federal dollars will cover some 90 percent of the cost of building a new terminal. State funding would cover another 5 percent. The balance would come from the fees included in each passenger's ticket price.
We think the county and airport officials are taking a wiser route this time, securing the necessary funding before the first architectural drawings are made.
If the funding is forthcoming, the plans that are made will be based upon it. And that makes good sense in more ways than one.
