The $150 million makeover of Charleston International Airport's passenger terminal will start no later than February, and the latest estimate is as much as 10 percent higher than anticipated.
The preliminary cost is running about $12 million to $15 million higher than the budgeted amount, said Ken Burger with Michael Baker Inc., the firm selected to guide the airport through the overhaul.
"The wants are more than the budget," Burger said Thursday at a meeting of the Charleston County Aviation Authority. "We will try to find a way to meet all of the goals and meet the budget."
The contractor hired to oversee construction said it is committed to holding down the cost.
"We are aiming to bring the project in on time and under budget," said Tom Skinner of the Austin-Hitt construction team.
The complicated project is "on schedule and on track," according to Airports Director Sue Stevens.
The terminal makeover calls for six new gates, a third baggage carousel, a new rental-car pavilion, consolidated security checkpoints, a dome over the lobby and cosmetic and baggage-handling changes.
Funding will come partly from a fee the airport levies on all airline tickets. Also, the airport will borrow money by issuing bonds, a process that should begin in January.
The construction schedule was the source of debate Thursday. Authority Chairman Chip Limehouse wants the work schedule accelerated, while other board members said the project should not be rushed.
"We have been saying that we would start in the fall of this year, and now it's February," Limehouse said. "I want to know if there is any way we can shorten that up."
Tom Theobald with Fentress Architects, the Colorado firm hired to redesign the 27-year-old building, said it's possible that work could start sooner, but that it will likely start no later than February.
About 30 percent of the final design needs to be completed, and that should occur by the end of this month, airport Deputy Director Bill New said.
The massive undertaking still requires approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration, as well as from various permitting agencies.
The airport board has not decided whether to phase in construction in different parts of the terminal or have multiple projects going at the same time.
"That will come together once they get to 30 percent of the final design," New said.
Work on expanding the aircraft parking apron near Concourse A will start in October, a $15.6-million project that must be completed before workers can start adding more gates to the building.
North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey and Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, both airport board members, agreed that it would be unwise to rush the project.
"Getting it started before we are ready can create long-term issues down the road," Summey said.
"Haste can make waste," Riley said. "I'm comfortable with the schedule we are on and supporting that rather than compromising the quality and price."
The project also faces a lawsuit.
The second-place bidders on the construction contract, Holder Construction Co. of Atlanta and its local partners Mashburn Construction Co. and CCCS International, filed suit in Charleston County circuit court Aug. 17, asking the court for an injunction to hold up the work until its complaint can be heard.
The Holder team claims it was the higher-ranked bidder, the board didn't follow proper procurement procedures and that a former airport board member's ties to the Austin-Hitt team tainted the bidding process.
An airport appeals panel ruled that Holder's protest was "unsupported by facts or law."
Reach Warren L. Wise at 937-5524 or twitter.com/warrenlancewise.
Copyright 2012 - The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C.
