Jun. 21—The Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport board unanimously approved its 20-year master plan Tuesday that includes a new terminal.
The master plan considers present and future data, such as the airport's geographical information, aviation activity forecasts, airport layout plan, property map, solid waste recycling and costs of potential projects.
Doug Hoyt, airport board president, described the master plan as a "guide" for the next two decades.
"It's a planning document, not an absolute," he said.
According to airport officials, the Federal Aviation Administration requires a plan submitted every 10 years, but not necessarily a master that outlines every aspect of the airport's present and future needs.
A less-involved update called an airport layout plan was done 10 years ago.
This time around, a $600,000 FAA grant paid for the master plan study that was conducted in just under 20 months by CHA Consulting, which specializes in aviation design and planning.
Robert LaFayette, CHA aviation team leader and senior aviation planner, presented the master plan to the board.
In the master plan, LaFayette said current and future demands of the airport are factors that are weighed heavily, and then a "preferred development strategy" is developed.
"...A big component of this master plan was the terminal building," LaFayette said. "We know that it is aging; we understand that if we stay status quo we are going to be in a negative situation with the current building as is."
The original 14,000-square-foot terminal was built in the early 1950s.
In 2012, the terminal underwent an 8,500-square-foot expansion at a cost of $2.79 million. The project consisted of adding restrooms, expanding the baggage claim area and covering the area where the bags are loaded onto planes.
The master plan recommends building a new terminal within the airport's property at an estimated cost of nearly $60 million. The plan recommends keeping the current terminal and using it as a revenue generator.
Both Hoyt and Tristan Durbin, airport director, said building a new terminal is high on the priority list, but a project that size will take years to develop.
Durbin added that the recommendations by CHA won't be taken lightly.
"...You certainly have to give stock into it," Durbin said.
With the airport board's blessing, the master plan will now be submitted to the FAA for final approval.
"...You can't do anything with FAA money unless it's been approved by the FAA," Durbin said. "So if you have any potential of doing (a project) in the next 10 to 20 years, you won't be able to do it unless it's on the (master plan) list."
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