Economic and educational development are key elements in news airport terminal
Groundbreaking is just a few months away for the new terminal at the Ashland County Airport.
The $1.6 million project has been in the planning stages for just over two years, beginning in November 2021. Commissioners appropriated the final financial piece of the puzzle Thursday.
Tom Zupan, one of five trustees on the Ashland County Airport Authority board, lead architect Brad Adams and and ACAA board member Steve Bechtol were the three main speakers at last week's meeting.
“It is dilapidated, woefully undersized and not ADA compliant,” Zupan said about the current 800-square-foot terminal. “Sometime in 2001, during one of our meetings, we started serious discussions about what to do about it. It has been inadequate for a number of years, and I believe it was built in 1971.”
The terminal will be 3,868 square feet with a pilots lounge, classroom, hospitality/vending area and several other updated areas.
Zupan said nearly $400,000 was spent acquiring nearby private land and six private hangars not owned by the county or the Airport Authority. No county money was spent on the purchases.
“It really was the optimum site for a new terminal,” he said. “It is the first thing you see when you pull into the airport. But it also has an 8,000-square-foot hangar, the largest hangar on the field, which will hopefully go toward our long-range ambitions of a flight school.”
Roof will resemble airplane wings
Adams, from VSWC Architects, said the plans for the building are intended to capture the spirit of aviation.
“It was a collaborative effort to put this design together,” Adams said. “It has traditional designs. Very contemporary in its styling.”
Adams said the roof will resemble airplane wings, the two columns to reference landing gear and in the center is a glass canopy, referencing the canopy of an aircraft.
“That allows the full interior lobby to be flooded with natural light,” he added. “It helps complete the overall design.”
“Economic and educational development is a key part of this,” Bechtol said. “Discussion for this has been going on for nearly 20 years now. We have been trying to pursue a new building. ... We have had serious discussion for almost all of that with Ashland University or other universities for pursuing a four-year degree flight program at the airport. But a big stumbling block has been there just isn’t the facilities or lack of facilities here.”
Missed out on Medevac Unit because of lack of infrustructure
Bechtol went on to say about 10 years ago they were approached about obtaining a Medevac Unit but were told the infrastructure was not there.
“And that would have really enhanced safety for our residents in Ashland County,” Commissioner Mike Welch said.
“That would have,” replied Bechtol. “To have a helicopter right here. That is another of the mixed use and economic development that we missed out on because of our lack of a building.”
Funding for the terminal will be obtained in five areas. Before Thursday’s meeting, $150,000 from an Ohio Department of Transportation grant, $526,250 from an original American Rescue Plan Act allocation and $103,773.33 from Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency had been allotted.
After the presentation an additional $244,150.38 from ARPA and $482,826.29 from capital projects funding were approved by the three commissioners. The ARPA funds were on the original agenda and Welch asked the capital project money be put in the form of a motion that was approved.
June is the anticipated groundbreaking, with a completion date scheduled for spring 2025.
“Simonson Construction has been preapproved to be the builder,” Zupan said. “They know where we launch from here. We are ready to go. It is time to pull the trigger.”
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Ashland County Ohio Airport terminal about to get growth spurt
