Eastern Iowa Airport terminal to get $47 million makeover

Cedar Rapids' front door is about to get a $47 million face-lift.

The Cedar Rapids Airport Commission is expected to award a contract on June 2 for the first phase of a passenger terminal modernization project at The Eastern Iowa Airport.

The work will include significant external and internal changes for the 28-year-old facility - promoting what, for many companies considering the Corridor as a place to do business, can be their first impression of the area.

'A new canopy on the front of the terminal will include several features in keeping with the commission's desire to incorporate local design elements,” said Matt Dubbe, an architect with Mead & Hunt, a Madison, Wis.-based architect and design consultant.

'The primary canopies will be taller and protrude farther over the driveway than the secondary canopies, to identify points of entry and cover guests. The longer secondary canopies will be made using curved beams to create what appears to be a sine wave,” evoking an image of undulating farm fields.

Visitors approaching the western end of the terminal will see a landscaped courtyard area with mechanical equipment hidden behind a 10-foot-high steel screen. An existing door leading into the ticketing area of the terminal will be replaced with a glass facade.

Airport Director Tim Bradshaw said plans call for the secondary canopy to extend to the rental car ready lot east of the terminal. The exterior changes also include the installation of panels along the walkway to the northern part of the parking that will help shield users from wind and rain, he added.

'We expect to have the majority of the exterior work completed by the end of the year,” Bradshaw said.

During phase two, which is anticipated to start Jan. 15, 2015, Dubbe said skylights will be installed in the roof of the terminal to incorporate more natural sunlight. The front windows of the terminal will be replaced to bring additional natural light into the building.

'The floor in main circulation areas of the terminal will be a light-colored, epoxy-based terrazzo inlaid with an abstract pattern representing the Cedar River flowing through the terminal,” Dubbe said. 'It will serve as a way-finding tool through the terminal, from east to west, and connect with a circulating water feature in the west wall of the building.”

Bradshaw said the third phase - which will include expanding the lower level B concourse to add gates and jetways and moving the existing Sam Adams Pub and Tic Tok Restaurant to widen the security checkpoint - likely will begin in July 2015 and last into early 2016.

'We're trying to keep these projects spaced so we can start them as soon as possible after the preceding phase is completed,” Bradshaw said. 'We want to get through this as quickly as possible, but I think it will be easier on people if they see us making progress.

'We need to keep rolling along.”

The final phase of the modernization will involve adding seating areas on the upper C concourse to accommodate higher levels of passenger traffic at the airport. April was another record month in terms of passengers using the airport, continuing a trend that must be addressed.

'We will probably start that phase in late 2016, and it will continue into 2017,” Bradshaw explained. 'We have been facing serious constraints as our passenger traffic continues to increase.”

Bradshaw said the airport's role in economic development prompted the commission to invite representatives of major employers such as Rockwell Collins to review the airport's master plan.

'These are the folks involved in recruitment,” Bradshaw said. 'They wanted a modern, well-lighted, technologically advanced airport. We have taken their views into consideration as we have developed plans for the terminal.”

Ninety-seven percent of the terminal modernization costs will be eligible for Federal Aviation Administration funding.

'The majority of that money is coming from our federal Airport Improvement Program entitlement funds, which are about $3.5 million each year,” Bradshaw said. 'That will not cover the entire cost, so we will use airport commission funds to cover the remainder and pay ourselves back with passenger facilities charge revenue. We also will use some state grant funding.”

Bradshaw said the airport will not incur any long-term debt or need to sell any bonds to fund the terminal upgrade.

'We will do this on a pay-as-you-go basis,” Bradshaw said. 'We are still on track to make our final debt payment in fiscal 2015 and then the airport will be debt free.”

While owned by the city of Cedar Rapids, the airport does not receive any city or county property tax revenue. The airport derives its funding from airline revenues, terminal concessions, ground and facility leases, landing fees, ramp fees, parking revenue and farmland rental.

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New taxiway will improve runway access

Federal budget sequester almost delayed project

While construction will not begin until this summer to remodel and modernize the passenger terminal at The Eastern Iowa Airport, a $4.95 million airfield project is progressing toward completion.

Streb Construction of Iowa City began work on Taxiway E last fall with grading and utility work, but had to wait until after the winter months to begin pouring concrete.

The taxiway, which will be parallel to the airport's secondary runway - known by the airport as 13/31 - will provide easier access to the northwest end of the runway and allow taxiing aircraft to be farther away from ramp areas.

Approval of a $5.2 million federal grant enabled construction to begin last fall. The Federal Aviation Administration will pay for 90 percent of the construction cost.

The discretionary funding from the FAA's airport improvement program had been in doubt because of the potential effect of the federal budget sequestration.

'If we had not received the grant, it would have moved the project back to 2018,” said Airport Director Tim Bradshaw.

The Cedar Rapids Airport Commission received four bids for the project, with the lowest bid just above $4 million and the other three above $5 million. The commission approved Streb's low bid of $4.95 million to build the taxiway and related connections to the airport's ramp.

Completion of Taxiway E is scheduled for fall this year.

-George C. Ford, The Gazette