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Airport terminal remodel has begun

Remodeling at the Kenai Municipal Airport terminal has begun. City Manager Paul Ostrander informed the city council of that at last week’s meeting.

“Construction did begin last week. However, there’s only going to be a small amount of work done before winter comes,” he said. “And the real work won’t begin until late-winter, early spring, probably April May. So there’ll probably not be a lot to see until we get into spring of next year.”

The project will update and modernize the terminal building, and because of it, Ostrander says city-owned art and other items on display will likely have to find a new home.

“One of the there however was a quilt donated to the city by a third grade class, Mrs. C’s third grade class in 2001. So it’s been hanging there for 16 years. It’s going to come down during construction and we’re not planning on putting it back up,” he said. “However it’s something at least put in your brain it may be something you want to hang back there. There’s a nice big blank wall on the backside of the chamber if it’s important. But I do think it’s something to take down and not go back up.”

The quilt, he added, probably won’t be the only item relocated.

“And there’s going to be other items that that is going to happen to as well. And some of them may create some amount of controversy, I don’t know. There’s some history on some of them,” Ostrander said. “Just giving you a heads up that’s what’s going on with the quilt that’s right next to the baggage claim.”

Councilman Jim Glendening, who is the council’s liaison to the Airport Commission, said he was pleased with the terminal rehabilitation project.

“It seems to be well-managed. All stakeholders are being included in discussions and their insights and observations are being included in decisioning,” he said.

Glendening added that both the FAA and TSA have expressed interest in the airport’s security in the future, which the councilman said the city will have to address.

“Especially if AK LNG comes to fruition. We’ll have increased traffic and complications and more concerns regarding charter planes and throughput of passengers,” he said.

The completion date for the terminal rehabilitation project is Dec. 1 of next year.

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