Dec. 1—The state has given a $2 million boost to the proposed project to double the size of the terminal at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe.
The Westmoreland County Airport Authority has been awarded an extra $2 million in Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program funding, increasing the state's commitment to the airport terminal project in Unity to $6.5 million, state Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, said this week. The state had previously awarded the airport authority $4.5 million in funding this spring through the same capital project program.
"The additional $2 million in RACP sets the stage for the expansion of the terminal facilities at our airport. It is imperative that we stay on track for our airport infrastructure to meet existing and future FAA and TSA requirements," said Gabe Monzo, airport authority executive director.
The money is to be used for the demolition of a hangar adjacent to the terminal and for construction of the terminal, Monzo said.
The project could cost between $22 million and $25 million, based on estimates that Scott Kunselman, the authority's engineer with McFarland Johnson of Dubois, provided in May.
The federal government has committed about $8 million to the terminal expansion project. The authority had asked in October 2021 for $7 million in funding from county's allocation of its American Relief Plan Act funding, but no decision has been made on that request, Monzo said.
The project would double the terminal size to about 90,000 square feet and would be the first major remodeling of the terminal since 1998. It was dedicated in 1977.
The design increases passenger space, adds another security gate, provides for more space for restaurants and a small room for a casino.
The airport has one security gate for flights for its only scheduled carrier, Spirit Airlines. The lineup of passengers waiting to get through security can sometimes extend back to the terminal entrance area.
Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
___
(c)2022 The Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pa.)
Visit The Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pa.) at www.triblive.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
