Aug. 17—The Stillwater Regional Airport's new terminal construction will begin in the second half of August.
The current terminal is 7,000 square feet and deemed "insufficient" — currently it can only accommodate space for about 65 passengers, standing room only. Expansion plans for the airport began many years ago.
Officials for the City of Stillwater and SWO plan for the new terminal to be 31,000 square feet and to meet present and future growth needs, said Airport Director Kellie Reed.
It is scheduled to be operational in August 2026. The existing terminal will remain open while construction is ongoing.
The present terminal has one gate; the new terminal will have two gates. It will also have a four-lane passenger drop-off, three desks for rental car companies, space to include eventually include another carrier, hopefully a fully-automated baggage claim system — depending on future grant funding, Reed said — and a passenger bridge. Behind the baggage claim will be a charter lounge.
"This will be used heavily by OSU athletics. Their charter flights come in an out of Stillwater Regional Airport currently in the existing terminal," Reed said. "This gives much more space, much more room, better separation for passengers and players traveling on those charter flights."
The charter lounge can also be used as a training and conference room for aviation students or airport employees. And, it is a rentable space and revenue generator, Reed said.
Although the renderings are not new, with the start of construction imminent, Reed revisited the plans with City Councilors on Monday on the Stillwater Regional Airport Terminal Project first phase and received a final recommendation from the City Council for the project.
The design, filled with large windows, brick and art, has a "red dirt feel," Reed said. There is also "a lot of Native American influence, City of Stillwater influence and of course OSU pop — a lot of bright orange themes and colors throughout the terminal."
"We want the terminal to be very inclusive, very welcoming and accessible to persons of any ability," Reed said.
The existing terminal for the airport was built in 1952. The air traffic control tower was added a few years later. The terminal and tower will not be demolished immediately.
"We're moving forward first with the terminal, then with relocation of the tower," she said.
Reed said phase one is $1 million under budget with phase one costs a little more than $13 million.
Phase one funding includes the construction of the terminal building, the four lane drop-off in front of the terminal and the improvements to the existing terminal parking lot and access road, with the addition of a roundabout.
"I think it's worth noting over $14 million of this is coming from federal and state grants," said Councilor Christie Hawkins.
Vice Mayor Amy Dzialowski said the economic impact of having this level of investment in the regional airport is "really tremendous for a community our size."
"We are one of four in our state that have commercial air service and that's such an advantage when we think of attracting businesses and attracting residents to our community," she said.
Of the groundbreaking this month, Mayor Will Joyce said it was "very exciting and a ton of work."
This is the front door for a lot of people coming to Stillwater for the first time, he said. "We want it to be the absolute best possible first experience they have here and this is certainly that."
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