The Kenai Municipal Airport Terminal Rehabilitation Project that’s been underway since October 2018 has signaled its conclusion with the ribbon cutting ceremony that was held on Friday afternoon.
It was estimated that the Terminal Improvement Project cost $12 million for construction.
Former Airport Manager Mary Bondurant said:
“The process was long. I think the first CIP data sheet that I submitted to the FAA was for a new roof and relocation of administrative offices because we were actually in an airline tenant space. If another airline came in, Erica and I had no place to go. That was for $800,000. I think 8 CIP data sheets later to the FAA, we’re looking almost $12 million dollars.”
Several legislators were in attendance including Senate President Peter Micciche:
“Kenai’s done a great job but, really, this is amazing and I think it’s beautiful and functional. Whether the airport is a joyous arrival of family members or a very stress departure to go down for some medical procedures or things like that, it has to be functional. It’s the way people begin their trips and the way they end them. I like the way it came out.”
(Senate President Peter Micciche)
City of Kenai Mayor Brian Gabriel:
“This was done last spring but with COVID, we had to push things back a little bit. The airport to the city of Kenai is vitally important. It actually makes us a hub to the Kenai Peninsula. So as folks make their way to Alaska and particularly down the Kenai Peninsula, this is their first impression when they land down here is the city of Kenai and the airport terminal itself. This nearly $14 million project was substantially funded by our federal partners. As the mayor of the city of Kenai, and on behalf of the city council, the community and beyond, I want to express my sincerest gratitude to the Federal Aviation Administration.”
When construction began, murals were discovered on the outside of the terminal that the metal siding was built over. They reportedly date back to the late 1970s. Mayor Gabriel said that since the murals were painted onto the concrete walls of the outside airport terminal, they couldn’t be removed, and so they’re still there. The airport aims to put a display of those murals inside the terminal sometime in the future.
Video of the ribbon cutting ceremony at the Kenai Municipal Airport pic.twitter.com/wtqNyuBdVZ
— Anthony Moore 🎙️ (@RadioByAnthony) August 6, 2021