Bidding opens for project to update airport

The Cape Girardeau Regional Airport is getting a facelift.

See the floor plan

The areas of the general aviation terminal destined for a makeover include refueling, aircraft repair, the main flight terminal and the rental and sales areas. Independent architect Phillip B. Smith of Cape Girardeau, who designed the renovation, said his initial cost estimate for the work is $300,000 to $350,000. Bids are being accepted until 2 p.m. Aug. 21.

Smith's floor plan calls for raising the main lobby ceiling and replacing lighting. His drawings convert a 10-by-10-foot office to a kitchen with full-sized appliances. Bathrooms will be gutted and refitted to allow wheelchair access for the first time, Smith said.

Security will be stepped up, too. Doors from the lobby to the airport's loading and unloading zone will be fitted with magnetic locks, operated from the reception area.

Smith's design includes a new entry from the parking lot, with a steel and stucco canopy.

The terminal, said airport manager Bruce Loy, is visitors' introduction to Cape Girardeau. The changes are aimed at the terminal area most often used by private and recreational pilots, he said.

He said improvements including replumbing should fix "an age-old problem with stoppages, primarily in restrooms."

"We're also cleaning, painting and renovating the hangar floor. It's one of the first things people see. The whole facility is pretty bad right now," Loy said.

Renovation plans started more than a year ago, Loy said. Federal grant money channelled through the Missouri Department of Transportation is set to pay for the work.

Potential contractors can attend a prebid session at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the airport terminal conference room. Loy said the meeting allows contractors to get plan details and ask questions before writing a bid. Bids will be opened on Aug. 21.

Loy said the work, once it begins, will likely temporarily displace some employees, who may be moved to a hangar.

Construction is required to be completed within 180 days of the start date, Smith said. Loy said he expects the renovation will start by mid-September.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127