Aug 18, 2010 By Rebekah Sungala 5 min read

Members of the Fayette County Airport Authority took another step Tuesday toward furthering improvements at the Joseph A. Hardy – Connellsville Airport by authorizing the airport’s project manager to present the board with a conceptual design for new hangars. Board chairman Terry “Tuffy” Shallenberger said the airport needs new hangars and that the first step will be to replace the dilapidated hangars near the terminal building.

“We have a beautiful, new terminal building and our hangars are falling apart. We’ve got to get this project going by the end of the year,” Shallenberger said.

The authority discussed acquiring new hangars earlier in the year, but the project was temporarily put on the back burner while the runway safety project was completed.

Shallenberger and board members Todd Radolec, Jesse Wallace, Myrna Giannopoulos and Fred K. Davis discussed the project for several minutes, with Shallenberger proposing that the authority take out a bank loan that would cover the cost of the project and use the $50,000 annual allocation the Fayette County commissioners have traditionally given the airport to cover the loan payments.

The majority of board members agreed with Shallenberger, with Davis being the only one to voice some opposition.

Davis said he agrees new hangars are needed but that he’d rather see a different funding source be generated to pay for the project and use the $50,000 from the county for other expenses.

Project manager Michael Baker Jr. Inc. of Moon Township completed tentative sketches of new hangers and where they would be located by request of the authority’s executive committee responsible for overseeing the hangar project.

Shallenberger and Radolec serve on the committee.

A representative from Michael Baker said he will have a conceptual design of the new hangars done within a week and that it will closely mirror the sketches the authority reviewed at Tuesday’s meeting.

Plans call for the majority of hangars in the terminal area, specifically the ones to the left of the terminal building upon entrance to the facility, to be removed and replaced with new hangars that will be located parallel to the terminal building.

There are 11 hangars located in the area now, and they are currently located perpendicular to the terminal building.

Moving the hangars parallel to the building will provide more security for the runway area and will create more room, according to information from Michael Baker.

Authority members said some of the hangars that need to be demolished have tenants in them and that the airport will work with everyone to ensure a smooth transition.

Airport manager Mary Lou Fast said all tenants affected by the hangar project will be given information, and she also assured that arrangements will be made for those who have a hangar that must be torn down.

Shallenberger said the hangar project will be a temporary inconvenience, especially for those closely affected by it, but said any inconvenience it may cause will be worth it in the end.

“That’s the price of progress,” he said, noting that he will contact banks to gather information on loan rates.

Radolec and Wallace said the new hangars are needed and that they need to be constructed before a paving project, scheduled for next year, begins.

Wallace said he would look to have a commitment from the commissioners that the county will continue to allocate $50,000 for the airport for at least a set number of years so that authority members know what they have to work with.

Authority members said they would like to see all the hangars eventually replaced as funds become available.

In other business, authority members voted to retain the services of Michael Baker and also voted to extend Fast’s contract an additional three years.

Michael Baker has been the airport’s project manager, overseeing improvements to the airport for several years, most recently involved in the multimillion-dollar runway safety project.

The authority voted 4-1 to retain the services of Michael Baker, with Shallenberger, Radolec, Wallace and Giannopoulos voting yes.

Davis voted no, saying he voted that way because he was not given an opportunity to review proposals from other firms.

Radolec and Wallace served on the executive committee responsible for reviewing proposals of project managers, and they narrowed it to a list of three, from which they finally recommenced Michael Baker.

Giannopoulos made the motion to reappoint Michael Baker as the airport’s project manager after asking Radolec and Wallace if they thoroughly reviewed all proposals and were confident about their recommendation, which they said they were.

As for Fast’s contract, no opposition from board members was heard to begin negotiations to extend the contract.

Fast was hired in October 2008 under a two-year contract that would have expired this October.

Authority members praised Fast’s work at the airport and credited her for many recent improvements.

“We have a bright future here, and I think Mary Lou is a big reason for that,” Shallenberger said.

Authority members unanimously agreed to begin negotiations to extend Fast’s contract for an additional three years.

They must vote again on the specific contract agreement once it has been drawn up.

The next airport authority meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 21 in the terminal building.