Sidney airport plans for addition of a terminal

Pilots and passengers flying in and out of Sidney will finally have a place to relax and take a load off before and after air time.

After many years of operating without one, the Sidney Airport Authority is planning to add a terminal building.

The group hopes that construction will begin in spring 2014 for completion in fall of the same year. The price is estimated at around $600,000 and the committee expects the Federal Aviation Administration to pay for 95 percent of the construction.

The Sidney Airport Authority will fund around 3 percent and the state will pay for a few percent as well, said Jim Joyce, Sidney Airport Authority Chairperson.

There isn't a true terminal building at this time, just a small office.

"There's really not room and this doesn't represent Sidney real well," Joyce said.

The Sidney airport is currently seeing more traffic than ever before, he added.

The new terminal project is a joint effort between the Sidney Airport Authority, the FAA and the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics.

Jeff Wolfe of M.C. Shaff & Associates spoke with the Sidney Airport Authority at its meeting Tuesday about possible plans for the new building. Most board members agreed that the airport should have a defined "face" on each approach, so it will stand apart from other rural airports.

"I personally think it should look nice on both sides," said Sidney Airport Authority Vice Chairman, Jon Leever. "I think if both sides mirrored each other, that'd kind of look cool."

The members mentioned other locations they've flown out of, in which they weren't even sure if they were at an airport.

"There definitely needs to be signage on both ends," Joyce said.

Leever expressed a need for a private bathroom with a shower for pilots in addition to public restrooms.

"Even when a flight comes in and they need a lot of bathrooms, the flight crew could use the third bathroom," Leever said. "I think it'd be a big mistake if we didn't go ahead and put a shower in that right away."

All those at the meeting agreed that the lobby should be clean and flow easily from one side to the other. Some board members were skeptical about placing a coffee machine and a kitchenette in the main lobby. It might distract from the overall appearance of the room, Leever said.

He reminded the board that military personnel and others who need to hang around at the terminal for a while might want spot to put their backpacks and equipment.

"We have a lot of people who spend long periods of time out there," Leever said.

The board decided to tentatively include a pilot's lounge, control room, flight planning room, board room, vending machines and a kitchenette as well as private and public bathrooms in the plans.

The terminal will also feature a storm shelter that would fit around 50 people.

Although the FAA is funding most of the project, it won't pay for cosmetic things like fireplaces and lobby furniture.

The members of the Sidney Airport Authority are excited about the new building, something they'd been hoping to construct for a while.

"It's something we've needed for a long time," Joyce said.