Jim Fair
Dave Edwards, President/CEO of the GSP Airport District, joined the board of commissioners at the ribbon cutting of a $2.7 million facilities project. Joining Edwards, left to right, are Valerie Miller, Bill Barnet, Hank Ramella, Minor Shaw and Leland Burch.
Kevin Howell, Chief Operating Officer at GSP, said the collaborative effort among the design/construction engineers helped the project to be completed weeks before deadline.
The artist rendering of the administrative facilities building.
The $2.7 million project came under budget and completed two weeks in advance. The facilities include:
• Administration building: 5,000 square feet includes Facility Department administration offices, a training room, men and women locker rooms, break room and a plan library.
• Equipment storage building: 6,400 square feet houses airfield maintenance equipment including mowers, tractors, snowplows and other snow removal equipment.
• Fuel farm relocated as part of expansion project. Fuel provided for airfield maintenance equipment, airline ground service equipment and other tenant operational needs.
“The administration building is another tool for the staff,” Dave Edwards, President/CEO of the GSP Airport District, said. “Whether it means getting the paperwork done, having training facilities, a good break room to get out of the heat as today, they are asked to work all hours 365 days a year.”
The ribbon cutting was held with the GSP commissioners and contract vendors present. “It really shows (our staff) we respect what they do, we value what they do and they are a very important asset to the overall airport,” Edwards said.
“We had a great team contractor that did a real good job getting the project done on time,” Kevin Howell, Chief Operating Officer at GSP, said. “The architects and engineer had drawings which helped keep the change in order percentage low. It was a collaborative effort between all the parties.”
Paul Smith of WK Dickson and DJ Doherty of Mavin Construction also attended the ceremony.
The administration building is virtually the nerve center for GSP. “Running an airport like a small city,” Howell said. “You have a fire department, police department, maintenance department, much like the public works building.”
Howell said the state of the art fuel farm was moved for two reasons. “It really needed to be moved for us to be sighted by the administration building.
“Also we wanted to get it out of the front of the terminal and into the back side because the airlines use a lot of those facilities for the fueling of their general services equipment. This gives them a more direct route to that fuel farm area,” Howell said.
It also provides worker good cover from the elements in bad weather.
The fuel farm has one tank for unleaded fuel and another for diesel. It also incorporates the same location for the de-icing fluid filling stations.
“It is not aviation fuel,” Howell said. “That farm is nearer where the aircraft use it. This is equipment fuel. We have a lot of vehicles that we use and the airport uses that requires fuel.”