Airport renovation will be all about the basics

By Terry Murry on Friday, February 4th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

PENDLETON – The Pendleton City Council has trimmed back the elaborate plans to renovate the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport terminal. City Manager Robb Corbett says the climbing cost of materials caused the city to narrow its focus.

“Because of the rising costs, this is going to be less cosmetic and more of the bones of the building,” he said. “The restrooms are going to be completely redone. More importantly the HVAC system, some of the ADA difficulties we have, and the kitchen at the restaurant are slated to be improved.”

McCormack Construction is the construction and general manager of the project. The total cost is estimated at $3,892,761. Corbett said the terminal has needed the work to be done for several years.

“It’s aged, is maybe a nice way to put it,” he said. “For a long time, we’ve needed to do updates to some of the fixtures. The bathrooms are showing their age. The HVAC system is outdated.”

The federal CARES Act funding is earmarked for airport work.