b'8 GCKTERMINALSNew Terminal at Garden City Regional Provides Modern Gateway for Western Kansas BY KRISTEN RINDFLEISCHGarden City Regional Airportthe market, but GCKs previous terminalCrews broke ground in June 2022 and (GCK) in Garden City, KS, hascould not physically accommodatecompleted the new terminal this Mayon replaced its terminal, more thansuch aircraft. Additionally, there was antime and under budget.doubling the square footage and addingincreasing need to modernize and improve another gate. In addition to increasingthe passenger experience.Planning and Phasingcapacity to 100,000 annual passengers,After the need for a new facility wasThe project vision was ambitious but clear: the updated two-gate terminal canestablished, funding took center stage. Increate a facility that could accommodate accommodate larger aircraft, with room tothe end, the $31 million project was paidGCKs growth now spare for an additional airline. (Currently, thefor with $22 million in federal funds (via theand for years to come. airport has casino charters and flights fromCARES Act and FAA Airport ImprovementThe airport and American Airlines via Envoy Air.) IntuitiveProgram) and $9 million of local funds fromcommunity goals were wayfinding and updated signage werea 0.15% sales tax initiative.to build a building that added to guide passengers from check-inwill last 50-plus years, through the security checkpoint and to theirTo design and build a new terminal tocomments GCK gates, which now have holdroom seatingfit its unique needs, GCK partnered withDirector of Aviation for 100% of passengers. Landside, theresHNTB, a national infrastructure solutionsRachelle Powell. OurRACHELLE POWELLa new restaurant and event space.firm, and Crossland Construction ofprevious terminal served us very well, Wichita, KS. HNTB provided planning,and so we wanted to be able to build Despite renovations over the years, thearchitectural design, structural design, civil original 11,250-square-foot terminal, builtsomething thats going to be substantial, engineering, interior design and landscapelow-maintenance, efficient, functional and in 1959, had long outlived its useful life. Asarchitecture. As the general contractor, the only commercial service airport withinsustainable. Crossland Construction provided site prep a 200-mile radius, GCK struggled to keepand demolition, structural and mechanicalAfter determining that a greenfield site up with demand from 50,000 passengerswork, finishes, coordination and designwould have been cost-prohibitive, the annually. American Airlines had expressedimplementation and logistics.team opted to build a new two-story interest in bringing larger aircraft to servefacility on the same site as the existing November | December 2024AirportImprovement.com'