Dane Co. Exec. Falk: County Set to Open Major Portion of Expanded and Redesigned Terminal at Dane County Regional Airport

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Sharyn Wisniewski (608) 267-8823
Bradley Livingston, airport director (608) 246-3380

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk today gave the media and community leaders a sneak peak at an expanded and redesigned Dane County Regional Airport terminal. It is set to open to the public this Thursday, May 13.

“The building is as efficient and technologically state-of-the-art as it is beautiful,” said Falk. “It provides a dramatic, positive welcome for visitors to our county. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of airport management and staff, our airport is safe and secure, and has tremendous potential for growth. It is on sound financial footing, and is a great asset for the economic development of southcentral Wisconsin.”

The new, Prairie School design includes expanses of windows to bring in more natural light, and stained and etched glass to add visual interest and control glare. The interior design incorporates granite wainscoting, wood paneling, floor mosaics, and aluminum accents, all in a new palette of warm colors including gold, green, brown and ochre red.

The exterior will feature native prairie plantings and an arbor seating area.

A state-of-the-art heating and cooling system includes an ice builder, which makes ice at night, when electricity is cheaper, to be used during the day to cool the building. Also, a building automation system dims lights and modifies heating and cooling to unused areas of the terminal, resulting in significant energy savings.

The project incorporates 25 Green building strategies including sustainable design and construction measures, recycled carpet, acoustic ceiling tiles manufactured from recycled soda bottles, non-toxic wood preservative treatment, chlorine free vinyl wallcovering, and on-site construction waste recycling. Ninety-nine percent of the
construction waste has been recycled, with 38,000 tons of material separated and recycled.

The $33 million Phase II is the largest of the three-phase project, and includes a new lobby, five new airline office spaces and 21 agent positions, a business conference room equipped with audio-visual equipment, new restrooms, and baggage handling system. It also includes self-service electronic check-in ticket counters, with all Transportation Security Administration bag screening occurring behind the public area.

The Phase II estimated completion date is April 2005, and Phase III is targeted for completion in November 2005.

“Our airport is amazing. We’ve defied the national trends, with our growth rate in the top 15 percent in the nation,” said Falk.

The project design team consisted of Architectural Alliance of Minneapolis, and Mead & Hunt, and Arnold & O’Sheridan, both of Madison. The general contractor was Tri-North/GPD-Gilbane. Tri-North is based in Madison and GPD-Gilbane in Milwaukee.

The Dane County Regional Airport receives no county tax subsidy. The county issued general obligation bonds for the project, which the airport will repay with airport revenues over a 12-year period.