Arnold Palmer airport expansion plans unveiled

The Westmoreland County Airport Authority on Tuesday got its first formal views of the proposed expansion of the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport terminal in Unity that would double its size to about 90,000 square feet.

“It really looks impressive,” authority Chairman Janice Smarto told Ethan J. Hine of KTH Architects of DuBois, who presented drawings of the proposed building.

The existing two-story terminal building was dedicated in 1977 and refurbished in 1998 to accommodate just 60 commercial passengers, according to the authority.

With Spirit Airlines providing multiple commercial flights from the 45,000-square-foot building, two flights are sometimes handled simultaneously, resulting in cramped accommodations for almost 400 passengers.

Scott Kunselman, the airport’s engineer from McFarland Johnson of Dubois, said the new design needs to take into account the need for more room, added security gates and covid-19 protocols.

The authority is hoping the expansion could attract a second commercial carrier.

The expansion would include more restaurant space and the addition of a small casino room.

The terminal currently has one Transportation Security Administration screening gate, and passengers sometimes are waiting as far back as the terminal building entrance to be processed, he said.

Kunselman estimates the project would cost between $22 million and $25 million. The authority already has about $8 million from the federal government for the project and last month received another $4.5 million commitment from Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. He said the authority is in the process of pursuing the rest of the funding from federal, state and local sources.

The authority approved the preliminary design concepts Tuesday and will review them over the next month. At its next meeting June 21, the authority could request KTH prepare final architectural designs for the project.

Kunselman has said that if the project moves forward as planned and funding is secured, bids could be sought in spring 2023 and construction could begin that fall.