Once upon a time, Cherry Capital Airport (TVC) was a quiet rural airport frequented by regional puddle-jumpers and small prop planes.
Nowadays, jets, airliners, military aircraft and almost a million passengers from all over the world travel each year in and out of TVC.
To accommodate the increasing number of travelers, the airport is building a new concourse — Concourse B.
Airport director Kevin Klein has been working at TVC since 2002. As TVC receives record numbers of passengers, he's excited to have a little more room at the airport. He's also excited about the upgraded ambiance.
"Everybody said, 'In the new concourse, we want to see another fireplace.' So we’re gonna have a special fireplace that will be an indoor/outdoor fireplace," Klein said.
There will also be an outdoor patio, a covered-bridge-themed walkway between Concourse A and Concourse B, and a new restaurant called "The Dune Barrel" with a full menu and bar.
The total cost for the project is $190 million dollars, with a significant piece of funding coming from airport revenue, state grants, and federal funding. The other portion is a loan that will be paid off over the next 30 years.
Some of the renovation work has already been completed, including new roof, LED lighting throughout the airport, and new parking lots. Coming soon are upgrades to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
And for passengers, there's already a new cafe. Not only does it offer beer, wine and spirits, but according to Klein, "if you love an egg salad sandwich, we have the best in town."
And of course, the Cherry Capital Airport wouldn't be the Cherry Capital Airport without homemade cherry pies. Kathy Kmotorka and her team make them fresh every day.
Already eyeing Concourse C
Klein can see the Concourse B construction out the window of his office. But he's already looking past it.
"We believe planning for Concourse C is going to start almost as soon as [Concourse B] finishes. The actual construction will be in the 2035, 2038 timeframe," he said.
While air travel in the rest of the state declined during the first half of this year, Cherry Capital Airport saw a slight increase in traffic.
Klein and his staff are building for the future, expecting the number of travelers at Cherry Capital Airport to continue to grow.
