Airport Terminal Project Enters Final Phase
Crews Work to Cut Up and Move Original 1942 Building
For the next three weeks a 60-foot crane will bid adieu to passengers departing from Santa Barbara Airport while ushering in the final phase of the Airline Terminal Project.
With construction of the new terminal complete, the airport began soil preparation and stabilization outside its northeast corner on September 23. This work foreshadows the project’s final phase: relocation and reclamation of the original 1942 terminal along with construction of a new short-term parking lot and roadway.
Deconstruction of the historic terminal begins with the removal of the facility’s 1967 additions along with all asbestos and lead paint. The terminal will be cut into three pieces and moved to the northeast corner of the new terminal for rehabilitation.
“We’ll pretty much reconstruct it,” said Assistant Airport Director Hazel Johns. “In 1942, during the war, some of the required building materials were unavailable.” This reclamation is the airport’s opportunity to rebuild the terminal with materials originally planned for construction, Johns explained.
Reusing the original terminal not only meets city criteria of maintaining its historical elements but will also help the Airline Terminal Project meet its sustainability goals. To fit Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) regulations, this last phase will reuse all red roof tiles and a majority of the concrete and asphalt after deconstruction. The concrete and asphalt will be recycled into the new road and short-term parking lot. Soil from the previous creek relocation project will lift the terminal’s base three feet above the current elevation and above the base flood elevation.
“The old terminal won’t just be sitting there,” said Johns. “This is good, usable space for us.” The historic terminal will house the Airport Patrol and Parking Management Offices along with historic airport and military base displays.
Deconstruction of the non-historic portions of the airline terminal is underway while the previous rental car building has been discarded and the new entrance and exit to the Rental Car Return Lot are complete. Airport officials expect the work to wrap up by next summer.
