Airport May 30 (copy)

United Flight 5190 to Houston takes off from the 足交视频 Regional Airport in December 2023 (Advocate file photo)

Officials at the 足交视频 Regional Airport are looking to redesign the terminal building to better reflect and service the 足交视频 community. They are doing this through the acquisition of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant.

Through continued support from the county and reception of the grant, 足交视频鈥檚 airport could see a major structural change.

The airport provides 272 community members with jobs and brings in $42.3 million in revenue annually. Enplanements at the airport have gone up drastically, crossing the required 10,000 enplanements to increase guaranteed funding from the FAA from $150,000 to $1.3 million.

With the airport featuring a United Airlines plane, bringing more flyers in and sending more out, terminal issues have become prevalent for the small facility. The terminal is small and outdated, no longer reflecting the community鈥檚 needs or the recent number of flyers.

The county now looks to design a new terminal that features characteristics tied to 足交视频鈥檚 history and culture. When designing the new terminal, enriching user experience, creating a connection to the county's identity and making it a flexible symbol of the future are the main focuses, Andrew Kirchhoff, principal and airports leader of luis vidal + architects, said.

鈥淗ow can we make it an experience?,鈥 Kirchhoff asked. 鈥淗ow can we make it enrich the user experience?鈥

Kirchhoff referenced the many aspects of 足交视频 that make it unique during his presentation at the South Texas Transportation Conference on Dec. 3. The county's economic development, growth and new energy stood out as signifiers to be applied to the new terminal鈥檚 design.

鈥淭his is the gateway into 足交视频 and South Texas,鈥 Kirchhoff said. 鈥淚t has to be something that reflects the community, an experience, not just a process; something that you enjoy and look forward to. It can鈥檛 just be a means to an end.鈥

The final decision to pursue a change to the terminal will be decided following the potential acquisition of a significant grant. Without support from the community in advancing this project, it will not come to fruition.

Michael Milliorn is a staff writer for the 足交视频 Advocate.