$350,000 building permit issued for airport

[Pete]

Anyone know what this is for?

That's a lot of money -- permit was issued 4/11/11.

[SkyWestOKC]

Hard to tell what this is without more detail.

ARINC has broken ground on their new hangar, but hasn't started building yet. Could be that. Or it might also be something at the FAA MMAC.

Did it mention building or hangar specifically? I ask because I haven't seen ANY building approvals from the airport trust recently except for the ARINC hangar and Atlantic Aviation's FBO (which is almost complete).

[SoonerBeerMan]

I don't see how it can be anything out here at the FAA. We're in the middle of a funding freeze (along with a hiring freeze). My understanding is that they are finishing up all the current on-going projects (renovations to CAMI, additional security lane to west gate, and parking enhancements around the HQ building) and then that's it for the time being.

[bombermwc]

What are they doing at CAMI? When I was out there, that place was definitely stuck in the 50's...and the smell....hm. Of course knowing what they do in the building, you try to ignore the smell and not think about it. I worked in the Multipurpose Building (always thought that was such a cheesey name, if not descriptive), and man that place was pretty old feeling too...right out of the 70's.

Aerorecords wasn't much better...for that matter, HQ. It seems like they never touch a building after it's originally constructed. They're like slices of time. Compare them to Lego Central up on the north end..lol.

[Pete]

There was something in the airport trust minutes about removing an underground storage tank. Perhaps that's it.

The address was 7100 Terminal Drive.

[SkyWestOKC]

Removal wouldn't receive a building permit would it?

The address on the building permit was 7100 Terminal Drive, or the address on the underground storage tank removal?

Anything done by the Department of Airports or the OKC Airport Trust has a 7100 Terminal Drive address. The physical location of the underground storage tank is on Meridian Ave. near the north end of the AAR Hangars.

[Pete]

The address on the building permit was 7100 Terminal Drive. Could be they are just using a general address and that this doesn't particular pertain to the terminal building itself.

In the minutes from the last meeting of the airport trust, I found this:

"(1) Accept staff recommendations regarding bids received and opened on January 25, 2011, for "Underground Storage Tank Removal, Fuel Storage Facility"; (2) award the contract to Talon LPE in the amount of $293,258; and (3) approve Contract and bonds."

[SkyWestOKC]

The Airport Trust always uses that address for business. I wonder if renovations fall under that category, because I know the trust is going to renovate the short term parking garage as well as the old 5-story garage very soon.

Or, might this have to do with the new East Side Development? Perhaps they found some tenants? Portland Ave. is set to start the relocation project this year.

[ChargerAg]

Why are they going to redo the garages? Didn't they just do those?

[SkyWestOKC]

No. They constructed a new garage north of the old garage. The old garage is in pretty bad shape, aesthetically speaking. The renovation would brighten it up and bring the elevator lobbies up to modern standards.

[bombermwc]

350K isn't very much in terms of renovations. That might pay to paint the old garage, but that's it. Didn't think you needed a building permit for that. i can't imagine what they can do for 350K. It certainly limits the scope of whatever they are doing.

[venture]

Unless I'm misunderstanding everything, the 350K is for removal of a storage tank...not the parking garage renovations?

[bombermwc]

I would guess they need the permit because it's large enough of a project that they will need heavy machinery, and then have to fill it back in.

[SoonerBeerMan]

What are they doing at CAMI? When I was out there, that place was definitely stuck in the 50's...and the smell....hm. Of course knowing what they do in the building, you try to ignore the smell and not think about it. I worked in the Multipurpose Building (always thought that was such a cheesey name, if not descriptive), and man that place was pretty old feeling too...right out of the 70's.

Aerorecords wasn't much better...for that matter, HQ. It seems like they never touch a building after it's originally constructed. They're like slices of time. Compare them to Lego Central up on the north end..lol.

They've renovated the interior of all 3 floors plus the basement, and by renovated I mean updated yet still kept it looking like the 50's. I'm use to the smell now, but then again I've been working in these kinds of places for a while now. Like you said, all these buildings out here are pretty dated except for the new construction on the north end. They seem to like to renovate the building as opposed to tearing down and starting over. HOWEVER, in the instance of the CAMI building they could have built us a new building quicker and cheaper than what they've spent on the current renovations which have been on going for close to 5 years. Go feds!!!

[Double Edge]

The city does not have jurisdiction to sell permits for the air guard or FAA, AFAIK. Those are both federal property.

[LakeEffect]

The city does not have jurisdiction to sell permits for the air guard or FAA, AFAIK. Those are both federal property.

Not true. The FAA leases space from Airports... Airports maintains most of their buildings and owns the land. Even the Air Guard property is owned by Airports...

[Double Edge]

Not true. The FAA leases space from Airports... Airports maintains most of their buildings and owns the land. Even the Air Guard property is owned by Airports...

Okay. Does the city issue construction permits and do inspections at FAA and air guard or do they have an agreement with the feds to police their own? I haven't done any work there in quite a while that would have required a permit but I sure don't remember the city being involved in permits, construction or inspections at either in older projects I have been involved with in the past. (My memory is less reliable everyday though.)

Are you also saying the city of OKC builds and remodels the facilities occupied by the feds and then leases back to them? I'm pretty sure you are wrong on that, they get built under federal spending laws with federal employees doing oversight. Perhaps the city leases the land, runways etc.

[SkyWestOKC]

FAA is on a ground lease I believe. If they abandon the buildings or end the ground lease the OKC Airport Trust would own the buildings the land is on.

[bombermwc]

I think that was part of the attraction to getting the FAA here in the first place. The fact that the government didn't have to own that large amount of land and could "walk away" at some point if they wanted to. I don't think most people realize how big the place is.