WHITE LAKE – The plan to renovate the John J.J. McGough Terminal at the Sullivan County International Airport has begun the process of getting off the ground with the closing of the terminal Tuesday, May 30. 

The Sullivan County Division of Public Works announced the status update for the project, with Commissioner Edward McAndrew noting that airport operations will be unaffected moving forward. It also stated that the initial removal of furniture and other items have already begun. 

Although air traffic is going to remain unimpacted by the construction happening on the terminal, the project is expected to completely revamp the current terminal with a cost of nearly $20 million-plus. 

A large portion of this bill will be footed by a recently accepted grant from the Governor’s Update Airport Development and Revitalization Program. This grant offered $18.5 million to replace the 55 year old terminal’s 8,000 square foot floor plan with an up-to-date, state-of-the-art 12,000 square foot building.

It is reported to be a two-story development that will boast a mezzanine, an outdoor deck, and rentable office spaces.

The Sullivan County Legislature also has agreed to pitch in to assist in funding the reconstruction, because, as Legislature Chairman Robert A. Doherty said, “we [the Legislature] feel this rebuild is essential to attracting the kind of activity and development that the Airport is capable of sustaining.” 

The county is expecting to invest roughly $4 million.

“Couple this with the other ongoing investments in the Airport, and we believe this facility will be an attractive and competitive destination for aviation and non-aviation businesses,” Doherty said.

Even with this terminal out of use for the time being, pilots and passengers flying into the airport will still find an operational pilot lounge within Hangar H7, as well as a 24-hour bathroom inside the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Facility (ARFF) Building, which sits adjacent to the terminal.

As for the demolition and construction, the contracted entity which will be handed the job is still out for bid, and will be decided at a later date.However, the architect for the project has been named Chianis Anderson of Binghamton.

Sullivan County’s Director of Communications, Dan Hust, noted that the grant used to fund this reconstruction requires the project to be completed within two years.