Oklahoma Strategic Military Planning Commission (OSMPC) has approved funding about half of its portion of a $1.8 million upgrade to the terminal building at Enid Woodring Regional Airport.
Mike Cooper, city of Enid military liaison and OSMPC chairman, said the commission last Thursday approved funding $158,000 to go toward a joint planning room in the new terminal to be used by Vance Air Force Base pilots flying out of Woodring.
Cooper said he expects OSMPC to take action next June, in its new fiscal year, on the remainder of its portion of $300,000 for the overall terminal project.
The remainder of the funding for the new 7,300-square-foot terminal comes from $500,000 in a private donation by the late M.L. Becker, $500,000 from Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission and another $500,000 from the airport fund.
The new terminal will be constructed in the current parking lot area, behind the current terminal. Once it is constructed and moved into, the current terminal will be demolished.
Woodring director Dan Ohnesorge said he expects engineering and architects’ plans to be completed in December to early January and to go out for bids in February. He expects a ground-breaking in April and for the project to take about nine months to complete.
Once the new facility is completed, Ohnesorge said the joint planning space will be an important asset both for the airport and Vance.
Ohnesorge said with the MPC money approved the project is funded, and moving forward according to plan.
“Overall the plan is moving ahead, the money is identified and we’re moving well,” Ohnesorge said.
Ohnesorge reported in an October Vance Development Authority meeting Vance pilots in 2017, up to that date, had used Woodring for almost 450 full-stop landings, almost 5,000 instrument approaches and more than 7,000 visual approaches.
Story provided by: Enid News
Written by: James Neal
