July/August - 35

PROJECT OF THE MONTH
our building is oriented north-south,
the last three gates took a turn and
were oriented more towards the airfield.
It created a little bit of a bend
in the building, which then created
a parking challenge for some larger,
more modern aircraft. It created a
choke point where we couldn't fit
two large modern aircraft next to
each other between gates 10 and 11, "
Riechers said. " With the new expansion
and the expansion to the airport,
the entire building is oriented northsouth.
It eliminated those old three
gates. All of the planes park next to
each other instead of angled tail to
tail in some of the old parking areas. "
The airport worked with engineer
and architecture firm Mead &
Hunt and general contractor Myron
Construction for this project.
Improved Passenger
Amenities
Riechers said the airport put a lot of
focus on accessibility with the new
terminal.
" Chief among those accessibility
items would be the caregiver bathroom
that we have, which was deliberately
built much larger than it needed
to be, so that not only could a wheelchair
and an attendant fit in there, but
up to two or three caregivers could all
be in there with the traveler, " Riechers
said. " We have a changing table for
adults with a 500-pound capacity, so
adults with special needs that might
need special assistance, there's plenty
of space and comfort there for them
to do what they need to do. "
Other accessibi l ity features
throughout the airport include
" wave to open " technology located
at many doors leading to restrooms
and meeting spaces and the installation
of terrazzo flooring. Terrazzo
was installed throughout the terminal
to make it easier for travelers to roll
their carry-on luggage, wheelchair,
or stroller.
Like the caregiver bathroom,
Riechers
said the service animal
relief area was also built " quite a bit
bigger than it needs to be " with a lot
of hygienic and user-friendly details.
" So, the floor is raised, and it's
AstroTurf. Below that floor, it's completely
sealed. It's an epoxy flooring.
There's a hose in the room, so when
the dog is done doing its business, you
can just hose it down. It's super clean
and easy to use. And if the handler or
owner forgets to do that, the room
actually flushes itself, " Riechers said.
" If it goes 15 minutes without detecting
motion, the epoxy flooring is
flushed with our system automatically,
and ideally just makes it nice, and
clean, and safe for everyone to use. "
Within the animal relief area both
trash receptacles feature suction from
the HVAC system.
" It's constantly pulling air out of the
trash cans, so any foul odor or anything
from the trash cans gets sucked
up as part of the HVAC system and
vented out of the building. "
Mead & Hunt Project Architect
Jeff Manzetti said, " We kind of took
it up a notch on just how to maintain
it and how to make it a pleasant space
because everyone that we looked at
or toured was just this really kind of
cramped and really had a smell to it. "
Continuing the theme of large
accessibility areas, the mother's lounge
was also built with the same principle
in mind.
" We provided a lot more space than
what's commonly seen in commercial
airports, " Riechers said. " We wanted
to make it comfortable, and safe, and
Mother's lounge in the new terminal.
Just outside of the mother's lounge
is the children's play area full of
sensory experiences including colorful
furniture that can be moved and
transformed, colorful lights and a projector
that provides interactive games
and stimulation.
Riechers said there are still a few
ongoing projects throughout the
terminal.
" We have space available for our
food and retail vendors to complete
work in their areas, " Riechers said.
" We have a bar that's built out, that's
JULY/AUGUST 2023 \ AVIATIONPROS.COM / 35
MSN's South Terminal Expansion opened to
the public in June.
inviting for mothers that are nursing
and traveling because we understand
that can be very, very challenging.
There's plenty of space there. "
Within the lounge there are two
sinks, one specifically for bottle cleaning,
an enclosed bathroom, a microwave,
refrigerator, table changing
space and seating.
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July/August

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