More than 100 people turned out on Tuesday to tour the $23-million new terminal being built at Columbia Regional Airport (COU). U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Harrisonville), Columbia Mayor Brian Treece and city manager De’Carlon Seewood were among those who toured the facility.
The city provided guided tours to the general public and to reporters, including 939 the Eagle’s Branden Rathert. COU manager Michael Parks says the new terminal should open in late summer.
“We’re going to be close to Labor Day, I’ll put it that way. That’s going to be opened up near that time, so we won’t have a precise date until we’re a little bit closer,” Parks says.
The new terminal will be 52,000 square feet, compared to the current 16,000 square feet facility. COU’s current terminal was built in 1968. The new terminal will feature several boarding bridges, a restaurant and an interior Service Animal Relief area.
The new terminal’s main funding source is a hotel tax approved by Columbia voters in 2016. Mayor Brian Treece predicts the new terminal will expand economic development.