First Impression

New aviation terminal welcomes Madison visit

Wisconsin Aviation New Terminal Building Madison

By Seth Ansorge

When C.R. Meyer & Sons signed on to design and construct a new terminal for Wisconsin Aviation Inc., it knew it would have to impress more than the building's owner.

The new facility — located on the eastern portion of Dane County Regional Airport in Madison - would also have to dazzle foreign dignitaries, famous entertainers or stumping politicians who come to the state's capital in private planes. And it needed to cater to a business-oriented clientele accustomed to the hassle-free convenience of private flights, which account for more than two-thirds of the airport's overall traffic.

"This needed to be a unique structure to welcome people to Madison," said project manager Brian Dobish. "That was a big part of the design process."

The former terminal, built in the 1930s, was long past its prime. The two-story brick building, which housed the Madison Municipal Airport from 1938 until the commercial airport was erected on the west side of the airstrip in 1966, was cramped and close to crumbling.

"People had offices in closets, that kind of thing," Dobish said.

The close quarters were just the beginning of the problems. Staff at Wisconsin Aviation can still recall working in ankle-deep water during exceptionally wet weather.

Joyce Hagen, marketing associate director, said employees once built makeshift sidewalks out of plastic crates and 2-inch-by-10-inch planks so airplane passengers could get to the waiting room without wet feet.

"For many people, this is their entrance to Wisconsin," she said, listing actor Robert Redford, former Vice President Dan Quayle and musicians Johnny Cash and Sting as some of the VIPs she's welcomed to Madison through her job. "Obviously, we really needed to upgrade."

Coordination was key

C.R. Meyer crews demolished the old building in March. But as workers began laying the foundation for a new terminal, another firm hired by Dane County Regional Airport was hustling to elevate a large section of a nearby airstrip by up to 3 feet to allay drainage problems.

Project Name: Wisconsin Aviation New Terminal Building Location: Madison Submitting Company: C.R. Meyer & Sons Co., Oshkosh General Contractor/Construction Manager: C.R. Meyer & Sons Co., Oshkosh Architect: C.R. Meyer & Sons Co., Oshkosh Engineer: C.R. Meyer & Sons Co., Oshkosh (Structural), and Arnold & O'Sheridan Inc., Madison (Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical) Owner: Wisconsin Aviation Inc., Madison Project Cost: $2.5 million Start Date: March 2002 Completion Date: December 2002

"Communication was key to this whole thing," Dobish said. "Basically, our guys were talking to their guys on an hourly basis. It could have played havoc with our construction schedules, but the guys on site handled it very, very well."

Over the fall, the sleek, $2.5 million terminal began to take shape. The Jet Room restaurant was remodeled and doubled in size. The in-house flight school expanded, a spacious pilot's lounge with sleeping quarters opened up and more conference rooms and administrative offices were added.

The real gem, however, is the airy waiting room. With its vaulted, curved ceilings, a fireplace and an impressive view of incoming planes, the room is a welcome change from the smaller, darker waiting room in the old terminal.

With so many elements in the new building, Dobish said it was a challenge to make it all blend. But with some design guidance from Hagen, the builders installed special touches like maple woodwork, granite countertops and stainless steel partitions that add an air of elegance and tie the 15,000-square-foot facility together.

Wisconsin Aviation employees re-entered the building on the scheduled completion date of Dec. 1.

"We are so impressed," said company president Jeffrey Baum. "They did a fantastic job."

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