email this
print this
reprint or license thisBoard outlines changes to plans for terminal
County gets hearing set for Jan. 25
By Travis Tritten
The Sun News
Horry County won a reprieve for its planned $228 million airport terminal Thursday when it convinced a city architectural review board to reconsider an earlier rejection.
But the terminal's future remains precarious as Horry County faces a list of costly changes the Community Appearance Board ordered for its Jan. 25 hearing, a date that falls more than a week after the deadline set by the contractor to ensure a guaranteed construction price for the project. Missing that deadline to order materials could put that price commitment in jeopardy, adding to the cost of the project.
"It's just another hurdle," said County Council Chairwoman Liz Gilland, who has fought for the project since it began in 2001. "[But] I'm not sure we can afford everything they want."
Bragg said he chose the Jan. 25 rehearing date to give the county enough time to get plans in order and the city staff enough time to review those plans.
"That date crunch of the 17th is not my concern," he said.
As chairman, Bragg had the power to set the rehearing. He chose the new date on Thursday after asking other CAB members if there was any opposition. There was none.
The board rejected the terminal plans last month, saying county representatives made a poor presentation of the plans, and because of concerns that the site is too close to new homes and businesses on the former Air Force base.
It was unclear late Thursday how long it would take the county's many project contractors to work out the changes ordered by the CAB - or if it would be possible, County Attorney John Weaver said.
It was also unclear whether the contractor will be willing to extend the Jan. 17 deadline for ordering construction materials. That deadline was critical if the county wants the lead contractor, Skanska USA, to honor its guarantee to build the terminal for $182.98 million, the largest piece of the estimated $228 million total cost.
Skanska officials were unavailable for comment late Thursday.
Horry County worked for years to get Skanska to set a construction cost in stone, meaning no more fluctuating costs for the county, and Gilland said she is doubtful the contractor will extend its deadline.
The county's designs for the terminal building and landscaping are now only conceptual sketches, and the Community Appearance Board wants completed designs in just three weeks. Current terminal project designs took years of work.
Also, the CAB wants the county to consider building another road to the terminal, add some flair to the building design, justify its parking plan and find a bomb detonation area that's farther from the Market Common development.
The CAB's Bragg said the first order of business for the county should be allaying concerns of the architectural review board - a necessity if Horry County wants the city's blessing for the project.
The appointed board now appears to hold the fate of what the county says is the biggest capital project ever undertaken in Horry County. The county has already spent about $20 million planning and buying land for the terminal.
Bragg criticized the designs, saying the stripped-down building looks like a 1950s-era small-town airport and portions resemble an armory.
The terminal design should inspire the concept of flight and be an "iconic" landmark for the area, Bragg said.
If CAB-ordered improvements cost more money, the county may have to cut gates from the planned 14-gate terminal, Bragg said.
When the county made its Dec. 21 presentation to the CAB, county representatives could not provide simple facts, such as the project's landscaping budget, Bragg said.
Weaver and Buddy Styers, executive director of the Myrtle Beach Air Base Redevelopment Authority, represented Horry County before the CAB Thursday and presented traffic studies, development trends, road improvements and noise studies to win the rehearing later this month.
MYRTLE BEACH'S COMMUNITY APPEARANCE BOARD'S CONCERNS
The city's Community Appearance Board required Horry County to return with a list of new information on Jan. 25 if it wants approval for its airport terminal project. Here's what the board wants:
Conceptual designs for the terminal building and landscaping must be completed.
The county must consider building a new road to the terminal site.
Features should be added to make the terminal design more "iconic."
Various concerns over signs and other landscape features must be revisited.
WHAT'S NEXT
County Council will hold a public workshop to discuss the details of the terminal project Tuesday in Conway. Financing and other costs will be discussed. No vote is scheduled. The meeting is at 6 p.m. in council chambers at the Horry County Government and Justice Center.
Contact TRAVIS TRITTEN at 626-0303 or ttritten@thesunnews.com.
.gif){kind=spacer}
.gif){kind=spacer}
