Airport to design new CBP air complex

The time has come for a new facility for Customs and Border Protection air crews who now are working out of cramped and outdated quarters.

Yuma International Airport officials announced Thursday they just received word from the Department of Homeland Security that the airport has been named the general contractor to design a new aircraft facility for local CBP air crews stationed at the airport.

The $419,090 contract is to complete the required architectural design services for two aircraft maintenance hangars and an administration building on the west side of the airport.

"This is wonderful news," said Gen Grosse, the airport's corporate account manager. "We have worked with the local (CBP) staff to get this project launched for several years and we're excited to now play such a pivotal role."

The agency's flight operations work from a facility that "long ago outgrew the scope of the current operation," she said.

The announcement of the contract follows closely on the heels of the airport reaching a deal to lease its just completed defense contractor's hangar to NASA and Jacobs Technology, which provides support services for the space agency. That lease was finalized in early October, and the new tenants are already settling into the hangar named for U.S. Marine Corps World War II aviator Pappy Boyington.

"In fact it was the NASA hangar that brought us to the attention of the Homeland Security officials in Washington, D.C.," Grosse said.

She said the officials were impressed by the quality and low cost of the NASA hangar and the speed with which it was built.

Speed is of the essence for the new project, she said. "They want to move forward quickly. There is no timetable yet but they want it done as soon as possible.'

The airport has selected Nicklaus Engineering as the subcontractor to provide the architectural design for the new project. The firm provided those services for the NASA hangar, which will serve as a model for the CBP hangars, Grosse said.

After the design is completed, the airport anticipates it will receive the funding for the construction phase, she said. The federal government would retain ownership of the new facility.

"The CBP pilots here play such a critical role for the security of our border, and their mission has grown so much over the past decade," Grosse said. "They have new people, new aircraft and new responsibilities and we want to give them a state-of-the-art facility.

"Today's aviation is a high-tech industry. High-quality surroundings for maintenance and operations result in high-quality performance."