Alpena County is spending money on architectural plans for a new terminal building and hangar at the airport, despite uncertainty over what airline will be flying in and out of Alpena in the future.

The county and city are looking for a replacement for Delta Airlines, which no longer wants to service Alpena and some other small airports.

City and county officials agree the new airline will likely be smaller, accommodate fewer passengers and won’t offer service to Detroit.

Despite the unknown future of air service, commissioners have agreed to spend up to nearly $8,000 on architectural plans for the new terminal building and hangar.

Airport manager Billi McRoberts says the 10-unit hangar is needed to accommodate smaller, privately-owned aircraft.  It is scheduled for construction this summer at a cost of $300,000.

The terminal building is more of a long-term project and will be much more costly to build – about $2-million.  It is included in the airport’s 10-year improvement plan. 

Commissioners want the architectural plans drawn now, even though the project will likely sit on the shelf for some time until funding is available to construct the building.