JOHN DAY Grant County Airport manager Colin English is becoming familiar with the wow factor.

    Hes seen that effect more than a few times since the new Grant County Regional Airport and Forest Service Fire Base opened in the fall.

    The pilots who fly in are kind of open-mouthed, he said. They just say, Oh, wow. This building is not something they normally expect for an airport this size, or a community this size.

    It makes a great first impression.

    Grant County Judge Mark Webb agrees.

    It really is a showpiece, he said.

    But more important, county officials say, the building is energy-efficient and supports economic development.

    The building houses the countys general aviation operations, community meeting space, an observation deck and U.S. Forest Service aerial firefighting facilities. It replaces a nondescript 1950s-era rancher-style house that was used for airport offices, and a collection of old buildings that served as the Forest Services airbase offices.

    Rainse Anderson, the WH Pacific engineer for the project, said the old airport facility was typical of that found in the rural Northwest, where communities put their money into runways, taxiways and hangars, with little left for terminal buildings. 

    Word of the new Grant County terminal described as a first-class facility is drawing attention at aviation-related conferences and events in the region, he said.

    People are aware of this project theyve seen our brochures, or heard about it and theyre very impressed with the fact that the county was able to put this together, and the way the county values its airport, he said.

    Steve Wakeman, project manager of CSHQA Architects, said the joint-use aspect is a win-win for the community, securing Forest Service jobs here while providing for general aviation uses, but meeting the distinct needs of the two entities was challenging at times.

   Thanks to a solution-oriented design team and an integrated design process, the project was able to merge the separate functions into one structure, coming together in the middle with a community/training room.

    Wakeman lauded the various parties involved in the project from the Forest Service to the County Court and Airport Commission.

    Everybody got what they wanted, he said. They ended up with a fully functional, joint-use, energy-efficient building.

    Getting the project done was no small feat. 

    The general contractor, Kirby Nagelhout Construction, had crews and subcontractors on the job through last winter. Joe Waggoner, the Bend-based firms project manager, said the biggest challenge was consistently high winds up on the plateau. That affected nearly all phases of the project, he said, from drying the flat concrete surfaces to working conditions for crews erecting framed walls and sheathing the roof.

    In the end, he was proud of the results, and particularly pleased with the exterior carpentry and siding work.

    The financing also was complex. Anderson noted that as the project proceeded, it involved five funding sources: the Oregon Department of Transportations ConnectOregon program, the U.S. Forest Service, federal Title III, the Federal Aviation Administration, and USDA Rural Development funds. Each has its own rules and regulations, adding layers of paperwork.

    But Anderson was impressed with the way the agencies came together and supported the project. He also lauded the strong support and involvement of the County Court, Airport Commission and county staff.

   With a price tag of about $5 million, the terminal was a major project for a small county. Add in the earlier ConnectOregon funding for runway extensions and taxiway improvements, plus an American Reinvestment and Recovery Act grant for new runway lighting, and the tally comes to about $7.5 million spent on these facilities in the county over the last five years, Anderson said.

    Webb noted that the County Court while not always comfortable with grant funding saw an opportunity to build a much better facility at as little cost to the local taxpayers as possible and also to develop an innovative partnership with the Forest Service.

   We were achieving multiple goals with the same dollars, he said. We also felt that it would anchor the Forest Service in the area, support economic development and also provide some stability for the county airport which is not a mandated service but a choice.

   Biomass also figured heavily in the countys equation. The new building is heated by a pellet-fuel boiler, which dovetails with the countys mission of promoting forest health. It also complements the new biomass plant going into operation this month at Malheur Lumber Companys John Day millsite, Webb said.

    In an article drafted earlier this month, Wakeman and Andrew Haden, vice president of A3 Energy Partners, also underscored the importance of the biomass heating system for this region.

    With cold winters, and a lack of access to the natural gas grid, Eastern Oregon is largely dependent on expensive and volatile imported oil, propane and electricity for its heating energy needs, they wrote. This project reduces the fossil fuel dependence of a critical infrastructure component in Grant County.

 By employing the most advanced biomass heating technology available globally, the Grant County Regional Airport has become a model facility that other public facility managers in Eastern Oregon and the Intermountain West can learn from.

    English said the airports first shipment of pellets 20 tons came in from Klamath Falls, but future loads will come from the John Day plant. Bear Mountain Forest Products, a partner in the Malheur Lumber operation, is the supplier.

    English said the biomass boiler is working well. 

    Its very efficient, and very clean, he said. In three months, weve had zero ash produced.

    The airport also is gaining a small, but growing revenue stream through rental of the conference facilities in the new building.

    English said groups including the League of Oregon Cities, the Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry  already have held meetings there. This month, he booked several Christmas parties, and he wouldnt be surprised to see weddings and receptions in the coming year.

    The comment I keep hearing is, What a great place for a birthday party, or a  reception, he said.