Earlier this week, the Westmoreland County Airport Authority got their first look at the plans for an expansion at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe on Tuesday.
The expansion project would double the size of the airport to 90,000 square feet, and would provide more room for travelers and for additional security gates. The expansion would also expand the restaurant space currently occupied by Denunzio’s. The airport was originally built in 1977 and was refurbished in 1998, and currently accommodates 60 passengers, but with Spirit Airlines handling multiple flights throughout the day through the airport, sometimes up to 400 passengers are in the airport at one time.
Scott Kunselman, the airport’s engineer with McFarland Johnson out of DuBois, said that the project could cost between $22 million and $25 million. The airport already has $14.5 million lined up and are looking to federal, state and local sources for further funding. The preliminary plan was approved Tuesday, with a vote on asking KTH Architects to move forward possibly coming at a meeting of the Airport Authority on June 21st. If all goes well, bids could be sought in spring of next year, and construction would start in the fall of 2023.
