New terminal contract signing - The Hon. Neko C. Grant, Minister of Public Works and Transport, signs a contract for the architectural design of the new Airport Terminal and Fire Crash Facility at Marsh Harbour Airport. Also pictured from left Edison Key, MP for South Abaco; Donald Dean of Architects Incorporated Company and Colin Higgs, permanent secretary. (BIS photo/Kristaan Ingraham)
Abaco, The Bahamas – Public
Works and Transport Minister the Hon. Neko C. Grant signed a $600,000 contract
with the Architects Incorporated Company for the architectural design of the
Marsh Harbour Airport terminal building and fire/crash facility.
The current
3,315 square feet building will be replaced with a new 24,000 square feet
single storey terminal and fire crash facility immediately west of the existing
terminal.
The signing ceremony took place at the
District Education Office in Marsh Harbour on July 30. Government officials in
attendance were the Hon. Edison Key, MP for South Abaco; Colin Higgs, permanent
secretary; John Canton, director; Caldwell Pratt, deputy director; Livingston
Forbes, chief architect; and Robert Garraway, civil engineer. Also in
attendance was Theophilus Cox, administrator for North Abaco; Cubell Davis,
chief counsellor; Whelma Colebrook, first assistant secretary and Lenora Black,
district education officer.
New terminal contract signing - The Hon. Neko Grant, Minister of Public Works and Transport (third from left) is pictured during a signing ceremony on July 30 for the architectural design of the Marsh Harbour Airport terminal and fire crash facility. Also shown first from left is MP for South Abaco the Hon. Edison Key and Donald Dean of Architects Incorporated Company. (BIS photo/Kristaan Ingraham)
Mr. Grant said, “The design will provide
visitors with a ‘sense of place’ incorporating elements that reflect our
country and its culture and it will allow for future expansion on all sides
(east, west, north and south) of the building.”
The modern,
state-of the-art facility will have the capacity to serve the 200,000
passengers who utilise the airport annually.
The design will
also include among other amenities: taxi call-up and public parking areas;
fire/crash rescue facility; free standing airport control tower; police,
security and airport manager’s offices; concessions stands, combined domestic
and international passenger departure lounge.
Old and new terminal site tour - Public Works and Transport Minister the Hon. Neko C. Grant (first from left) chats with government officials after a brief tour of the airside operations of the Marsh Harbour Airport. Also pictured is Donald Dean of Architects Incorporated Company; Robert Garraway, civil engineer and Colin Higgs, permanent secretary. (BIS photo/Kristaan Ingraham)
Minister Grant
thanked the technical staff of the Ministry of Public Works for their efforts
and said his ministry looks forward to the “successful” completion of the
project within the allotted time.
Mr. Davis said
he is “excited” about this project because it is the beginning of something
good for Abaconians.
Mr. Key
described the signing as an “historic” time and a happy occasion for the
residents who have been patiently waiting for this moment.
Old and new terminal site tour - The Hon. Neko C. Grant, Minister of Public Works and Transport chats with the Hon. Edison Key, MP for South Abaco (first from left), Senior Family Island Administrator Cephas Cooper and Livingston Forbes, chief architect as they complete an inspection of the Marsh Harbour Airport on July 30. (BIS photo/Kristaan Ingraham)
He said it is
anticipated that the new facility will spark the beginning of greater things
for Marsh Harbour.
The project
comes on the heels of the completion of the upgrade of airside operations at
Marsh Harbour Airport. The earlier works comprised the construction of a new
6,100 feet jet runway, conversion of the original runway into a jet taxi-way
and installation of new signage and lighting.