By MADDY VITALE
The city has hired a consultant to design a new Ocean City Municipal Airport terminal that will feature a new restaurant.
City Council approved a professional services contract of $35,450 at its Jan. 26 meeting for TranSystems, formerly L.R. Kimball, to do a conceptual design study for a building that will also feature a pro shop for the adjacent Ocean City Municipal Golf Course.
The study by the Ebensburg, Pa.-based company is expected to take 12 weeks to complete. The company will establish an overall conceptual plan that will serve as a foundation for the design. In addition, they will determine a cost estimate and a timetable for the work to be performed, according to city documents.
Airport Manager Todd Dwyer said in a memo to City Business Administrator George Savastano: “The goal of the completed study is to provide the city with the necessary information to determine the viability of the project moving forward.”
He also noted the longtime relationship between the city and the company.
“This company has been our consultant since 2009 and they have been a reliable and well trusted source since then,” Dwyer said.
The approval of the firm to do the conceptual work is the next step in the redevelopment of the terminal.
The former Ocean City Municipal Airport Diner has been closed for more than two years. It was a popular breakfast and lunch spot among airport users as well as the locals, but the building was woefully outdated.
The goal is to build an upgraded facility for those who utilize the airport or for members of the public who want a bite to eat and for golfers to check out the pro shop.
In addition to city funding and a hefty donation from an Ocean City businessman, the city submitted grant proposals to the New Jersey Airport Improvement Program, Federal Aviation Administration and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to help finance the project.
During a December City Council meeting, Mayor Jay Gillian announced a $3 million donation from Berger Realty owner Leon Grisbaum to help build the new terminal. Grisbaum is an avid pilot who has been flying for about 75 years.
The new facility will be named the “Leon and Elizabeth Grisbaum Airport Terminal” in recognition of the donation.
Grisbaum’s donation will be placed in escrow and returned to him if the new terminal does not come to fruition, according to a news release.
The airport opened in the 1930s and is the only airport located on a New Jersey barrier island. The terminal building dates back to the 1960s and has reached the end of its useful life, the city said.
The city has been discussing plans to build a new terminal in recent years. At one point, it had tentatively planned to build it in 2020 as part of an earlier five-year capital plan, but now the goal is to unveil a new terminal and restaurant by 2024.
