Introducing a new development to Block Island can be a tricky endeavor, especially if the island residents aren’t sure that it’s necessary, said Jessica Willi, executive director of The Block Island Tourism Council.
Some residents were initially wary of the $6 million project to replace The Block Island Airport terminal for just that reason. The development broke ground in March and is on schedule to be completed by summer 2009.
“I think the original issue out here was that if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it,” Willi said last week. “Everyone felt that everything was fine. But the state wanted to come in and update it. The building is very old – along with the airline counter it houses a diner.”
So the R.I. Airport Corporation approached with caution, holding meetings with the town administrator, town councilors and others, said Rebecca Pazienza, RIAC spokesman. “We try to not just go into the community and change things,” she said. “We like to let them know ahead of time so they can give us feedback.”
Willi said RIAC has done a good job listening to local concerns.
After construction started, for example, there were worries that not enough spots were open for the current season, so RIAC “opened a few extra spots – tie-downs – for transients, those who are just there for the day, want to have lunch and take off again,” she said.
In a statement, RIAC President and CEO Kevin Dillon thanked the Block Island residents for their feedback. “The new terminal building, with its enhanced facilities, will serve the future needs of island residents and visitors,” he said. “More importantly, daily activities at the airport will not be impacted by the terminal improvement project.”
Willi added that the traffic at the general aviation airport is an important hub for tourists visiting Block Island during the tourism season, which is now under way. “Obviously, it’s only one of two ways that you can reach the island,” she said. “It’s either by ferry or by plane.”
At least five Block Island residents keep their planes at the airport, Willi said.
Residents were worried initially that the airport would be expanded – maybe to the size of the Westerly Airport – when that wasn’t necessary, Willi said. But RIAC and the architects, Providence-based L.A. Torrado Architects Inc., have “worked very closely with the residents and town councilors,” she said.
The project isn’t an expansion, Pazienza said. It’s the construction of a new terminal to replace one that’s more than 50 years old. The new terminal is being built just a few feet from the current terminal, which will be demolished after the new one is constructed, Pazienza said. A hanger that had sat on the new construction parcel was moved for the project.
Increasing traffic to and from the island was not a priority of the project, she said. “This terminal will give us more space, but it will also be modern and able to accommodate for the needs of the community and the incoming passengers,” she said.
Annually, there are about 15,000 total trips to the airport. It generates about $14 million in economic activity each year, Pazienza said. During 2007, the airport supported 189 jobs. “During the summer, it’s the second busiest airport in the state, following T.F. Green,” Willi said.
The airport is mostly frequented by commuter, military and general aviation planes – single- and multi-engine – without many commercial flights, Pazienza said. Passengers walk onto the tarmac to board planes. The runway, at 2,502 feet long, is comparable in size to Ocean State’s Newport, Quonset and North Central airports, Pazienza said.
L.A. Torrado is also involved in designing a new Quonset Airport terminal. This project, however, is unique to the island’s architectural background, said founder and President Luis Torrado. “We’ve worked with the island folks to develop a design that’s vernacular that fits well with the island’s architecture. It’s local to the area, with shingle siding, pitched roofs, double-hung windows,” he said. “But at the same time, we wanted to express the state-of-the-art terminal design.”
There are also “green” design initiatives, such as natural ventilation and natural lighting – through a cupola. That cupola also fits well with the island’s architecture, he added. The one-story building also has a lobby.
“Many pilots make this their destination airport – they make it their hobby to fly over to Block Island and have lunch there – but [the airport] is important to the islanders,” Torrado said. For those islanders, there’s also a wintertime benefit to the new building: The Block Island Diner, a longtime staple in the former terminal, will move into the new building.
“During the off-season, it’s the only place that you can sit down and eat breakfast and lunch,” Willi said. “That will be included in the renovation, which is great because the old building was outdated.”
She added that the tourism council hopes the new terminal might increase traffic to the airport by an amount that the island can handle, “because more people coming is always good [for] tourism,” she said. •
