The city of LaFayette has awarded a bid of $623,400 to J&J Contractors of Chattanooga for construction of the new fixed-based operator building at the Barwick-LaFayette airport.

Plans have been in the works to re-build the airport terminal for some time; in July 2011, LaFayette received a $500,000 OneGeorgia grant to fund the construction of a new building.

Six bids were received by the city and opened publicly on July 24; J&J Contractors was the low bid and has previous experience building in Walker County.

The company has committed to begin mobilizing their work crews on August 13, with a groundbreaking ceremony to be held by city officials on or before that date. The project will last 150 calendar days, meaning that the new terminal should be completed and open for business by mid-January.

The new airport terminal construction will alter the orientation of the building somewhat and will offer amenities to pilots and visiting businesspersons such as a pilots’ lounge, vending area and service desk. The parking area around the terminal is slated to be redone, although if financial constraints arise during construction, that option could be removed for a savings of $28,000. Similarly, plans for a porte cochere could be removed to save $16,182 and brick facing on the existing utility building could be skipped, saving $6,700.

A finalized date and time for the formal groundbreaking ceremony should be announced within a week.