A site has been chosen for a new control tower at Athens-Ben Epps Airport, with construction slated to start within the next 18 months to two years.

Construction of the tower will be federally funded, as part of a $500 million Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) project to replace aging control towers at 31 of the smaller airports across the United States.

Airport Director Mike Mathews told the Athens-Ben Epps Airport Authority this week that the new tower, budgeted at $2.5 million, will be located some distance behind the existing tower, on a 1-acre site on the opposite side of a parking area serving the airport’s terminal and flight center.

According to Mathews, the FAA had originally wanted a 2-acre site, to accommodate parking for air traffic control personnel and others needing access to the tower. But Mathews said this week that he insisted on a 1-acre site for the structure.

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The airport is currently planning to expand its own parking area, adding 80 to 90 spaces both to accommodate an increase in use of the facility, and to prepare for the possibility of once again attracting scheduled commercial air passenger service to Athens-Ben Epps Airport.

The new tower will be roughly 30 feet taller than the current tower, topping out at 90 to 95 feet. The tower “cab” – the area occupied by controllers – will be much larger than the existing cab, going from 230 square feet to 400 square feet, according to Mathews.

The new control tower is expected currently to operate under the current 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily schedule, at current staffing levels. The tower is operated by the FAA, with air traffic controllers from a private company working under contract with the agency.

The tower will feature a radically different design from the existing tower, which is more than four decades old. The design is the result of a competition staged by the FAA and won by a New York-based architectural firm, the Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU).

The PAU design, which also will be used at the other 30 airports slated to get new towers, is focused on environmental sustainability, as directed by the FAA. Construction materials will include recycled metals, as well as materials not containing components that can cause health risks. The PAU tower is also designed for thermal efficiency and will use all-electric operating systems.

One thing that remains at least somewhat uncertain is whether the new tower will include the iconic “Super G” emblem, a symbol of the University of Georgia that prominently adorns an airfield-facing side of the existing tower. University of Georgia sports teams, not to mention fans whose aircraft jam the field for home football games and other events, are heavy users of the airport, and as such, heavy contributors to its revenue stream.

In an interview after the authority meeting, Mathews said retaining the “Super G” was a part of the discussion with the FAA siting team that recently visited the airport.

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“They didn’t say no” to the emblem, Mathews said, hinting that there also was no ringing endorsement of retaining it for the new tower. But, Mathews went on to suggest, it’s certainly possible that the emblem could be added locally at some point after the tower is complete.

However, the tower design might be problematic for displaying the “Super G.” The tower will have a central core below the cab, supported by columns that could obscure the emblem.

But also, in a news release announcing the selection of PAU for the Sustainable Tower Design Initiative, the FAA noted the firm’s design schemes are “standardized yet highly flexible, allowing for customizable colors and materials to meet the needs and reflect the local identities of their respective sites.”

Once the existing tower is demolished – work that will also be done at federal expense – the area that it currently occupies could become the site of a new hangar for transient aircraft, Mathews suggested in an interview following Tuesday’s authority meeting.

According to Mathews, many insurance companies won’t cover large aircraft that aren’t stored inside a hangar, meaning that a transient hangar could be a well-used amenity and a new revenue source for the airport.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Site chosen for new, bigger control tower at Athens airport