Construction of a new terminal building at the city-owned Warren Field Airport is on schedule, according to city documents.

The project is expected to be completed by June 2015. Construction began March 31. The original design for the new building called for a metal roof, but a metal roof proved too costly, according to Allen Lewis, the city’s public works director. The facility will have a shingles roof, he said.

“Unless I’m sadly mistaken, it is going to be one awesome looking building,” Lewis said.

The budget for the construction phase is $199,277. The budget for the design and bidding phase (which has been completed) of the project was $100,967, but final expenditures for that phase came in at $99,694.

City officials view the airport as an important tool for use in helping to develop the city’s economy. Late last year, the Washington City Council unanimously voted to move forward with bringing two businesses to the airport.

The council approved a proposal by Metro Aviation Inc. to serve as the airport’s nonexclusive fixed-base operator. Metro Aviation has added Vidant Medical Transport to its family.

The council also authorized the city manager to sign a five-year agreement for Skydive Little Washington LLC to operate a jump school at the airport.

Last fall, John Hayes and Ingrid Stephan met with the Airport Advisory Board to answer questions about the jump school. The board recommended they be allowed to operate the jump school out of the terminal annex building, for now. The school’s drop zone would be the overflowing parking lot at the McConnell Sports Complex on Airport Road.

The jump school would pay annual rent of $4,800, with a provision for an annual increase in rent included in the agreement. It will pay a $5 fee for each tandem jump made by customers or a $3 fee for every non-tandem jump made by customers.

A “gustnado” on July 1, 2012, destroyed the airport’s terminal building.

In February, Washington’s City Council approved accepting two grants to help pay for constructing a new terminal building at the city-owned Warren Field Airport.’

The grants, one for $500,000 and the other for $199,277, come from the N.C. Department of Transportation. The $500,000 grant required the city to contribute $55,555. The $199,277 grant required the city to contribute $22,142. The city’s money will come from insurance payments related to the airport’s terminal being destroyed by the gustnado.

The grant agreements require the terminal be completed by July 1, 2017.

In December 2013, the council awarded an $899,905.50 contract to A.R. Chesson Construction Co. to build the new terminal. Funding for this project comes from three sources; $500,000 in N.C. Division of Aviation grant funds, $199,277 in Vision 100 airport funds and $200,628.50 in insurance proceeds, according to Allen Lewis, the city’s public-works director.

The city has $549,277 in grant funds earmarked for the project and a $150,000 grant was earmarked to help construct the new terminal building, according to John. M. Massey with the city’s airport engineers, Talbert & Bright. Each of those grants required a 10-percent match from the city.

In December 2013, the council also authorized the mayor to execute an agreement with Talbert & Bright for the firm to perform construction-administration work related to the project. Talbert & Bright submitted a proposal to do the work for $90,815.