Discussions continued on Tuesday about the possible establishment of a working group to determine a plan to expand the terminal building at Roswell Air Center.

Staff at the design and architecture firm Gensler have presented the city with three options for consideration that could be completed in less time—and for less money—than any of the original concepts from 2019. The need to accommodate more passengers was also in the back of their minds at the time. Those earlier concepts were intended to renovate and refresh the building more extensively and for more money.

Commissioners and Gensler began looking at the issue in April and used these initial concepts to explore ways to best accommodate the needs of the air races. They began exploring how best to host the races several weeks before Roswell and the airport were selected as host cities starting in 2025.

Airport Commission Chairman Bud Kunkel reiterated during the meeting, which was also attended by Mayor Timothy Jennings, that the expansion must be completed before next year’s National Championship Air Races and that they are about two years behind schedule in completing the expansion. That is far too late for the air races.

“We need to put together a group that meets the mayor’s wishes … and then we can start moving forward,” he said.

Kunkel asked the mayor for help in setting up the working group. Jennings and Kunkel agreed to meet after the meeting to discuss it.

The group would also be represented by the Reno Air Racing Association.

The multi-day event is scheduled for September 2025. More planes are expected to arrive and depart the airport during the air races than on a normal day. Kunkel previously explained that during the races, which were awarded to Roswell in late May, between four and 10 times as many people are expected to arrive and depart from the Roswell Air Center than currently.

When making the final decision on the expansion, it must be taken into account that in Roswell “temperatures can still exceed 32 degrees,” Kunkel stressed.

Commissioner Jon Hitchcock suggested that among the options, a more open design could be made more comfortable, for example with an evaporative cooler.

Overall, the city’s new ideas offer “many more options than they did a month ago,” commented Kunkel. “And they’re all significantly more cost-effective.”

Terminals at airports in Austin, Texas and Bishop, California, are among the facilities being used to create the new options. Any solution must fully comply with federal guidelines, particularly those of the Transportation Security Administration. A suitable temporary structure could also be acceptable if it meets all federal requirements.

Weather damage to buildings: A discussion about damage to tenants’ buildings caused by storms gave rise to corresponding considerations. There were three items on the agenda, one of which dealt with wind damage and one with hail damage to apartment buildings.

One employee described a damaged roof as “poor roofing material.” He went on to explain that the roofing material – a rubber membrane – was not properly secured. The work was done six or seven years ago, the employee noted.

It was then brought up that the airport building in the community had suffered the most storm damage.

Commissioners were interested in whether the airport should have insurance coverage or warranty agreements that cover higher wind speeds. Two events requiring building repairs exceeded 55 mph, and some locations required work related to harsh weather conditions more than once.

Stronger winds are “just a reality,” Jennings said.

Kunkel asked airport employees to consider whether it would be better to pay more for insurance and guarantees, because such damage had “caused a lot of problems for the city.”