Since the beginning of the Eaker Field terminal building project, the Airport Terminal Planning Committee has been working hard to make the structure become a reality for Durant. Now, the members are close to seeing their work come to fruition.

During a meeting earlier this month, the Durant Airport and Industrial authorities approved a funding plan for the approximately 8,000 square-foot terminal building.

John Cathey, who serves as chair of the DIA and the Airport Terminal Planning Committee, reported that the plans and specifications are complete. Now all that remains is securing the funding, which will be on the Durant City Council agenda for their regularly scheduled September meeting.

He hopes that construction can begin as early as January.

Durant City Manager James Dunegan, who also serves on the airport planning board, said the architectural drawings are complete. The next steps are to approve the financing and loans, then go out for bid for the project.

However, all funding and bids must be approved by the city council before construction can begin, he said.

“This is something that is way overdue,” Dunegan said, adding that the airport board “finally came up with a way to fund it.”

Tommy Kramer, executive director of the DIA, who is also a member of the airport board, said the terminal project is a “tremendous Team Durant partnership with the city of Durant” and its officials.

As a licensed pilot, Kramer said he has visited many terminal buildings, and appearance and service are key in attracting visitors.

Airports and terminals are a growing business, he said, and some major companies use corporate jets to visit their facilities instead of carrier flights.

Such businesses include HMA, a Florida-based company that owns the Medical Center of Southeastern Oklahoma and approximately 68 other hospitals, Cardinal Glass, which owns more than 30 facilities, and the Choctaw Nation, which has a corporate hangar at Eaker Field, Kramer said.

Durant is preparing for its future with business growth, Kramer said, adding that the new terminal building could attract new companies to the area.

He also noted the increased traffic that the Chickasaw Pointe Golf Course, Lake Texoma and the Choctaw Nation’s new resort is attracting.

“We’re moving ahead of the curve,” Kramer said regarding the airport terminal project and Durant’s future.

The process will take at least a year to walk through, Kramer said.

The members of the Durant Airport Terminal Planning Committee are Cathey, chair, Kramer, Dunegan, Mayor Jerry Tomlinson, Council member Thomas Marcum, Dr. Mike Lee, Brad Fortner, Public Works Director Jerry Yandell and Dr. David Conway.