The actions come two years after McKinney residents voted against a $200 million bond proposition to fund a larger vision for the expansion.
Instead, construction costs approved by council members in May total about $61.36 million. The contracts will be funded by a variety of sources including sales tax revenue bonds provided by the McKinney Economic Development Corporation and funds from the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone #2.
The actions taken
Council members approved five resolutions and one ordinance related to the McKinney National Airport expansion project. The ordinance amends the city’s fiscal year 2024-25 budget to allocate funds for the project while the resolutions authorize the city manager to execute contracts with various firms.
Action taken at the meeting included:
- Ordinance amending the FY 2024-25 budget and amending the 2025-2029 Capital Improvements Program to allocate funds for the airport expansion project. Approved 5-2
- Resolution authorizing the execution of a guaranteed maximum price with Swinerton Builders for construction management services. Approved 4-2
- Resolution authorizing the execution of an amendment to the contract with Garver for architecture and engineering services. Approved 4-2
- Resolution authorizing the execution of a professional services agreement with Terracon Consultants for construction materials and testing services. Approved 4-2
- Resolution authorizing the execution of a professional services agreement with Spinelli Construction for project coordination services. Approved 6-0
- Resolution authorizing the execution of a professional services agreement with Matador Engineering for building systems commissioning services. Approved 5-1
Construction is slated to begin in June and commercial airline service is expected to start in late 2026.
About the project
During a staff presentation, Assistant City Manager Barry Shelton said the site plan has been revised in addition to the expected cost of the project.
Construction will add a 46,600-square-foot passenger service terminal on the east side of the airport, according to the presentation. The facility is expected to include three gates with the ability to expand to five gates. A parking lot with 980 parking spaces will be constructed next to the terminal.
A new taxiway called Taxiway C will be built on the east side of the existing runway. The new terminal will be accessed by a roundabout off of FM 546, according to the presentation.
The cost
The construction contract with Swinerton Builders is expected to cost just under $58 million in total which includes $2.47 million in contingency costs, Shelton said. The contract will be funded from four different sources:
- $30 million: McKinney Community Development Corporation bond
- $15 million: McKinney Economic Development Corporation bond
- $5 million: McKinney Utility Construction fund
- $8 million: Tax Incremement Reinvestment Zone #2 fund balance
What they’re saying
Before the items were presented to council, Mayor George Fuller said he and other council members had received a number of emails with questions about the project. He said this project is not on the backs of McKinney taxpayers and that the city has received more than $88 million from federal, state and county participation in support of the project.
The city is pursuing more grant money for the project, which is also eligible for reimbursement by the Federal Aviation Administration, Fuller said. He also highlighted the airport’s economic impact, which is projected to grow through expansion.
“What we build today is for our children and grandchildren,” he said. “A community with access to infrastructure that supports jobs, enhances regional mobility and reinforces McKinney’s leadership in Texas.”
Cloutier said he’s lost sleep over this project and that he wanted the city to secure additional grant money before they voted on the contracts. Cloutier voted against the construction and engineering projects before he voted in favor of the contract with Spinelli Construction.
Cloutier called himself “Patrick 2.0” before that vote and said his advocacy will be to do everything city officials can do to make sure it’s done right.
“It is super important now that the city is committed to this passenger terminal—that we absolutely get this right for the taxpayer,” he said.
