Snohomish County Airport officials say they expect to have agreements from Boeing and the Museum of Flight within a month and building permits by June for construction of the National Flight Interpretive Center at Paine Field.
The Snohomish County Council did its part for the project Wednesday. The council unanimously approved a contract between the county and Snohomish County Public Facilities District that covers joint development of the proposed $21.7 million center.
The contract sets out how much the district will contribute, about $3.6 million. The district also has helped finance the Everett Events Center, as well as the South Snohomish County Regional Center in Lynnwood and the Edmonds Performing Arts Center.
The 63,650-square-foot aviation center will include a conference center, a restaurant and an education center. And Boeing is planning to move its popular tour center for its Everett assembly plant to the new facility.
Boeing’s Rich White told the County Council the company is probably a week away from a lease agreement.
"This will provide a world-class facility for our tour center," White said.
Supporters expect the flight center to attract 230,000 visitors a year and increase tourism spending by $3.5 million in the county. The facility would be managed by the Museum of Flight in Seattle.
Barry Smith, the Museum of Flight’s project manager on the Paine Field flight center, said an operating agreement is expected in January.
"We’re almost done," Smith said.
It was notable, Smith added, that the council was approving the agreement with the public facilities district on the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ landmark launch. That led to some quipping from the County Council, though.
Councilman John Koster wondered aloud if Councilman Kirke Sievers was going to give a firsthand account of that first flight. He jokingly did, invoking the name of council chairman Gary Nelson.
"I was sitting on Mr. Nelson’s knee as a young boy," Sievers began as laughter filled council chambers.
Sievers also recalled talking with Smith almost three years ago and telling him that the ambitious project would take time.
"It’s been a long road, but it’s a very happy ending," Sievers said.
The approval of the contract with the public facilities district is one of the last steps before construction begins. Design of the facility should be complete by March, with construction beginning in July.
Exhibits will be installed in February 2005, with construction wrapping up the following month. A grand opening would be held in May or June 2005.
Dave Waggoner, director of Snohomish County Airport-Paine Field, praised the public facilities district for its support. The district is providing 16 percent of the funding.
"They saw the value of this project early on and have been real champions from the first day," Waggoner said.
Reporter Brian Kelly: 425-339-3422 or kelly@heraldnet.com.
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