By: @Richelle Noroyan
The Monterey Peninsula Airport District hosted a momentous groundbreaking ceremony at the Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) to mark the building of a completely new passenger terminal. This $200 million project will elevate and improve travel to and from California’s Central Coast for both locals and visitors alike.
As planes were taking off and landing during the ceremony, the President of the airport district board and retired Pacific Grove Police Chief, Carl Miller, expressed appreciation for Congressmember Jimmy Panetta’s efforts to secure funding for the project. Miller went on to say, “Our MRY metamorphosis has been a marathon, not a sprint, as it has been progressing for the last 12 years, and I couldn’t be happier that we are nearing the finish line.”
The airport was created in 1936 and became a special district in 1941. The Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) is Monterey County’s only commercial airport and accommodates over 600,000 passengers each year. The airport serves nine nonstop markets with an average of 17 daily departures.
The current terminal, built in the 1950’s, does not comply with today’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety standards. To comply with FAA standards, the airport created the Safety Enhancement Program (SEP). This program not only includes the new passenger terminal, but a new aircraft rescue and firefighting station that opened in 2023, new general aviation hangars on the airport’s northside, and the relocation of Taxiway A. All elements of the SEP, including the new terminal, will be completed in 2027. This program is made possible through multiple federal grants.
The groundbreaking event was also an opportunity for the district’s Executive Director Mike La Pier to remind the community that, after 44 years in the airline industry, he was retiring as of noon that day. “I am filled with a lot of pride today. The airport team has worked tirelessly to bring the project to this point,” said La Pier. Chris Morello, Deputy Executive Director, has been named interim executive director. Morello said she will lead the district through December. The airport district board will begin an open search for the permanent executive director position in July.
The ceremony included leaders from all sectors of the community. CEOs from both the Monterey Peninsula Chamber and the Salinas Chamber of Commerce came to support the event. Certificates marking the occasion were presented by Office of U.S. House of Representative Jimmy Panetta’s Director of District Operations Erin Davison, Office of Senator John Laird’s Press Secretary Justin Tran and Senior District Representative Isabel Meza, Office of State Assembly member Dawn Addis’ Communications Director Alexis Garcia-Arrazola, and Office of Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas’ District Director Dominic Dursa. Other speakers included FAA Manager of the San Francisco Airport District Office Amy Choi and representatives of the contractors constructing the new terminal.
To acknowledge the groundbreaking ceremony happened on the same day as “National Donut Day,” attendees of the event were greeted with donuts that had the airport’s three letter airport code “MSY” written onto maple and chocolate frosting. This proved popular with all who attended the ceremony.
To learn more about this project, view timelines and more, please go to Transform - Monterey Regional Airport.
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