US students learn about Owen Roberts’ expansion
Roosevelt University students and representatives with Roy Williams and Albert Anderson of the CIAA
(CNS Local Life): A group of real estate graduate students from Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois, visited the Cayman Islands Airports Authority (CIAA) to learn more about the Owen Roberts International Airport’s (ORIA) terminal expansion and renovation and its impact on development and tourism on the islands. A representative from the university requested the visit and the CIAA gave the group a detailed presentation earlier this month.
At that meeting, CIAA CEO Albert Anderson and senior project manager airport development Roy Williams shared the latest airport expansion details along with video of the expansion and a tour of the construction.
Jon DeVries, director of the university’s Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate, said of the presentation: “Our students, all master degree level, were impressed by the reuse of the existing forms of the terminal in a way that increased efficiencies but also respected the history of the airport and its important role in the development of Grand Cayman. The tour was an exclusive plus that impressed on the group the significant scope and size of the expansion.”
He thanked everyone who took part in the presentation and tour, adding, “it was certainly one of the highlights of our week in the Cayman Islands”.
The ORIA expansion and renovation project is expected to be completed at the end of 2018 and will include a new immigration arrivals hall, customs hall, baggage claim, VIP lounge and extended departure hall.
I personally thought that they should have kept the building and exchange the exterior to a more modern look. But really believed that they should have started on the second floor. Then created a departure or arrival then when that was completed switched to the bottom floor and continued with the renovation without causing so much stress for passengers.
It would have been better to make that a private airport and then created a brand new airport further into the middle of the island with 2 runways. We will needed it for the future.. George Town should be only tourist type commercial buildings and put banks and Government offices in the middle of the island.