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Q: County officials said construction should begin this week. Do you know exactly when construction will begin, and how the construction will proceed? Will passengers face any inconveniences?

A: I anticipate actual construction to begin in two weeks. Contracts have to be signed by both the county and the contractor, which could take a few days. Also, our attorney has to review the bid document to make sure there isn't any ambiguous language or irregularities. Only when everything is approved can Snow Country begin construction. They haven't said how construction will proceed. We should receive a pre-construction schedule before construction workers arrive. The first part of construction will probably include the demolition of the asphalt and concrete to begin work on foundations.

Q: The bids for the first phase of construction to YVRA came in much lower than the $847,000 the architect estimated. The winning bid price was $847,000. How did the price drop so significantly, and can those federally appropriated funds be used in other phases of the project to lower the $3.4 million funding gap?

A: An architect makes an estimate on past experience. The architects for the project are from Aspen, and the bidding climate is probably different there. There's not as much commercial work here, so I think the contractors were a little hungry. To answer the second question, 90 percent of phase one is being funded by Airport Improvement Program entitlement funds. The unused entitlements will certainly carry over to next year and be used for other parts of the project.

Q: Will passengers face any inconveniences?

A: I expect the ticket area to be walled off for a period, as well as the exit to the baggage claim area. Inbound travelers will see some changes, whether it's walking through a plywood tunnel or walking around roped-off areas. I'm not sure how they will be accommodated yet, but that's why we're doing the project now, prior to the ski season. We're not going to be inconveniencing thousands, but hundreds.

Q: A goal for the project is to have it completed by ski season. Do you think it will be complete by that time?

A: The first jet flights arrive Dec.13 by Continental; Dec. 15 by American; Dec. 17 by Northwestern; and Dec. 18 by Delta. So we're talking mid-December. I expect work to be substantially complete if not more so. There may be some minor issues incomplete, but the structure will be complete so we can use the building.

Q: Looking at the entire airport improvement project, what new element do you think will have the biggest impact or improvement?

A: It's hard to define which will have the biggest impact because of the multiple phases. All work goes hand-in-hand to improve the entire facility. But overall, these improvements will improve passenger flow. The overall design allows for more openness so passengers will be more able to see the lines for the baggage checks or ticket counters so they can spend more time in the concession area, which will be on the main level.

Parking also will improve significantly, not only with a new access roadway, which will be part of phase two, but also improvements to employee parking. Phasing was the only way we could do this project with our cash flow. There are certainly advantages to building a new terminal, especially that you don't have to deal with the inconveniences of construction. But, the disadvantage is you have to have all the money at once.