Icon Corp., a Spokane Valley-based commercial roofer, soon will begin work to replace portions of roofing at the Spokane International Airport complex as part of a $760,000 contract it was awarded recently.

Icon Vice President Jack Johnson says work will be done in three phases, starting with SIA's ground transportation facility located just north of Concourse A, where service counters for eight rental car companies and a pick-up and drop-off area for taxis and shuttles are located. Work on that phase is expected to begin this month, Johnson says.

The second and third phases of the project will involve concourses A and B, he says, and are scheduled to take place in July and August, respectively.

The roof on those three portions of the airport has outlived its lifespan of 12 years, Johnson says, adding that the new roof Icon will install is designed to last up to 30 years.

The project's scope of work involves removing the existing roof, replacing the insulation, and installing a new membrane roof system, Johnson says. Membrane roofs typically are used on flat buildings and are designed to prevent leaks and to move water off the roof. Most membrane systems are made from synthetic rubber or similar material.

Most of the work will be done in the evenings, so as not to disrupt flights during peak travel times, he says. Once the project is complete, Johnson says the roofing systems throughout SIA's main terminal and concourses will be up to date. Icon replaced the roof of the airport's main terminal area about three years ago, he says.

Icon Corp. was established here in 1998 and specializes in commercial and industrial roofing projects. Johnson says the company has completed more than 100 roofing projects in the Pacific Northwest for a variety of customers, including schools, airports, and commercial structures. The company typically employs around 30 people year-round, and up to 50 people during the spring-and-summer construction season, Johnson says.

In addition to the roofing project, the airport is studying future improvements and modifications to its main entrance on West Airport Drive, says SIA spokesman Todd Woodard.

It recently awarded a $43,000 contract to the Spokane office of the Denver-based engineering firm CH2M Hill Inc. to do preliminary design work for possible modifications to entrances to the terminal, concourses, and parking areas, Woodard says.

As part of that contract, CH2M Hill will be seeking input from SIA tenants, the Airport Board, and airport users, he says.

Woodard says that comments gathered so far from airport users suggest that the entrance to the facility is somewhat confusing in the directions for accessing various parking areas, the main parking garage, and concourses.

"We are taking that to heart and want to make sure what we design addresses needs from the customers' perspective," he says.

Woodard adds that SIA expects a design concept to be ready by September, and that construction as a result of that concept would begin next year, though short-term improvements could be completed this year.

Some minor modifications to the airport's outside lots and covered parking garage were finished in April, including some signage changes and the replacement of the garage's entry canopy, he says.