SWAN LAKE, NY — Sullivan County International Airport’s new terminal is beautiful to behold, even in its unfinished state. The clean lines gracefully merge with the sky and surrounding landscape—an intentional goal of the design. After all, this may be the first sight seen by some visitors to Sullivan County, having flown in from elsewhere.

The 15,000-square-foot structure also subtly conveys a key goal of Sullivan County government: we seek a sustainable future, where our infrastructure complements and enhances our natural beauty. Our buildings should blend with the neighboring ecology.

That ethos extends beyond sightlines and shapes, however. We are integrating sustainable methods and materials into the very structure of the terminal, thanks to a collaboration between the Sullivan County Division of Public Works and its Office of Sustainable Energy. Early on, they identified ways to salvage materials from the airport’s original (now-demolished) terminal.

“The first terminal was built in 1968/69, so there were definitely items that were either too deteriorated or too dangerous (e.g., asbestos) to retain,” said Sullivan County Buildings Engineer Kristin Janowski, who is overseeing the terminal project. “But there were also materials that made sense to preserve, particularly the durable steel framework and the beautiful bluestone cladding, which we’re incorporating into the new terminal—both as a smart recycling move and as a tribute to the unique design of the first terminal.”

And not everything that was unsalvageable was landfilled. Over 80 tons of metal were recycled, and some furniture and fixtures still in usable condition were set aside for re-use.

“Sullivan County takes seriously its longtime commitment to projects, policies and practices that make county operations and our surrounding community more sustainable, resilient, healthy, energy efficient and environmentally responsible,” said Stephen Stuart, who serves as the sustainability analyst in the Office of Sustainable Energy. “We’ve been a designated Climate Smart Community since 2017 and a recognized leader statewide in sustainable municipal initiatives.”

Thanks to an $18.5 million grant from New York State, the new construction itself is also being undertaken with an eye on sustainability and best practices. For example, the bulk of the new terminal will be supported by glue-laminated timber beams, with energy-efficient glass letting in plenty of sunlight while also retaining heat in the winter. In fact, the all-electric HVAC system will employ high-efficiency heat pumps integrated with geothermal wells. We’ll even have electric vehicle charging stations and a modest photovoltaic array on site.”

“We expect our energy costs to decrease in this new facility, even though it’s larger than the terminal it’s replacing,” noted Public Works Commissioner Edward McAndrew. “We hope it will be a showpiece for sustainable, environmentally-friendly construction—the kind of ‘green-minded’ effort we’d like to see with public and private construction across Sullivan County.”

Dan Hust is Sullivan County Director of Communications.