 we have an exciting announcement to share with you today. A group here that you'll hear from everyone that's a panelist over the course of the next few minutes here. Everyone here is united in believing that the airport is really a critical institution for Northwestern Vermont in Burlington. It is critical to our quality of life and our economy. It makes it possible for someone to live in Northwest Vermont and be part of the world's commerce and culture. And increasingly, it is a central piece of infrastructure for the way more and more people make their living here in this region. The airport is celebrating its 100th year this year right now. And the airport has been grown over the past century. It didn't just happen. It has required vision and local action in partnership with key partners from the beginning. That's always been what's required for the airport to succeed. That was true 100 years ago when the city leaders had this notion that Burlington should buy this land near to the historic downtown and start to develop it. As an airport, it was true in the 1980s when Senator Leahy and the Lake Champlain Chamber joined with other local leaders and found a way to bring JetBlue here, which was a major step forward for air travel in this region. It was true a decade ago when airport commissioners and local leaders needed to come together to dig our way out of a very challenging period in the airport's history, where we had seen financial management put the airport on the brink of really financial disaster. And it's true in today's announcement. What we're here to talk about today is what we call the terminal integration project. This project is a $14 and 1 half million project that will really transform the way in which the current airport operates and provide the backbone and really framework for significant additional growth in the future. It's a 26,240 square foot expansion in and of itself. And maybe Olivia, as I'm just describing here a little, you can bring up the image for those people who haven't seen it. This project, it's a two story edition. It has five TSA screening lanes on the first floor in an expanded queuing area for TSA screening. And here's what this does. It consolidates the two existing security checkpoints into one, which will create greater consistency and efficiency for departing passengers, brings down costs for the airport as well. It creates a more direct route between the north and south concourses, which will address longstanding passenger confusion about how to travel between concourses and improve passenger circulation throughout the terminal building. It will relieve congestion during peak periods. And importantly, it provides a framework for additional terminal enhancement projects and expansion in the future, consistent with the airport's master plan. We're really excited to be making this announcement. And it would not be possible to make it were we not successful with the leadership of Senator Patrick Leahy in securing a $14.5 million federal grant for this work. This was initially, and Jean may say more about this before, when he's up to the plate here, this was initially something that it was not at all clear, would be funded. In fact, it was given little chance of funding initially. But the senator went to work on this. And like he has so many other times, for the airport and for Vermont, he found a way. He found a solution and he delivered. And we're so thankful that the senator, despite everything that's happening in Washington right now, is able to join us for this announcement. Senator, thank you for yet another great addition to the Burlington International Airport. Thank you, Mariah. You know, we have wonderful people in the office. I remember you added to that group a few years back. And they all worked so hard on it. And the Burlington Airport is very special to me. The first time I ever flew was when I was a college student at St. Mike's. And I flew out of there in DC 3. Of course, my kids tell me, Dad, did they have airplanes when you were a student at St. Mike's? But I look at how it's changed over the weekend. I called Alex Claude me just to compare notes about what the changes are. And Jean, you should know that I just praised the heck out of you during that conversation of the way that even with COVID, you've kept it going and seeing Karen and Kathy on here. But the fact of the business community, Burlington, everybody has worked so hard to do this. Oh, you know, this thing is not only an economic asset for the city, but for the whole state, the entire region. I don't know how many times, again, before COVID, it'll be the same after it. I've been gay at the airport to fly back to Washington or coming in from there. They hear buses with Quebec license plates on them for people to come down from Canada to fly out of here. I'm constantly running to people from all over the country on airplanes coming into Burlington because it does so much for them. And of course, we've put a lot of federal funds into improving the aprons and runways and all. And the National Guard has been a terrific partner in doing that. Now, I've got to tell you, it's a lot easier going through security in Burlington than a lot of the airports I go to. But at peak travel time, it can still be just a tad lazy. And I think there's terminal improvement is going. I think people are going to come in and say, wow, why can't we do this in our state and elsewhere? You've been exactly what we should have. I've watched Bena's rise with immense pride. Any state would love to have a company like BETA or Bena there. I'm going to work with it as it works with the with the Air Force. And I was talking to our son. He's a former Marine and a pilot. He flies the corporate jets for a general dynamics, the Gulf Streams. And I suggested the next time that they're here, that I thought maybe BETA would be willing to let us come by and see what they do. Would that be possible that I overstepped myself in making that? You are always welcome here. You are always welcome here. We have a lot of folks, including the Civil Air Patrol and others that have experienced our simulators. We'd love to share it with you and your son. Well, we will. That's right. I highly recommend it. You should definitely take Kyle up on it. Well, I will. I, myself, want to come. And you probably have this flood of layheeds coming through there and all with grins of mile long and Kathy, Karen, come join us when we do, even though you've already seen it. But I want to congratulate Kyle, BETA, Gene, Mayor, all of you. I'm trying to keep my remarks short here. But if you know the number of times I brag about what you do there to other senators, to other places around the country. And you will probably hear in my capacity as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, enough bragging to make you blush. Don't blush so much that you won't accept the money. So thank you all very, very much. Thank you, Senator. We look forward to putting the money to work starting in just a few months, the projected groundbreaking for this new expansion is July. Next, we are going to hear from Ward 6 City Councilor Karen Paul. Councilor Paul has, basically, I think, basically, I think when we, if we didn't first meet around the airport, it was one of the first things we talked about. She has always been a champion of the airport. I remember that being the case when she was on the council and I was an airport commissioner. And she is also a very eloquent champion for this institution. We wonder to have her here today on this milestone day. Councilor Paul, welcome. Thank you. Thanks so much, Mayor. And you are right. The first time you and I spoke was probably over coffee at Mirabelle's. And you were an airport commissioner. And I was actually, I think, had just been elected to the city council. So it was a few years ago. And I can also attest to the fact, Senator, that the mayor then did not happen here. So it really wasn't that long ago. I just would like to say before that, well, there was a lot of good news that came out of the elections on November 3rd for our nation after four dark years. There was also, and I want the senator to know that there was a lot of virtual cheering in Vermont as our senior senator reclaimed the office of Pro Tem. And I haven't had the opportunity to see you virtually since November. Senator, I just want to congratulate you. Vermont's success has benefited so greatly from the successes your tenure has brought to our state. And today's announcement is another clear indication of your steadfast advocacy for our state. Today, we're embarking on the next exciting chapter in our airport's storied century-long history. Today is a landmark day for our airport, one that is most worthy of celebration. And it's a real win-win for our city, for our greater community, for our traveling public, and the future of our airport for years to come. Today, and certainly the mayor has spoken to the strong assistance and unwavering support that Senator Leahy and our congressional delegation have given to the airport and to the city, this announcement of a substantial and meaningful grant, it really can't be overstated in its importance to our airport as one of the region's strongest economic assets, and one that Burlington is incredibly proud to own and share with the region and the state. The city council on January 19th unanimously approved the acceptance of the airport improvement grant, a decision that I believe reaffirms and affirms and reaffirms the council's support for continued innovation and modernization at BTV. The priorities of the significant improvement grant as others have said, the efficiency, the ease of use for our passengers with one-stop TSA combined with systems that lessen fossil fuel use, which along with the visionary work of beta will continue to keep the Burlington International Airport at the cutting edge of modern innovation technology. And together with our valued airlines, our airport partners, beta and many others who call the airport home, our collective work are really emblems of our forward thinking vision and the promise of future achievements at our airport. I am amazingly proud to be here today to join in the celebration, another milestone for our community and many others who foster support for our airport and with a heartfelt thanks to our amazing and outstanding director of aviation, Jean Richards and the entire talented and hardworking airport leadership team. Thank you very much for this opportunity to speak and words of congratulations to everyone on this amazing achievement. Thanks. Thank you, Councillor Paul. Next up, we have aviation director, Jean Richards who with his team has been working hard on this project for years. Jean, I think really personally had a lot of the vision behind the opportunity of consolidating into one entry point, all of the gates and one TSA area. I think this comes from hours spent monitoring its bottlenecks at the TSA with a stopwatch at times looking for ways to do it better. This is, I think more than any other person's Jean's vision, Jean, congratulations on getting today. We'd love to hear some thoughts from you. First of all, this is a great day for all Vermonters that use this airport. It's a beginning for efficiency to get rid of some confusion and to make it that simple little airport it should be. I in so many ways want to thank you, Senator Leahy, for actually walking down the halls with me many, many a times, you know, and telling me your do's and don'ts and what you like, tell me what's going on. We are so lucky to have you, you know, to be here at our airport, to actually come and witness what our needs are. And with your hard work and passion, we are able to get away basically to move away from a no and find a yes with your creativity, with your love, your passion for your fellow Vermonters, you are able to get us these funds and help us, you know, put this dream into a reality. So I really want to thank you for that because that's where this is how this happened. And of course, you know, Mayor, Councillor Paul, Kathy, Kyle, you know, you're what make our community. You're the ones that help us get it here together. You know, we're doing this magic. You know, it was day one when this airport started, the chamber was there and to help make sure that we were able to solidify the deal of, you know, renting the real estate and then buying the real estate. Our future, Kyle is in your hands, you know, in so many ways, you know, if the earth is going to have future days, it's gonna be because of beta and, you know, your aircraft. We are so lucky for your passion, compassion as well. And you're like, it's so wonderful to watch you and your team, you know, and how well you work to get this done, how you create pieces that aren't created for comfort. You're not just buying something off the shelf. You're making this amazing aircraft. It's a real pleasure, you know, to be part of the future. You know, Mayor, you know, I wanna thank you again for your direction and allowing me to be here. You know, and thank you all for your compliments, but this team here, all of us together is what has made this happen. And I just wanna say thank you. And I'm looking forward to watching it start in July and finish up, you know, about a year and a half later. So thank you all again. Thank you, Gene. We have two more speakers and we'll open up the lines for questions from the media. Next, I'd like to introduce our partner, Kathy Davis, the president of the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce. She became president in the midst of this pandemic and has big, literally big shoes to fill with Tom and Wayne before it's a big role. We're very excited that you're serving in this role, Kathy, and one of the great regional economic accomplishments that your chamber has always led is keeping the airport strong. Thanks for being here and being part of this announcement today. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So thank you to Senator Leahy for your continued support of this airport, as well as your incredible service to Vermont. We appreciate it so much. Mayor Weinberger, since your time on the airport commission, you have dedicated energy to ensuring that the airport remained an asset to our region. And through your stewardship as mayor, along with Gene's work as aviation director, we've come so far with the airport. As Gene mentioned, and he often likes to tell me that it was members of the Lake Champlain Chamber that helped found what we know today is the Burlington International Airport. In the past 100 years, though, what we need and expect from the airport has probably changed. Today, we know that the airport is crucial to the success of our region's economy. And when we think about what the airport does for our region, one of the things many of us think of first and one of the things we've missed so much in recent months is that the airport allows us as residents to travel and to visit family and to conveniently get where we need to go. Having access to an airport of this quality plays an important role in making our region such a great place to live and work. And it's absolutely something we shouldn't take for granted. As we at the Lake Champlain Chamber know through our work with our destination marketing initiative, Hello, Burlington. In usual times, the airport allows us to promote our region efficiently and to welcome visitors who visit our local shops, eat at our local restaurants and support so many other local businesses. The importance of the airport to our larger community, though, is something I want to be really clear about. The airport is very important to businesses that need to travel outside of Vermont to reach their clients and to access new markets. Many businesses also need to bring their customers here to Vermont and the airport makes that possible. As we seek to grow businesses here, getting their products and services to market in other parts of the country or even the world is essential and as is our airport. I am really glad to be a part of today's announcement and sharing this excitement. The Lake Champlain Chamber is just thrilled with this new investment and what we consider one of our region's most important economic assets. Thank you. Kathy, thank you. And finally, we're excited to hear from Kyle Clark, the founder of Beta Technologies. Beta is, as Gene mentioned, really pioneering a new industry here in Burlington, has made substantial investment in as a partner at the airport over the last year in the hangar that they are stationed in and we are all hopeful that there will be further investments on the horizon. Kyle, thank you for being part of this announcement today. Thank you. Thank you for having me, Mayor. And I'm truly humbled to be on the call here with Senator Leahy yourself. The airport here, Gene Richards and the team, his ops team here have been so good to Beta and it all comes down to carrying a whole awful lot and having a vision. The city and Gene outlined a visionary plan to host us here since 2017 in a progressive way that's allowed us to grow as a business and stay in Vermont very, very competitively and the terminal expansion, other investments along the street in front of me and just the tight collaboration with the airport have been pivotal to our competitive advantage in this space. I talked to my colleagues in California, my colleagues out and even in Wichita and down south and they're always wrestling with the airport and the FAA around flying. Here at this airport, the ops team, Gene specifically has unblocked communication to the FAA, to the control tower and in 2018 it allowed Beta to fly the world's largest electric aircraft and we did that in tight coordination with ops team and the airport here and then we went and bested our record earlier this year and now we're flying a whole bunch of missions proving the certifiability and the commercial viability of this airplane, excuse me. And so we're here at the airport, a product of all this forward-leaning vision, the opportunities that the airport, the city has given us to grow and build our business here. We've brought in a number of engineers that had previously left the state that grew up here and gave them an opportunity to come back and of course I questioned their initial decision to leave but we got them back nonetheless and we're now we're up to 180 people, mostly engineers here at the airport and right adjacent to this terminal expansion project, we're investing about $16 million into the building we're standing in for research and development for clean, sustainable aviation of the future. And we're having wonderful success technically and that's the foundation for I think what I believe to be the most important part of our generation which is turning the corner on climate change and here in Vermont we're doing a small piece of that, things like the terminal expansion, the forward-leaning vision of the city council here to allow us to grow, to allow us to do business here to have those touch points or a product-based business. It's really important to unblock and lubricate the ability for people to come and visit us here to fly with us, to see our beautiful state, to see what the future of aviation is. So thanks a bunch for including me here and I'm just excited to be a part of this group and we're gonna work our fancies off to try and do something good for the world and thanks for including us. And Miro before we go to questions, I went in with Kyle on here, Jean had talked about the times we walk up and down the halls of the airport. Of course we always take time for the selfie but I can almost put now, next I'm gonna hear from Jean Richards who's gonna tell me about data and he gets a plug in there and I'm delighted he does. I just, I really, I would have been there by now but Jean and I talk a lot on the phone I would have been there by now if it hadn't been for COVID and limitations but we'll be there. I just wanna share something with everybody. This is the experience of people coming through our airport through a new terminal, reducing the friction through TSA. The beautiful picture X view of the mountains out of the terminal are wonderful experiences only to be topped by flying in an electric aircraft with amazing visibility. We fly over to the Adirondacks, we can see the green mountains, it's all glass, it's quiet, there's no engine noise and it's peaceful and it's like you're in a glider and it's gonna be an amazing extension of the experience of coming through this airport when we're able to bring this to commercial success. I'm really looking forward to it. I can imagine what that is like. I'll bring my camera, but then I always do. Moreau, you and Kathy and Karen got more agenda here. I'm gonna put myself back on mute. Okay, great. I think that is the end of our program. Thank you Kyle for joining us and laying out that vision. It's a tremendously exciting one. The idea of 100% renewably generated Burlington Electric Department electricity powering those airplanes is part of the vision that we're excited about as well. It's, this is a viable way to address the small but real part of climate emissions that airlines contributed to and that could grow over time if we don't go in a different direction and beta technologies is leading the way on a more sustainable vision for airlines. And it's very exciting that that's happening here, literally happening here in Burlington. With that, I think we'd be happy to take some questions. Libby, you wanna explain to folks how that will work? Great, yes, thank you, Mayor. So reminder for members of the media who are here on the call, you can get into the question queue just by sending me an email. And first in the queue, we have Devin from 2244 and Devin you should be able to enable your microphone now. Yeah, can you hear me? Yes. Great, so this question is for Kathy but I know there's a lot of different perspectives here so I'd love to hear as many people wanna respond as possible. You talked a little bit about how important the growth of an airport is for people coming to the city, tourism, local businesses. Are there any areas of sort of secondary benefits that maybe don't come to mind at first that people might be surprised to hear would be affected by a more efficient airport? Sure, thank you. Yeah, I mean, one of the things with air travel is you wanna make it as easy as possible for people to get on that plane and get here. So one of the things that we think about, especially when we're marketing Burlington as a region is the direct flights, looking at how easy it is that they can get to Vermont, get here and enjoy everything we have to offer. Sort of get them used to the experience and if you can wow them with a fantastic airport, they're gonna come again and again and again. The other piece that I think we've got a lot of folks who maybe not as much recently but prior were living and working in Vermont but traveling to employers elsewhere, whether they were hopping on the flight to go to DC a couple of times a month. And so those are having the ability again for people to get through the airport and get where they need to go or come and be able to maybe work for an employer that's located elsewhere, but they're living here, they're investing here, they're paying taxes here. That can't be undersold. And as we look to sort of grow our workforce and grow the number of Vermonters, the airport just plays a really integral role in opening up those opportunities. I'll just add to that from our perspective as a growing business, the airport and the terminal is the first impression that a recruit has when they come with their family and the last impression when they leave. It defines in some respects the artwork, the people that greet you, the ambiance of the terminal, the culture of the town and to have a forward leaning, thoughtful, progressive terminal that's fluid, efficient and enjoyable to traverse through is again, the first and last impression and it's how people will initially kind of walk into our business as we try to recruit them and their families to come to Vermont. One other thing we're again with Senator Leahy's help, we were able to do our taxiways and our apron which allows us to have larger aircraft which will allow us to be more attractive to the airlines and go to many of the spots that you're talking about, Kathy. All right, and then I just had one more question as well. This could really be for anybody. The perception right now is that given the pandemic, this has been a rough stretch for the airline industry. So some people might see the headline that there's gonna be an expansion, wondering why this is happening now but there's obviously a lot of confidence in this and a longer term approach to it but I'm just interested in hearing, how would you sort of explain to people this project and the benefits it might have when you're just letting the community know what's going on? So do you mind if I handle that? Yeah, that sounded like a question for you as well. It's been a long time coming. It's been a nine year conversation but it actually is all about what today's about and where our future's about. It's about efficiencies. Like how do we do our business for less? And just TSA personnel, there'll be a 30% reduction and it'll be more efficient to use, more efficient for the number of people, the number of police officers. It's really a cost saving instrument as well as a well needed addition to the airport. Does that answer your question? Yeah, that's good. Thank you, Jean. Did anybody else wanna wait? Yeah, Devin, I mean, I'll just add to that that this has been a very challenging year for everyone and certainly including the airport. The airport has gotten direct assistance from the federal government. Senator Leahy was a big leader in that as well. And so the airport and the airline industry has been given the assistance it needs to weather this incredible storm. We are gonna get to the other side of this pandemic. It is, you can see the end coming now and this is one of a number of projects that from my perspective, it's been important that we continue to pursue knowing that we are gonna get through this. The airport is gonna make it through this strong just like it has through so many other challenges over the last hundred years. And we should, as much as we can, use this time for investment and strengthening so that when we come out of this incredibly challenging time, we are a stronger community, we are more sustainable. We're more racially just in many ways. That's been our goal on so many fronts and with this investment, it kind of fits into those kind of goals. Make sure that we are better. Our institutions are stronger on the other side of this incredibly challenging time. Mayor, I just wanted to just add that much like the city was in a very strong financial position when the pandemic struck and we went into a, it's now been almost a year with our unassigned fund balance. The airport was in a very strong financial situation with hundreds of days of cash on hand. And unlike other airports that may have big names but have their financial challenges, we were positioned to weather the storm and combine with the assets that we have gotten and the financial support from the government and from Senator Leahy are in a very good situation. And also, for those of you who don't know Jean in the way that many of us do, this is a person who never looks at the glass, half empty, always, always it is half full and there is always a way to get to yes. And that is part of the reason why I believe that we're in the position that we're in, thanks. And if I could just add one more thing and it reflects exactly what Karen has said and the others, I mean Jean doesn't say, heck we have to stop now and maybe we'll get better and we'll start doing that. You start building now because it will get better. I'm gonna leave from this meeting to meeting with the key people on the Senate Appropriations Committee where you're working on the new COVID and other bill. We are getting more and more people saying from the Federal Reserve, through the Secretary of the Treasury with whom I spoke the other day to others that we've got to get impotence money in. We will get the money in. We're not going to wait till all COVID is gone. We have to start preparing now because the economy will come back and Burlington is going to be extremely important. In the past, usually in the fall, I've had an event in Vermont I've had a lot of business leaders come up, fully it's just a nice time to come. But you would be amazed at the number of these people who are used to flying into big cities all over the country saying, wow, this was fun to fly in there. It's a great airport, great service. We got through and gee, the people were nice. They smiled as they said, hi. I said, well, that's Vermont. Awesome. That's all I wanted to do. Olivia, are there more questions? Yes, there are. Next in the queue is Grace from BT Digger. Grace, you should be able to enable your microphone now. Okay, great. I was just curious if Senator Leahy could expand on how he was able to secure this grant for the Burlington airport. I'm assuming the money is coming from the Department of Transportation, but I'm wondering if there's any specific program that it's coming from. Well, it's a number of things, but they have to apply for it. I obviously make sure the money is in there, but the Department of Transportation, they wouldn't give a cent of this if they thought it was going to be wasted. It's because of the work Jean has done, his work, Bata's does work, Morro and everybody else has done, to say, yeah, spend the money here. The Department knows I will make sure they have the funding to back them off that it's not going to be wasted, but they wouldn't send it up here if they thought it was just going to be for feel good and nothing came of it. I think as it is, the things I've heard back from the Department is, boy, this is even more than we thought. It might be more in the scope of it and the excellence of it. And that's why I want to be in this meeting because this is one of the things we'll be discussing in next year's budget. And so is it coming? Can I just add? Yeah, go ahead. I just want to add to that Grace, I'll let you jump back in, but this particular, and I may not be the most expert person to speak to on this call, but this particular program, small hub airports like Burlington were not originally eligible to apply and the Senator, is he so often does fighting for small interests here in Vermont made sure that our airport could apply for this specific FAA grant opportunity. So we're particularly thankful for that. Do you want to add anything to that team? Yeah, it's, you know, there's airports our size that in a lot of ways get forgotten about and we still have the same needs as the larger airports. We just don't have the cash flow. So having the Senator Lehi advocate for not only just Burlington, but airports our size, it's a big deal. And it was something that was kind of pushed aside and I think missed. So, you know, when we did discuss it and we found out the need, you know, the need was met, but it wasn't only just met in Vermont, it was met throughout the United States. Gotcha. Thank you. That helps clarify. Does this FAA grant have a name, the FAA grant program? Yeah, I think it's in the press release. Olivia can. It's an airport improvement project. Yeah. Yes. The Federal Aviation Administration supplemental airport improvement program, I think is the full name, Grace. Perfect. Thank you. And Jean, I know you had touched on this in one of your previous answers, but I was curious if you could just give a more specific update on the financial health of the airport. I know at the beginning of the pandemic, there were some projected losses. Of course, the airport was able to receive federal assistance, but as of today is the airport projecting to see any financial losses due to COVID-19. Yeah, there is always that potential. It's a guessing game on when the passengers are going to return, but what we've done is we hedged with a $11 million line. We're also doing in the middle of a potential what you could probably understand as a refinance and redoing our conditions with our bondholders. So what we're doing is we're moving some of our payments out two years. So giving ourselves and the industry about a two-year breathing period on paying back dollars that we would have owned and pushing it onto the backend. So we've done a couple of different things as well as cutting back on a lot of projects to make sure that we're gonna be in the best position to make decisions as we move down the road. So far, we are doing really well. I'm very proud of the help we've received from downtown, the airport team. It's been a, you know, all brains on deck and we're doing very well and I'm feeling confident. We're gonna come out on the other side in a good place. So I can't predict anything negative at this point because it's my job to make sure that we don't achieve any negativities that we break even and balance our budget. So that's my goal right now. Just coincidentally, Grace, Gene and I and other members of the team just recently participated in a credit rating review by Moody's which is one of the two agencies that really kicks the tires and ensures that really, you know, kind of digs into the, essentially the question you were just asking what, how is the financial health of the airport doing despite all of the turmoil? And it was a good session. I don't think we're quite ready to announce the results of it but I left feeling optimistic and there will be news on that shortly about that assessment. Okay, that's great to know. And so you said also that this project will produce cost savings for the airport. Do you have a specific number on how much money the airport could see over a period of time with this new project? I don't, only because we're still evaluating and working with TSA and all of our partners and still designing the efficiencies of the project. So we're pushing everything to its max that we can. And so no, I don't have one. I only know that there will be. Okay. Okay, great. I think those are all the questions that I have. Thank you. And Mayor, I'm gonna, I just got a call that I have to be at the back of appropriations in a couple of minutes. So there are no other questions for me. I'm going to leave. I'm so proud of you and the board, the Lakeshand Plain Chamber, Kyle, Karen, please tell your fellow members how proud I am of all of them. Jean, we will both stand up and take selfies of each other soon. I hope walking through the, walking through the terminal. Awesome. Thanks so much, Senator. We really appreciate your finding time to be able to join us for this announcement and we'll let you get back to the committee. Senator, before you leave, I have just one more thing for you. If you don't mind. Yes, sir. Smile. Okay. Now, you know what that proved to be. You all know Jean as I do. That proved to me that the man behind the mask is Jean Richard, not an imposter. Thank you again. Take care, everybody. Thank you, Senator. Great. We do have one more member of the media in the question queue and one second. All right. It's Pat and Pat, you should be able to enable your microphone now. Hi, can you hear me okay, Mayor? Yes, Pat, I can. Go ahead. Okay, great. The question is probably more for Jean. More along the lines of the practicalities of from here to there, you know, it sounds like when the project is done, it's going to be, you know, very nice, very efficient that the passengers will really, really like this terminal and stuff. But as you said, it's a year and a half construction that's planned. So what kind of disruptions will passengers and people using the airport encounter during the construction phase and what should they be prepared for during this intervening time? Pat, first of all, it's good to hear from you. It's been a while, but actually there will be zero disruption. About 18 to 24 months ago, I don't know that you remember, but we built a conics walkway between the North and the South. So there's a walkway that joins the two terminals that we currently have. So it'll be like a switch. Once the new building is done, we will then start using, and we will stop using the old building and start using the new building. So we'll put up petitions and when the new building is done, we'll take them down. So there's no intersection then, like with picking up luggage or anything like that. No, it's actually really, it's gonna be quite a nice addition and it's gonna be very easily to transition to. It'll be one day you'll go left and right and then the next day you'll just go right. So do you think passengers even notice that you're reconstructing this? They will just hear it. Probably occasionally, they'll hear machines and people building, but that's about it. Okay. Yeah, that was my question was, in the intervening time, what passengers might have to deal with, but it sounds like you've got that all planned out. We do, but thank you for asking, Pat. Yeah, thank you. He had it. This is, Olivia, can you put the image back up again? This might just be helpful for everyone to understand. This project is really an addition that adds on to the kind of southeastern edge of the building. So you kind of get a sense for it in this image. That's the existing terminal in the background there, the white kind of on the left side of the screen, yeah, far in the background. This is a new extension of the building and you can really is on its own footprint and then just is added to, is sort of joined to the existing building. And so that's why the disruption will be fairly minimal as Jean described, bring this online. And you can also see on the near surface when we talk about this being potentially fueling future expansion of the airport. And this is not something we have anything to announce anytime soon, but if and when the airport continues its 100 years of growth and does need more gates, maybe for Kyle's electric fleet of electric airplanes, the, you can extend this building from that on that right side of the image there, it can extend for quite some distance to accommodate additional gates if and when they become warranted. All right, I think we had one more question, Olivia, text me. Great, yes, we do. It is from Kayla with WCIX. Kayla, you should be able to enable your microphone. All right, perfect. Can you hear me now? We can hear you. Okay, that's a little faint, but if you speak up, we should be able to hear you. Okay, I'll make sure to project. That's good. So earlier we had mentioned, or you guys had mentioned rather that there would be a 30% decrease in TSA workers, is that correct? Potentially, yes. So, you know, whenever there's innovation and cause for great efficiency that often takes over some jobs. So I was wondering where would those TSA workers go or like what would the process of them no longer working there look like? Yeah, that I am not in the position to discuss, but they, we service both Plattsburg and Burlington with those TSA folks. So I'm assuming that they would probably work on that and just as folks, there's a, I'm not sure is the answer. I guess I should probably say, I shouldn't be speaking about it, but there will be layoffs or anything from it. I believe it'll be, it'll take place as people leave and they will manage it as they do always. Okay, so wouldn't be as if they were cutting staff, they would just reposition them within the airport? I'm assuming, but I can't speak for TSA nor should I, but I would assume that they will do it in the way that they would do it. I don't anticipate that there will be job losses. I will believe that they will manage into it. Okay, thank you for that answer. And I guess a clarifying question from earlier would be, when we talked about the small hub airports, how they weren't originally allowed to apply and then they were able to apply for our airport. I was wondering what were those stipulations and why couldn't smaller airports apply? It had to do with the number of passengers that we had and how you qualified for the grant. So I believe the criteria for the grant was changed so that we would qualify so that we could participate in the process. All right, so it'd be more than just our airport but other smaller airports across the country? Yes, anything that happens in Burlington, it happens to everybody. I mean, I guess it wouldn't be fair to have it that way if it wasn't everybody. So it's something that applies to all. Right, I just wanted to double check make sure that was a thing. All right, I think that's all the questions that I have. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. Great Kayla, thank you for your questions. And that is all the questions that we have as well. Okay, very good. We will wrap it up there. Thank you everyone for participating in this. Great to see you, Kathy, Karen. And we lost Kyle, I think already. Gene, great work. We'll talk to everyone soon. Thanks so much. Thank you.