Topics / Business : Parsons Group Picked to Head Airport Project
A group of companies led by Pasadena-based Parsons Corp. has been selected to oversee a $200-million expansion of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport.
Parsons’ largest subsidiary, Ralph M. Parsons Co., part of a joint venture called BGP Airport Associates, will oversee design, engineering and construction by 1998 of a 465,000-square-foot terminal with parking lots and access roads.
A commission that oversees the airport for Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank last week approved the Parsons venture.
Airport officials said contract negotiations will determine whether the Parsons venture may also oversee a second phase that by 2010 will see the building expand to 670,000 square feet.
When the first expansion is complete, it will allow the airport to handle 5.4 million passengers, a 17% increase from this year, said Victor Gill, an airport spokesman. In 2010 the airport is expected to handle 10 million passengers.
Airport officials said the project will create several thousand jobs throughout the county. A date for groundbreaking has not been set.
Parsons beat out joint ventures Sverdrup/McCormick and Greiner-Genaler Associates for the deal, which could be worth as much as $20 million in management fees, according to officials.
The process was a “highly competitive” one that “reflects the time,” said Ron Wildermuth of Parsons. “Our unparalleled track record in aviation management and our proximity to the site allowed us to beat the competition.”
Parsons has handled the management of expansions of Dulles International Airport, Washington National and Orange County’s John Wayne Airport, among others.
The competition was not without controversy. At least one airport commissioner questioned Parsons officials about their control of the Los Angeles Metro Red Line subway project. A report by the county’s transit agency blamed Parsons and a Metro Red Line contractor for thin subway walls that resulted in questions over the safety of the tunnels.
Airport commissioners voted 9 to 0 for the Parsons venture last Monday.
