-By Adam Figman

Despite a unanimous vote last month by the Raleigh-Durham International Airport Authority in favor of renovating the airport’s Terminal 1 via an exclusive contract with Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee, results of the committee meetings that followed determined that the company will also consider using O’Brien/Atkins Associates and The Freelon Group as subconsultants on the project.

Board member Craigie Sanders said the choice to support three local companies coincided with the duty of the airport. Previously, the airport had employed Fentress Architects of Denver as the architect of its previous renovation (on Terminal 2), to the dismay of many who felt the airport should be supporting its local triangle-area (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) businesses.

“Certainly there have been discussions on both sides of this issue, on whether we use vendors outside of the area or use local vendors,” says Sanders.  “I think that our decision to use local vendors in this instance is consistent with the airport’s mission and certainly those vendors are well qualified.  We’re very happy we have the interest from folks here locally to do the work at the airport.”

Terminal 1’s renovation is expected to begin in 2011, shortly after the completion of Terminal 2’s Phase II.