NATCHEZ — Over the next six months, the Natchez-Adams County Airport’s terminal building will be transformed from a living example of late 1950s building design to a more modern, more efficient structure.

Airport Director of Aviation Clint Pomeroy said the airport has received a $136,000 multi-modal grant from the Mississippi Department of Transportation for improvements to the terminal building.

The entire project will cost $140,000, with local funds making the required 1 percent grant matching funds, Pomeroy said.

“The terminal is a 1950s concrete block building, so there are some things that need to be done to make it look better,” he said.

Built in 1958, the building has counters built into it for airline terminals and car rental services, but Pomeroy said the airport is not using those counters for those purposes anymore.

“I am going to take the counters out, I am going to add some space for my assistant to keep the records and paperwork, and I am going to build a small closet space to store janitorial cleaning supplies,” he said.

Pomeroy said currently janitorial supplies are stored in different places around the building.

“I need to get to where I can put stuff out of sight and I can close the door,” he said.

The renovations will also covert the former airline office into a flight planning room with computers and high-speed Internet so pilots no longer have to use the airport’s operations office to do their planning, he said.

The terminal’s air-conditioning system — which uses an older form of Freon that is no longer readily available — will likewise be replaced, Pomeroy said.

And then there are the cosmetic changes, which include not only replacing old or damaged wood, doors and windows, but also updating the look of the building.

“We are going to gut all three bathrooms,” Pomeroy said. “They have 1950s era tile, and I am going to gut them out, give them new fixtures and tile and make them look appealing. Our toilets are old and don’t flush well.”

The work will be done in phases to keep the building functioning.

“We are not going to destroy everything in the building at once and then just get it done,” Pomeroy said. “The building will keep operating at the same time.

“Our goal is not only to improve the look of the building, but improve its use and function as well.”