Like it has for many other area aviation lovers, the Dowagiac Municipal Airport has been a fixture in the life of local pilot Steve Comstock for years.

It was on the tarmac of the venerable airport that Comstock first got his wings, learning to fly at 13 in 1960, he said.

When he was 15, he began working at the airport, heading there after class let out at Dowagiac Union High School, which is located across the street. During his shifts he would do everything from helping to refuel aircraft to cleaning up the terminal building, Comstock said.

“I did all this for a $1 an hour, plus flying time,” he said.

On Wednesday, the Dowagiac pilot was one of the more than 60 people who packed inside the airport’s recently constructed terminal building to celebrate the latest milestone in the life of the institution. Local officials, business owners and professionals, and local aviators attended the dedication of the new terminal structure, in a ceremony hosted by the city and the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce.

The new 1,080 square-foot structure opened its doors to pilots in late January, following several months of construction in 2016. The terminal has several facilities, including a main lobby, where pilots can meet or rest during poor weather conditions; a planning room, where travelers can chart flight plans; and a kitchenette, where visitors can prepare small meals.

The structure replaces the previous terminal at the Dowagiac airport, which, after more than 50 years of service, was in suffering from issues with its roofing and heating and cooling system.

While the idea of updating the terminal has been on the books for years, it was under the direction of current Airport Manager Oscar Azevedo and city leaders that the project got off the ground several years ago. Construction was funded primarily through grant dollars from the Federal Aviation Administration, which were administered through the  Michigan Department of Transportation.

While Azevedo provided guidance on the functions the terminal should provide — shelter for stranded pilots, space for meetings and planning sessions, etc. — the city dictated many of the design elements for the building. One of the elements the city pushed for was for the building to made from brick, in order to ensure the structure remains sturdy for years to come and to have it match with many of the structures the city has constructed over the past decade, said Mayor Don Lyons.

“We wanted it resemble something out of the 1930s Art Deco period, when aviation was really starting to get off the ground,” Lyons said.

For old hands like Comstock — who, after years of piloting commercial aircraft, began flying recreationally out of the municipal airport in 2012 — the new terminal building comes as a welcome sight, given the condition of the previous structure, he said. As a retired commercial pilot, the Dowagiac pilot said he knows from experience that the amenities the new terminal offers are everything a flier could ask for.

“I’m tickled to death about the terminal,” Comstock said. “It really puts Dowagiac on the map with transient pilots.”

An uptick in pilots passing through will not only increase the fortunes of the airport, but of the city itself, as visiting aviators are likely to want to stop into town to dine or shop, Comstock said.

“There are enough friendly pilots here that anyone would be willing to give them a lift and treat them to lunch,” he said.

The new building is also particularly meaningful to the mayor as well. Lyons’ father, Dale, an airman who served in World War II, served as the Dowagiac airport’s first manager shortly after his return from the warfront.

“I think Dad would be proud of what we have accomplished,” Lyons said.