Renovation will improve Pittsburgh-Butler airport building, restaurant
Excavation work visible recently at the Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport in Penn Township will result in upgrades at both the airport’s offices and Serventi’s On The Runway restaurant on the second floor.
A hillside on the east end of the building is being removed by heavy equipment, which will make way for construction there.
Michael Biggs, airport manager, said the new public water line was connected to the building Wednesday, Jan. 18. It eliminates the necessity for the multiple wells that previously were used at the airport.
The new Water Authority of Adams Township public line will allow for more reliable water service, including supplying sprinklers in various buildings and hangars, he said.
“It will help us become more safe,” Biggs said.
The public water is connected to all airport buildings along Airport Road, but not the hangars on the south side of the property as of now, he said.
The wall exposed by the excavation, Biggs said, suffered water damage and will be replaced.
A large wooden deck will be added to the restaurant on the second floor, allowing for outdoor seating.
Crews on Thursday installed new signs at the airport to more efficiently direct traffic to the various aviation-related businesses and entities there, Biggs said.
The construction work should be done by the end of April, he said.
Biggs said the airport authority received a $250,000 matching grant from the state Department of Transportation years ago. Those funds, plus the $250,000 match from the authority, will pay for the project.
Jim Ellis, owner of Serventi’s On The Runway on the building’s second floor, said the deck has been in the works for years.
“We’ve had so many requests for outdoor seating,” he said.
The project was lagging, and when the coronavirus pandemic struck, the increased construction prices caused a $250,000 shortfall on the project, Ellis said.
Initially, the deck was to wrap around three sides of the building, creating an observation deck where viewers could watch airplanes taking off and landing.
Ellis said in the original plans, a door was to be added at the top of the staircase on the west side of the building, where anyone — not just people coming to the restaurant — could access the deck.
“If it wasn’t for COVID, that deck would have been on two years ago and wrapped all the way around,” he said.
For now, the deck on the east side of the building will be about 1,000 square feet.
While Ellis is considering its final configuration, he said seating for the restaurant, fire pits, couches and a grow system are on the table.
“Our chef wants to grow vegetables out there,” he said.
People who calls to inquire about holding a party or event at the restaurant asks if there is an outdoor space, Ellis said.
“We expect a bump in business,” he said. “We’re excited about it.”
The deck eventually will wrap around to the runway side of the building, he said.
Ellis said the deck will be ready to accommodate diners visiting bar or restaurant in the spring.
