The welcome sign covers an entire wall at the new Customs building. Rich Pollack/The Coastal Star
By Rich Pollack
After years of planning and months of construction, a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection building at Boca Raton Airport is now complete, with operations expected to begin within several weeks.
The 4,400-square-foot facility was more than six months behind schedule because of construction and weather delays, but the city gave the agency a certificate of occupancy last month. It will be open to tours by community and business leaders this month.
Following the open-house tours, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials will begin moving computers and other equipment into the building.
“There’s been tremendous support of this project in the community,” said Clara Bennett,” the airport’s executive director.
Boca Raton officials said the center would work as another avenue to promote the city.
“The new facility will be a benefit to international companies wishing to relocate to Boca Raton,” said Mayor Susan Haynie. “Plus it adds to our global presence.”
Bennett said that during the invitation-only tours, visitors would have the chance to see a facility with a contemporary and attractive design.
“The goal was for it not to be a typical cookie-cutter building,” she said. ”We wanted it to be a modern, state-of-the-art facility unique to Boca Raton that represents where the airport is going in the future.”
With a clean and open appearance, the facility has a modern design with a combination of metal and glass.
An eye-catching feature of the center is a large map of the world on a blue background with the words “Welcome to Boca Raton” on the wall.
“It represents the international nature of the facility,” Bennett said.
The $4.3 million station will make it easier for air passengers coming from outside the country to Boca Raton to clear customs.
Now, planes coming from outside the United States planning to land at Boca Raton Airport must first stop at an airport with a customs facility, such as Palm Beach International Airport or Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. The passengers would then fly to Boca Raton Airport.
Bennett says the new Boca Raton center will enhance convenience for air travelers coming in from overseas, improve safety and decrease fuel costs because it will eliminate an additional landing and takeoff.
The center will also serve boaters coming from overseas who need to clear customs.
Once fully operational, the center will be open Thursday through Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., considered the busiest times for international travelers at the airport. Additional hours will be available at an extra cost but must be prearranged.
While taxpayers fund customs facilities at Palm Beach International and Fort Lauderdale Executive airports at no cost to arriving travelers, Boca Raton Airport’s center will be a user-fee center, with travelers paying for the service.
The Airport Authority will pay Customs and Border Protection to operate the facility and will cover a variety of costs, including the salaries of assigned officers.
To recoup the estimated operational costs of $244,000 for the first year and about $205,000 every year afterward, the airport developed a fee structure that will enable it to pay for the service in approximately five to six years.
Groundbreaking for the new center took place in July 2016, and construction was scheduled to wrap up within a year. A turnover in construction managers, as well as delays caused by Hurricane Irma, pushed back the schedule.
Bennett said once the contractor is done with a checklist, customs officials would be taking over the final stages of preparation for a public opening.
“The keys will be given to customs officials and they’ll begin moving in their hardware,” she said.
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