MOSES LAKE - Operations at Sonico Inc., could be interrupted if the aircraft maintenance company is still expected to vacate one of its buildings at the Grant County International Airport by July.

Sonico President Bill Perdue said officials at the Port of Moses Lake told the company in February that it had to move out of the building so structural repairs could be made.

However, Perdue said it would take Sonico more than the six months they were given to move operations to another facility. Perdue asked port commissioners for more time to find another location during the last commission meeting.

"Our appeal is that the six months is inadequate to relocate," he said. "If that's the mandate, then we go out of business, there will be a break in our business."

Sonico currently employs about 40 people, according to Perdue. The company has been based in Moses Lake for 33 years, he said.

Perdue told commissioners that while they were only needing Sonico to vacate one building, the company would have to essentially move out of two buildings in order to move its operations.

Sonico's assembly areas, paint booths, machine shop and inventory are located in the building the port wants to repair, Perdue said. The building adjacent supports the functions of the first building because it houses Sonico's administrative offices and manuals employees often refer to, he said.

If workshop operations had to move somewhere else, the other office would have to move too, Perdue said.

Perdue also said Sonico needs more time to move operations because the Federal Aviation Administration would have to review and approve any new building plans before the company could move.

"We can't just move, we have to move under the FAA, and any building we find has to be retrofitted," he said.

In addition, it would take Sonico a long time to move its inventory of 65,000 items to another location, said Perdue.

Sonico has been looking for about four months for another building. They have been searching for buildings in a 20 mile radius, but have yet to find an adequate facility, he said.

Perdue said Sonico would need about three years to construct a new building if they went that route.

He said if Sonico doesn't receive more time to find another solution, they would have to shut down operations until a new facility could be built.

"Our customers will go elsewhere and it will take us another 33 years to get them back," he said. "It is a very big risk to our small business."

Port Executive Director Pat Jones said the port is acting on public safety concerns. Three separate engineering reports over the years have expressed structural concerns, he said.

"Commissioners believe public safety is paramount and that is the only reason the commission has this concern and feels like the building has to be vacated soon," he said.

During his presentation, Perdue cited one engineering report which said the building's lateral system, which is necessary for a building to withstand wind, water and other forces, had failed. Perdue said another report was unable to verify that finding.

However, the port wants to make sure all of its occupied buildings are completely safe, said Jones.

"We certainly want to keep Sonico here and healthy," Jones said. "However we felt we have to provide for public safety."

Jones said the port should have an idea of how much it is going to cost to fix the building when bids for repairs are opened May 6. Sonico should know if they will be given an extension or not around that time, he said.

"We're going to do everything we can to ensure that the building is safe and that Sonico has sufficient time to transfer to another building," said Jones.