(WWJ) -- The North Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport will soon have a new name, as the Wayne County Airport Authority Board of Directors announced Wednesday they have unanimously voted to rename the terminal in honor of Wayne County Executive Warren Cleage Evans.
Opened in 2008, the North Terminal became another option for travelers at DTW and allowed for the retirement of the Smith and Berry terminals as passenger facilities.
The re-naming ceremony for the terminal will take place in spring of 2022, allowing the airport authority time to establish a process to phase out the terminal's old name and plan a celebration.
Marvin Beatty, chair of the WCAA Board, says Evans is "known as a leader who gets results."
"Mr. Evans has devoted his entire adult life to public service, personally and professionally. Not to mention, he has always been an advocate for our airport system, which is an economic engine and a job creator in our region."
Evans has served as county executive since 2015, after a long term as Wayne County Sheriff. In his time as executive, he helped eliminate the county's multi-million-dollar deficit, balanced the budget and ensured the county avoided bankruptcy, according to the WCAA Board.
"To date, the Evans Administration has delivered more than $90 million in relief to those affected by the pandemic, including direct aid for service workers, rent-burdened tenants, homeless veterans and small businesses," the WCAA Board said in a statement
Evans says he is "humbled and honored" by the board's decision to name the terminal in his honor.
"Wayne County is an international gateway because of its airports, and we have worked hard to make them an integral part of the county's resurgence. Detroit Metro is a world-class airport, and together with Willow Run Airport our Aerotropolis is attracting investment from around the globe that is creating jobs for Wayne County residents."
The airport's McNamara Terminal is also named after a former Wayne County Executive, Edward H. McNamara.
