The Des Moines International Airport authority board has hired a consultant to look into how a $500 million to $525 million revamp that includes a new terminal can be whittled down to save money.

It’s possible a proposed second parking ramp may be scrapped, for example, airport officials said. They had talked earlier of possibly using the existing terminal building for administration so a level could be sawed off designs for the new terminal. Another option — reducing the size of the proposed baggage area.

The airport agreed to pay consultants HNTB $186,183 for the “cost-reduction analysis.”

As it stands, the project faces a budget shortfall of something in the range of $225 million, based on early estimates. The terminal has not been designed, although a space allocation study was completed.

That led to conversations about how to trim costs, said Kevin Foley, the airport’s executive director and general manager. The airport likely would be revamped with federal and state aid, airport savings, ticket fees already paid by passengers, and revenue from airport operations, for example.