Central New York News

Sequestration Impacts Rome NY

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published March 8, 2013 at 3:44 PM EST

Sequestration is behind the planned closure of an air-traffic control tower in Central New York.

The air traffic control tower at Griffiss International Airport in Rome is on a list of 173 towers at small and mid-sized airports nationwide the federal government plans to close on April 7

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente notes that international carriers Air Canada and Trans Aero use Griffis for maintenance and repair operations for wide body aircraft.

The county has a week to prove to the FAA that keeping the tower open is a matter of 'national interest.'

Central New York News

Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

See stories by Dave Lucas