Weeks of community tension were resolved after the Saratoga County Buildings and Grounds Committee voted Monday against any runway extension plan at the Saratoga County Airport in Milton.
County-hired consultants proposed upgrades to the airport, which also include improvements to taxiways, terminals, and hangar space, are part of a FAA-required update to the airport’s master plan. But runway extension proposals would have required the county to acquire land owned by neighboring residents.
Cheers erupted from the congested crowd after the committee voted unanimously, with one abstention, to reject runway expansion, and to keep any upgrades within the airport fences.
Recently, Milton’s Town Board, backed by hundreds of residents, passed a resolution against runway expansion. The County Buildings and Grounds Committee’s vote Monday would halt expansion for at least ten years. Town supervisor Dan Lewza, who also chairs the Buildings and Grounds committee, said he is confident the county will not seek eminent domain.
“As long as I’m in this position, my stance will never change,” said Lewza. “We have to work together, this is not anything against the general manager of the airport, it’s not against the airport itself. We have to be good neighbors.”
David Burton spoke on behalf of Milton residents against runway expansion, thanking the committee for their action. Burton worked to organize opposition after he and his wife learned that the land he owns adjacent to the airport could have been affected.
“We passed back and forth on whether or not we’d put the house up for sale, or find out how much the house was worth, but when I walked through my neighborhood, and talked to my neighbhors, there wasn’t a chance that I would leave,” said Burton.
Burton said it is possible to fight City Hall.
“I’m confident that we’re going to have a voice in it, and that we’ll continue to have a watchful eye on what happens,” said Burton.
Lewza said working with town residents in a unified way was a gratifying experience.
“It was a pleasure to actually work with the residents of Milton. We came together, we were one voice, and I think people realized they were up against it,” said Lewza.
Pete Bardunias, President and CEO of the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County said as discussions surrounding the airport continue in the future, he wants to see the business community to work closely with the residents and government.
He also said that leaders should take a regional approach when considering upgrades to the county’s infrastructure.
“One of the things I’d like to see is a regional approach. There’s a lot of facilities around here, we have a lot of partners throughout the Capital Region,” said Bardunias. “I think that Saratoga County should look at that, how it integrates with the rest of Tech Valley, and how we work together to make sure we have the transportation infrastructure needs assessed, but at the same time protecting our communities.”
In 2008 a plane clipped the surrounding trees during a landing at the airport. At the time, the FAA recommended 16 trees be cut down. Residents were upset after the county removed several acres of trees.
Lewza said Monday’s action shows commitment to the community, and that anything similar will not happen again.
“The county ended up taking 70 acres worth – they clear cutted the entire area. And we showed that that’s not going to happen anymore.”
Other updates to the airport’s master plan will be considered at a later date.
