© 2024
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
An update has been released for the Android version of the WAMC App that addresses performance issues. Please check the Google Play Store to download and update to the latest version.

Plattsburgh International Airport Secures Federal Funds

More than six and a half million dollars in federal grants have been awarded to the airport in Plattsburgh for infrastructure improvement and expansion of the new airport terminal.

Plattsburgh International Airport, on the site of the former air force base,  was dedicated in 2007 and is already expanding.  New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Bill Owens on Tuesday announced FAA grants totaling more than six-and-a-half million dollars for upgrades and expansion of the terminal.  Congressman Owens says they asked the FAA to assess Plattsburgh’s growth opportunities and to note that the airport uses federal funds efficiently.

Nearly 3-million dollars will be used for the terminal expansion, 3-point-4 million will complete a water and waste infrastructure project supporting the expansion, and money is also included to rehabilitate runways and taxiways.   The new federal grants, according to Clinton County Legislature Airport Committee Chair Bob Heins, allows bidding to begin for the expansion.

The current 35-thousand square foot terminal started with only 2-thousand enplanements a year. Last year, more than 150-thousand passengers used the facility.  Bob Heins say they had not anticipated needing to expand so quickly.

Congressman Owens says the investment in better facilities means it will be more likely that local officials will be successful at attracting new airport tenants and carriers.
 
The grant is from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program, which funds grants for planning and development of public-use airports.