Dec. 22--Jefferson County lawmakers may have found the clientele needed to make the Watertown International Airport a more viable option for commercial flights -- Fort Drum soldiers.
In a meeting with local elected officials earlier this week, Maj. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, the 10th Mountain Division's commander, told several county lawmakers that he would compile information on some 13,000 annual flights booked by soldiers each year. That information could be used to lobby the airport's commercial carrier, Mesa Air Group, or another carrier to offer larger planes and more flights to a hub other than Pittsburgh.
"He told us he was going to get figures of where people want to fly and what destinations are popular so we can find out what we could do" to find a new hub and lure larger aircraft, said Legislator Kenneth D. Blankenbush, R-Black River. "In the trips we made to other airports, it's pretty clear that airlines are not going to jump to do this. You have to sell it to them. You need a marketing proposal to show them you can get 15,000 or 16,000 passenger flights."
As part of a deal to gain the support of city officials for the county's 0.75 percentage point increase to the sales tax in 2004, county lawmakers agreed to take over the airport in the town of Hounsfield from the city. For the past year, the county has been paying the facility's expenses, and early next year the transfer is expected to be official.
Led by Legislator Barry M. Ormsby, R-Belleville, an ad hoc committee that includes Mr. Blankenbush has been discussing ways to turn the airport, often referred to by city officials as a burden on taxpayers, into an asset. Among those ideas is increasing ridership, which is where the military could provide a significant boost.
"I'm really impressed with his enthusiasm and attitude toward wanting to see the north country prosper and grow along with Fort Drum," Mr. Ormsby said. "I'm really pleased with his thoughts regarding helping us enhance the airport and helping channel some of his people to fly out of Watertown instead of Syracuse. He's very receptive about being proactive about what he can do to help Watertown and subsequently to help the base as well."
The benefit of bringing more passengers to the Watertown airport would be not only for the consumer -- cheaper tickets, better aircraft and new destinations. The benefits would extend to the taxpayer, since bringing in 10,000 passengers annually would make $1 million in aid from the Federal Aviation Administration available, instead of the $150,000 now available for serving about 5,000 passengers.
Legislator James D. St. Croix, D-Watertown, said Gen. Freakley indicated that he has the authority to steer soldiers to the local facility on Route 12F near Dexter instead of Syracuse, but potential consumer benefits, making it cost efficient, may have to be locked up beforehand. However, one benefit of the Watertown airport over Syracuse's Hancock International Airport is fairly obvious -- proximity to the base.
"The advantage is that you don't have to send a busload of troops through all types of weather down to Syracuse, when you can just take them down to Dexter," he said, noting that flights to Washington, D.C., out of Syracuse are shorter because they do not include a layover and are therefore more attractive, despite the longer drive.
But county lawmakers said they are not relying solely on the Army to help line up a proposal with the promise of increased passenger loads.
"Our job is going to not only be to help increase that business from Fort Drum, but reach out to the business community and local residential fliers," Mr. Ormsby said. "We've got a responsibility to bring the place up to speed prior to that interaction. We're just really anxious to get going so we can get the terminal fixed and show we want to invite in more customers."
Legislators have been talking for more than a year about cleaning up the facility, which has faded paint, worn carpets, and unsightly cobwebs and dead bugs. However, concerns about environmental contamination at the facility held up the transfer.
With a city/county agreement settled, the county on Dec. 13 approved a memorandum of understanding with the town of Hounsfield relating to the airport and the Town Council signed on two days later. Mr. Ormsby said the next step will be approval from the state Department of Transportation.
