Jefferson County angles for $3m in airport aid from FAA

April 13--Jefferson County expects to land some federal dollars to help improve Watertown International Airport, Route 12F, Dexter.

The county Legislature's General Services Committee passed a resolution Tuesday night that puts in motion the process of obtaining nearly $3 million in federal aid.

"Much of this work is preparatory to getting funding to extend the runway another 1,000 feet," said Michael E. Kaskan, the deputy county administrator.

The county owns and operates the airport, which provides daily flights to Chicago on 44-seat American Eagle planes. The project will help meet a dual goal: bringing the airport up to snuff for the bigger American Eagle planes, which arrived in November, and preparing for potential growth.

"We're always thinking ahead," said James L. Lawrence, the county's highway superintendent. "It's meant to have the airport adequate for what we have right now."

County officials are budgeting for the federal funds before the Federal Aviation Administration makes its definitive decision. Officials are not sure whether a new funding formula will require the county to pick up more of the cost.

In past years, the FAA has paid 95 percent of the costs, with the state and local governments sharing the 5 percent left over. But the FAA will fund only 90 percent of some projects, meaning the county and state each will pay 5 percent of the cost. Jefferson County officials have not determined whether that formula change applies to them.

The project will pay for $629,400 in snow-removal equipment, $2.5 million to improve two taxiways and $200,000 to acquire land to the west of the airport. The land purchase will help the airport extend its "runway protection zone," a buffer area in the unlikely scenario that a plane goes off the end of a runway.

The resolution goes to the full Legislature for approval in May.

Copyright 2012 - Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.