May 11--What's in a name?
Consistency, at the very least.
With Jefferson County now in control of the Watertown International Airport, lawmakers had discussed a name change, but the ad hoc committee dealing with the facility has recommended sticking with the old name, and putting a new sign up along Route 12F by July.
"A certain amount of travelers are using the airport already," said Legislator James A. Nabywaniec, R-Calcium, a member of the airport ad hoc committee. "You want to keep the familiarity and expand your customer base."
That goal of doubling that base to more than 10,000 riders per year was one reason the Board of Legislators considered new names -- tossing around options that cut out "International," mixed in the county's name, since it is now the owner, and proposed adding the most recognizable tourist destination, the Thousand Islands.
In the end, the county's business epicenter was already in the name, airport managers in other counties said the "International" was important, and lawmakers decided the rest could be addressed in a marketing campaign and a tag line on the sign.
"Watertown is the business center and the hub of the county," Mr. Nabywaniec said, noting that Fort Drum was also considered, but the military base will be recognized in a separate sign. "We didn't want it to be too busy. We didn't want an airport sign that was a billboard."
The committee's final proposal, endorsed by the General Services Committee after some debate on Tuesday, was to put Jefferson County's logo at the top of a sign that says, "Watertown International Airport, Serving Jefferson County and the Thousand Islands."
But with the language issues settled, the last debate is color, and teal appears to be the leader, with mahogany in the running as the base color of the 14-foot-tall, 10-foot-wide sign. It will have lights and sit perpendicular to the road, so it can easily be seen by passing motorists. The new sign, which will cost about $9,500, will replace the facility's current sign, which runs parallel to the road and is easily missed.
Legislator Robert A. Boice, R-Rutland, who had wanted a tagline to say "Owned and operated by Jefferson County," stirred up some conflict in the meeting Tuesday, questioning the ad hoc committee's role and expressing concerns that decisions were made without open discussion.
This died down after his fellow lawmakers explained that the sign and also a plan for landscaping normally would not have come before the board, but were brought up in the interest of full disclosure.
The landscaping proposal included $1,500 to spruce up around the terminal building and possibly a follow-up project of planting 20 trees along the entrance road leading to the terminal building for about $5,000.
