Study Recommends Privatizing Dutchess County Airport Operations
WAPPINGER, N.Y. – An independent assessment of the Dutchess County Airport
by industry experts has recommended several major initiatives it says
are necessary for the facility become financially self-sufficient,
including taking it out of the hands of the county government and
privatizing its operations.
The operational and financial assessment, conducted by
Steven Baldwin Associates LLC, compared the Dutchess County Airport to
several other similarly sized airports, including Danbury Municipal
Airport, Lawrence Municipal Airport in Massachusetts, Reading Regional
Airport in Pennsylvania, Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport in
Janesville, Wisc., and the Waterbury-Oxford Airport in Connecticut.
The comparison found that Dutchess County Airport was the
only airport to provide its own fixed-base operator (FBO). An FBO is
responsible for airport operations and can provide services such as
fueling, hangaring, tie-down and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft
maintenance and other services. Dutchess County currently serves as the
airport’s fixed-based operator, operating as “Dutchess Aviation.”
According to the assessment, the County subsidizes the airport in order
to close any operating deficits, and that subsidy has been reduced by 35
percent over the past two years.
The study also noted that airport maintenance was commonly
the responsibility of the municipality and the County should continue to
oversee the maintenance of the airport property as it was viewed
favorably in the study’s survey input.
“The Dutchess County Airport is an important economic asset
and already provides huge economic benefit for our community,” said
County Executive Marcus Molinaro. “We must maximize its potential as an
unparalleled economic asset. Privatizing airport operations will assist
in this important effort.”
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Master
Records, the Dutchess County Airport ranks third among general aviation
airports in the New York State for total operations, which includes
takeoffs, landings and total based aircraft. The FAA defines general
aviation airports as those not designated as commercial, cargo, or
reliever.
Besides finding a privately operated FBO to replace Dutchess Aviation, the study also recommended:
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Initiating a water and sewer feasibility analysis.
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Developing an airport-focused marketing plan.
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Restructuring the Airport Advisory Board legislation to
clarify membership criteria, meeting frequency, board duties and
responsibilities, among other items.
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Market existing vacant airport property and real estate/land parcels.
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Engaging current valuable tenants in talks to ensure continued tenancy at the airport.
In his 2014 State of the County address
earlier this week, Molinaro identified the need for water and sewer at
the airport and the opportunity to privatize operations with a
contracted FBO as the two most critical of the recommendations. He said
there is already progress on getting water and sewer infrastructure to
the airport site. In December, the County was awarded a $750,000
economic development grant through the Mid-Hudson Economic Development
Council and other funding opportunities are being pursued.
Molinaro also announced that the County would begin
requesting proposals to seek a privately owned fixed-base operator, with
the goal of smoothly transitioning from the County’s FBO to a private
firm without disruptions of critical aviation services.
The recommendations and other suggestions outlined in the assessment
will be reviewed over the next several weeks in conjunction with the
Dutchess County Legislature and the Airport Advisory Committee and other
interested parties to make final determination on the most appropriate
path forward for the facility.
Source: http://hudsonvalleyreporter.com
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