WAPPINGER – It’s now official, Dutchess County Airport has a new fixed-base operator. County Executive Marcus Molinaro executed a contract with Flight Level Aviation (FLA) to help revitalize operations and wean the facility off taxpayer subsidies.
The airport, once a thriving hub for companies like IBM, has become under-utilized. Increases in the yearly operating deficit are covered by the county, to the tune of $300,000 in recent years. The new deal with FLA guarantees Dutchess a $100,000 initial investment and $200,000 in revenues annually.
Details were presented to the Airport Advisory Committee on Monday afternoon, at their quarterly meeting, which was attended by dozens of small plane pilots who are tenants at the airfield in Wappinger.
A fixed-base operator (FBO) is a commercial business granted the right to operate on the airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, and other related functions.
Most of the existing staff will remain intact, including county employees and manager John Mouris. FLA will take over the fuel sales, maintenance, and occupy Hangar #9, until a new hangar can be built to modern standards.
The county has also obtained $2.9 million in funding to provide water and sewer infrastructure, which is crucial to attract new tenants and supply much-needed fire suppression capability. Solar panels are also being installed, which exceed the energy use of the airport, generating a surplus.
Molinaro acknowledged that the county airport is a controversial subject, with many residents questioning its value to the average household. He maintains that the airport is a vital engine for private sector economic development, and keeps its continued existence a high priority.
“The question for us has been how do we continue to move the county airport forward in a way that holds onto the benefits that you have participated in, how do we hold onto the county airport that is a benefit and resource to the community as a whole, but at the same time how do we use it to increase economic investment, economic benefit for the county, and in the end, how do we eliminate the taxpayer subsidy to the airport,” Molinaro said.
Consultant Steven Baldwin provided overview of the proposed five-year agreement, which can be extended to 40 years. He went over rates for fuel and space leasing, and spoke about FLA’s history running similar airports in Norwood, Massachusetts, Brunswick, Maine and Cape May, New Jersey.
FLA executives were not present for the meeting, but will be meeting with tenants soon. Specific details of the agreement will be made available online over the next few months, as they become finalized within the 2016 county budget in November.
Source: http://www.midhudsonnews.com
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