Orange County Airport looks to the future

By Laura Fitzgerald
Posted 2/20/19

The Orange County Airport is preparing for future growth by discussing municipal water and sewer systems with the Town and Village of Montgomery.

The airport is currently in negotiations with …

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Orange County Airport looks to the future

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The Orange County Airport is preparing for future growth by discussing municipal water and sewer systems with the Town and Village of Montgomery.

The airport is currently in negotiations with the Village of Montgomery to obtain municipal sewer access, which would be more efficient than the septic system the airport currently has.
Orange County Airport Director of Aviation Edward Magryta approached the Montgomery town board to ask for a potential Intermunicipal Agreement (IMA) for water and sewer services if IMA negotiations with the Village of Montgomery fall through.

Even though the airport is in the town, the distance from the airport to the village is shorter than to the town hookup at the end of Neelytown Road.

Magryta said the airport received an $800,000 New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) Aviation Bureau grant in 2007 for the purpose of sewer infrastructure. However, the grant expires in April and the airport needs to demonstrate it has municipal support to receive more grant money from the state.

The county also has the bonding authority for $600,000 for the purpose of sewer installation.

The airport is waiting on a $1.5 million DOT Aviation Bureau state grant that would contribute to water services. The county has also preemptively pledged $900,000 in bonding authority for water services.

However, Magryta said the possibility of new developments on Route 416 could bring town water and sewer service even closer to the airport.

Magryta is still optimistic the airport will be able to negotiate an IMA with the village. He approached the town to make sure all the bases are covered for the grant funding.

“I do think there is a strong possibility that we will be able to link up in the village. Our scenario here is that we don’t want the grant to expire,” Magryta said. “If there is an opportunity with the town as a backstop with this grant funding, we certainly don’t want to let that go by the wayside and then lose the $800,000 that is available to us.”

A municipal connection is more efficient than septic, so acquiring an upgrade in systems is crucial to the airport’s growth by attracting private investment interesting in building more hangars and businesses.

“We can build more with less land because these hangars will not require their own septic systems,” Magryta said.

The Orange County Airport does not manage commercial flights, instead attracting private aircraft enthusiasts and business travel.

Proposals for large-scale development in the area might increase traffic in private businesses using the airport for quick trips in and out of facilities. Medline Industries, Inc. has proposed a 1.3-million-square-foot warehouse just across from the airport, on the east side of NYS Route 416 and north of Interstate I-84 (I84). Project Sailfish, a proposed 1-million-square-foot warehouse for an undisclosed tenant, is eyeing the plot of land near I-84 and the intersections of NYS Route 17K and 747.

“We are hopeful that with these developments, if they come to fruition, the airport could be a participant in the overall scheme of the development of that area,” Magryta said.

The airport has already made preparations for future growth with the completion of a new Federal Aviation Administration—compliant runway in the beginning of the year.