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Wallkill Valley Times, Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Orange County Airport unveils new runway
By LAURA FITZGERALD
[email protected]
The Orange County Airport unveiled its
new $30 million runway at a ribbon-cutting
ceremony last Thursday, enhancing
safety and supporting continuing growth
at the airport.
The project includes more than 5,000
feet of runway and a parallel taxi lane.
The new runway is further away from
the Wallkill River, providing a Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA)-certified
obstruction free and flood mitigated
takeoff and landing surface with all the
required safety enhancements.
The new runway includes about
1,000 feet of open space on each end for
emergency landings, a feature that brings
it into compliance with FAA guidelines.
“It’s got the maximum in safety. That’s
the main reason for the grant support,
was the fact that this has optimized safety
for the aviation activity,” Director of
Aviation Edward Magryta said.
The $30 million project was funded 90
percent by federal, 5 percent state and 5
percent county governments.
The project was funded through
facility charges—fees on plane fuel,
airline tickets and similar sources—
which means no tax payer money was
used to fund the runway.
The runway realignment project at
Orange County Airport was planned more
than 20 years ago. However, construction
did not begin until 2014 due to required
federal government and environmental
approvals, and funding constraints
related to such a large project.
Magryta said the new runway will
support traffic as the airport continues to
grow.
“The new runway is a game changer for
Orange County Airport,” Magryta said.
“The steadily growing pilot community
will be well served by this state-of-the-art
Town asks
Walden to
run its parks
department
By LAURA FITZGERALD
[email protected]
Director of Aviation Edward Magryta (fourth from left) and Orange County Executive Steve
Neuhaus (right of Magryta) cut the ribbon at the ceremony for Orange County Airport’s new
5,006-foot runway.
piece of infrastructure.”
With the growth of industry in the
Town of Montgomery, Magryta said the
airport is attractive for current and future
businesses that would like a centrally-
located airport that is convenient to travel
through.
The 596-acre property is located near
the intersection of Routes 416 and 211,
just outside the Village of Montgomery.
The next possible project for the
airport: new hangers funded by both
private and public investment, allowing
more traffic and business for the airport.
“This is a gem of a piece of infrastructure
and it’s getting a lot of investment that is
going to pay itself back many times over,”
Magryta said.
Orange County Executive Steve
Neuhaus cut the ribbon at the ceremony.
Chairman of the Legislature (and Village
of Montgomery Mayor) Steve Brescia,
Legislators Katie Bonelli, John Vero,
Jim Kulisek, Pete Tuohy, Department
of Public Works Commissioner Erik
Denega, Real Property Director John
McCarey and Ed Magryta, Orange
County’s Director of Aviation, State
Assemblyman Karl Brabenec and Town
of Montgomery Supervisor Rod Winchell
were in attendance as well.
“The completion of the runway
realignment at Orange County Airport
ensures that we can now safely handle
a vast array of aircraft,” Neuhaus said.
“It also demonstrates the continuing
importance of the airport as a vital
component of our economic development
strategy. We will continue to promote
Orange County Airport as a viable
aviation option.”
The untowered airport services
private general aviation flights. It is the
second-largest non-commercial/general
aviation airport in New York.
The airport was built around 1942 as
an army airfield. Orange County took
ownership and began operating at the
airport in 1963. Magryta said the airport
services about 170 planes and operates
100,000 takeoffs and landings a year.
The
Town
of
Montgomery
passed a motion on Dec. 20 to create
a cost justification analysis for an
Intermunicipal Agreement (IMA) with
the Village of Walden for the formation of
a town parks department.
Currently, the town has no parks
department. Town Supervisor Rodney
Winchell said while no agreement has
been written yet, he is envisioning a
shared services plan in which Walden
would share their expertise and resources
with the town.
“What I’m envisioning is Village of
Walden would take the responsibility of
the [town] parks as Village of Walden,”
Winchell said.
Walden would share their employees
with the town for maintenance and
organization of its parks. Currently, the
town highway department maintains
parks.
However, the town and the village
would not share assets, and each would
maintain a list of assets. For example, if
the town bought a lawnmower and the
agreement ended, the lawnmower would
still be owned by the town.
The town set aside $200,000 in its 2019
budget for maintenance of parks in the
Continued on page 18
joint traffic study of route 211 corridor
through the village. However, they are
concerned about traffic from employees,
especially during the peak morning and
evening hours, which currently can see
considerable traffic backups at the Route
17K intersection.
While the Medline Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (DEIS) Scope of Issues
calls for a review of traffic patterns for the
NYS Route 416 and Route 211 intersection
and the Route 211 and Dunn Road
intersection, Scheels states the village
board believes the entirety of Route 211 to
the intersection of 17K should be studied.
The Town of Montgomery’s positive
declaration for the Medline project states
it will cause a substantial increase in
traffic.
The EAF for the KSH Project states it
will cause a substantial increase in traffic,
with peak hours being in the morning and
evening. Hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 5
p.m., seven days a week.
Several
Montgomery
residents
expressed concern about increased traffic
and even truck traffic in the village and
town as a result of the Medline project at
a Town of Montgomery scoping session
for the Medline DEIS on Dec. 12. Despite
Medline’s reassurances, residents are
concerned truck traffic will increase
through the village as a result of Medline
and the other two projects.
Residents claimed trucks already pass
through the village, shaking historic
homes’ foundations, causing safety
concerns at the school and disrupting
residents’ everyday lives.
“My concern is that the village
residents, there’re like a sacrificial lamb
to big, big money-making endeavors,”
village of Montgomery resident Nina
Snyder said at the scoping session for
Medline.