5% local match for FAA essential air service vs 15% to 50% local match for FTA Grantss

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So...Fairness

MAYVILLE —

Legislators convened

Monday to accept more federal

and state funds for

Chautauqua County’s airports

in Dunkirk and

Jamestown.

A special meeting was

called for by Chairman Jay

Gould in response to a

request by County

Executive Vince Horrigan

to accept funding for airport

projects before a

Wednesday deadline, which

was imposed by the Federal

Aviation Administration.

With a 16-1 vote, the legislature

approved to accept the

funds. The county was notified

after the August legislature

meeting that they

would be given the funds.

At the Dunkirk Airport,

the FAA will provide

$101,160 to rehabilitate

Taxiway B South. The total

cost of the project is

$112,400. The state and

county will each pay 5 percent

of project costs, or

$5,260.

At the Jamestown

Airport, the FAA will allocate

$107,730 to repair

Taxiway F and the general

aviation apron. The funds

will also be used to purchase

new aircraft rescue

and fighting suits. Project

costs total $113,400. The

state and county will each

pay $2,835 for the projects.

Speaking in favor of the

resolutions, legislator

Elisabeth Rankin, RJamestown,

said passing on

an opportunity to accept

federal and state funds

would mean passing the

costs onto the taxpayers.

“Our local airports are

important to the strength of

our infrastructure,” she

said, adding the Jamestown

Airport is heading in the

right direction with

Southern Air Express taking

over as the new airline.

“As long as we provide air

service, we have a responsibility

to provide efficient,

and most importantly, reliable

service.”

Voting no, legislator Ron

Lemon, R-Frewsburg, reiterated

that he would like to

see the federal government

and the state step up to help

rural communities where

factories are closed and jobs

nonexistent. Last month,

Lemon cited the same reason

after voting no to accept

FAA and state funds to

revamp Jamestown

Airport’s parking lot.

“It’s nice to have an airport,

but I think it would be

even nicer to have an airport

if there were manufacturing

jobs being created,”

he said. “Hopefully, the federal

and state government

will look at that. I do believe

the county is working hard

toward that, but we need

the federal and state government

to help as well.”

Legislator Charles

Nazzaro, D-Jamestown,

said the airports are needed

to support corporate and

private businesses.

However, he said the “jury

is still out” over whether

they’ll be able to continue

supporting commercial air

service. Nazzaro also voted

no to accept funds for the

airport’s parking lot last

month. This time, he voted

in favor of the two resolutions.

“I felt the parking lot was

in need of repair but was

not critical to the operation

of that airport,” he said. “I

don’t think anyone decides

let’s fly out of Jamestown

because they have a good

parking lot.”

Nazzaro said the air traffic

passenger count is slightly

improving, but there may

be a time where it may need

to be discontinued. But

Nazzaro said that doesn’t

mean the airports “won’t be

here.”

Even though the majority

of airport projects are funded

through the federal government

and the state,

Nazzaro said it’s still coming

out of the taxpayers’

pockets.

“Yes, it’s nice to have a 5

percent match for the county,”

he said. “When you add

up the dollars, taxpayers are

still spending millions of

dollars to maintain those

airports, whether it’s coming

from federal, state or

local money. I think we

can’t lose sight of that.”