Stewart Airport reconfiguration a strong possibility after buyout BY KATHY KAHN

Stewart Airport reconfiguration a strong possibility after buyout
BY KATHY KAHN

Stewart International Airport’s transition to a new owner may be in a holding pattern until the contracts are inked between New York, New Jersey and the Port Authority, but major players aren’t waiting to take a closer look at the airport’s infrastructure and map out its future.

Stewart’s Chief Executive Charles Seliga met with representatives of the Port Authority, Orange County and U.S. Rep. John Hall, who sits on the aviation, transportation and infrastructure subcommittees in Washington.

Saying federal funding to build the connector road between I-84 and Drury Lane disappeared with the 109th Congress, Hall pledged to get the funds back into the 2008 budget and said he hopes the money will be available by Oct. 1, coinciding with the planned “closing” between National Express Group and Port Authority.

There will also be increased TSA screening at the airport due to the growing numbers of passengers and temporary parking spaces to accommodate the boom in business. “It’s gravel, but it works,” Seliga said of the new parking area. Since Air Tran and JetBlue made their debut, parking is at a premium. And the “international” in Stewart’s moniker may become more than a tag once the transfer to the Port Authority is complete, Hall added.

Currently under consideration is a plan to move the U.S. Marine Corps detachment stationed on the grounds to the Air National Guard base adjoining the airport. The barracks is in need of refurbishing, so moving it rather than renovating it makes more sense, Hall said.

When asked about rail service connecting Stewart to Metro-North’s Salisbury Mills station 2.5 miles away, Hall said the Port Authority is taking a look at rail service but nothing will be done in haste. In fact, he said, Stewart’s terminal may be moved and the airport reconfigured to meet projected growth and to add runway space. “To plan a rail line, only to have to relocate it, is not something the Port Authority plans to undertake.”

A bus connection from Stewart to Newburgh’s waterfront is more of a possibility than the rail line, Hall said. “Westchester County has been leading the way when it comes to hybrid buses and clean fuel technology … I would like to follow suit throughout the region … a hybrid bus connecting Stewart to Newburgh, going down Broadway to the waterfront, would help bring workers here and make travel easier for everyone, especially with the new college and the new construction that will be going on at the river.”

Shopping locally and hiring a work force from the immediate community are high on the Port Authority’s radar, Hall said. “Patti Clark (the Port Authority’s senior adviser for external affairs, aviation department) emphasized they will be buying locally … they are going to buy goods and services, and hire local people, whenever it is possible.”

Seliga said Hilton Homewood Suites’ construction is on schedule, and two more hotels, as well as commercial office space, are in the works.

“You can see how fast we’re growing,” he said. “Just try finding a parking space.”

Parking will become even more of a juggling act once Delta Airlines comes on board. The company will be back at Stewart on May 14, flying three flights a day to its Atlanta hub.

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