| PEPA - Purchase Environmental Protective Association

Meeting Notice: Privatizing Westchester County Airport Panel

Mon, Feb 20, 2017 •

Journal News's Wilson and FCWC's Cunningham to speak Feb. 21 on airport privatization deal

PEPA continues to monitor issues surrounding the Westchester County Airport Privatization Program proposal as it wends its way through the Board of Legislator's committees. We are writing to today to inform you of an important panel discussion about the pilot program.

The Perils of Privatization:
How Leasing Westchester County Airport is Bad Public Policy
February 21, 6pm

Humanities Theater at Purchase College
735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY
The event is free and open to the public.

Journal News Tax Watch columnist David McKay Wilson will address the future of Westchester County Airport including financial implications of the privatization plan. Carolyn Cunningham, a board member of the FCWC (Federated Conservationists of Westchester County), will speak on the history of community involvement in the county's airport policy.

According to FCWC, Westchester has “a unique opportunity to have input on our local airport, thanks to the County's control over its passenger capacity. This allows the airport to serve the community while limiting the harm of extra air traffic. FCWC has been working for decades on ensuring that expansion of the airport does not impact our local environment, including drinking water in the Kensico Reservoir, air quality, and noise levels.” FCWC fears this current plan potentially reduces accountability to residents.

Further Wilson's recent article Westchester's Secret Airport Plan Remains Under Wraps probed “the mystery surrounding Westchester's $1.4 million airport master plan.” Story highlights included:

Westchester's airport master plan, which was due Dec. 31, is far from complete, with limited input from the public
Westchester County received $1.3 million in 2012 to conduct an airport master plan
It was due Dec. 31, but Westchester says its consultant has submitted just one chapter to the FAA
The consultant was to hold two public meetings for input, but they have yet to occur

Read the full story on lohud.com.

As you may recall, PEPA retained the services of former Legislator Rogowsky one year ago to advise and assist PEPA in gathering the necessary information that PEPA needs to properly analyze proposals at the Airport. Accordingly, Mr. Rogowsky believes the County, should do nothing on going private until the Master plan is finished and the County has stated, in writing, all its reasons for proposing such an approach. Furthermore, there should not be parallel steps of doing the Master Plan and Privatization simultaneously.

KEY LINKS

Recent news articles that included Westchester County Airport:

February 17, 2017 | County hires consultant, moves forward with airport privatization
The county has hired Frasca and Associates to help them find a private operator for Westchester County Airport. Frasca and Associates, which has worked with Stewart International Airport and the Puerto Rico Ports Authority, will help the county weigh bids to run the airport. Read the story here.
February 17, 2017 | Westchester-to-Florida shuttle flights proving popular
The flights between Westchester County Airport and Fort Lauderdale are filling up fast, says the members-only private aviation company. Check out this story on lohud.com.
February 16, 2017 | Wheels Up Partners with Talon Air on NY-Florida Shuttle
Membership-based Private Aviation Company Wheels Up is partnering with Talon Air to launch scheduled per-seat shuttle service in Talon's super-midsize Hawker 4000s from Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains, New York, to Florida's Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE). The service, which is exclusively for Wheels Up members, begins tomorrow and costs $2,100 per seat one-way, including taxes, according to company founding partner Justin Firestone. Read the full story here.
February 13, 2017 | Stewart Airport incentive program likely to continue
Port Authority commissioners are expected to renew an incentive program that has been used to maintain existing and attract new passenger service to Stewart International Airport when they meet Thursday. The incentives are designed to make Stewart more attractive to airlines than such competitors as Albany, Hartford, and Westchester and to offset their costs in scheduling and marketing new services. Read more here.

Read other airport stories that have been archived on the PEPA website here.

Meeting Notice: Privatizing Westchester County Airport Panel

Categories

Archives