SARANAC LAKE - A new committee has been formed to study the operations and costs of the lately maligned Adirondack Regional Airport in Lake Clear.
Saranac Lake resident Ray Scollin brought the idea to the town of Harrietstown town board Thursday night. The airport is owned and operated by the town.
"The purpose of the committee is to look at the airport from a prospective other than from within the town government," said Scollin, who's been involved in similar committee work in the past, including the Saranac Lake Area Government Restructuring Committee. "We believe an outside look may yield some new ideas."
While the airport has always had its share of critics who say its a luxury town taxpayers can't afford, that criticism has intensified because of what's happened in the last few months.
Last fall, fluctuations in fuel sales at the airport sparked a double-digit property tax hike for town residents for the second time in three years. Earlier this month, the state comptroller's office released an audit that found the town didn't provide effective oversight of the airport's capital projects, couldn't account for more than 4,000 gallons of airplane fuel and overpaid state sales at the airport by more than $160,000.
Scollin said the committee's main focus would be to review the airport's operations and costs.
"The primary objective is to develop ideas that may lead to a cost-neutral airport or significantly lowering the impact on our town budget," he said. "We want to consider everything."
Scollin said the group has envisioned a seven-member committee that would include himself, Dennis Dwyer, Joe Pickreign, Joe Spadaro, Airport Manager Corey Hurwitch and representatives of the Harrietstown and North Elba town boards. Scollin said a North Elba official was sought because the town, along with the village of Lake Placid, benefits economically from the airport.
"We feel this needs to be an authorized committee," Scollin told council members Thursday night. "It can't be a freelance committee. Why? Because we need the resources. We need to look at operational information, the budget and have access to key staff members."
Scollin said the committee doesn't want to "drag out" the project and plans to complete its work in six months.
Town officials were receptive to the idea.
"We welcome it," said Councilman Barry DeFuria. "We need help, and we've been asking for it."
"We don't pretend to have all the answers, and we never have," said Supervisor Larry Miller.
Councilman Bob Bevilacqua volunteered to represent the town board on the committee, which the board endorsed unanimously.
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FAA visit
Town officials plan to travel to the Federal Aviation Administration office in Jamaica, Queens next month for a meeting on the airport with FAA officials. The board's agenda said the intent of the meeting is to discuss the airport's current status and "to gather help, support and ideas as to how to sustain" the facility.
Town officials invited a member of the new committee to attend the meeting.
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Audit
The board has scheduled a work session on Feb. 6 to discuss the corrective action plan the town is required to submit to the comptroller's office in response to the audit. The plan has to be provided within 90 days of the date the audit was released to the public, Jan. 10.
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Contact Chris Knight at 518-891-2600 ext. 24 or cknight@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.