LAKE CLEAR – CAVU Cafe is closing on March 22, and Harrietstown is seeking people interested in operating a new cafe at the town-owned airport.

The ever-busy and much-beloved cafe at the Adirondack Regional Airport has been readying for a shift, as the rural airport undergoes a major $9 million renovation. Construction of a new kitchen and dining area on the opposite side of the building is currently underway.

At the same time, Josh and Clair Bovee – who have run CAVU Cafe for more than a decade – are saying that their family needs “a change of pace.”

The town is seeking “Requests for Expression of Interest” from “qualified businesses or individuals” to run the new cafe.

Airport Manager Corey Hurwitch said he’s very sad the Bovees are leaving.

“You couldn’t ask for a better operator,” he said. “Clair and Josh are so great to work with.”

“We have decided that the time has come for us to close CAVU Cafe,” the Bovee’s said in a Facebook post on the cafe’s page.

They said operating the cafe has been a dream. They extended “endless gratitude” to their regulars, whom they said became like family over the years.

“Our years at SLK and the memories made here will forever hold a special place in our hearts,” the Bovees wrote. “Though this decision has been a difficult one, a change of pace is what’s best for our family at this point in our lives.”

The cafe’s last day will be March 22.

Hurwitch said the new owner will probably change the name – CAVU was the Bovee’s name. It’s an aviation term, an acronym for “Ceiling And Visibility Unlimited,” or one of those perfect days when the skies are clear and you can see to the horizon.

Before the Bovees were there, the diner was Paula’s Airport Cafe.

Hurwitch said the cafe brings the community to the airport. They also cater for private aircraft. And he said it attracts fly-in business. On sunny days, he said people fly in for breakfast or lunch at CAVU. The airport gets around 1,300 general aviation arrivals annually.

Personally, for Hurwitch, he said CAVU also keeps him from having to “brown-bag” it for a work lunch every day. It’s in an area outside of Saranac Lake where there’s few morning food options.

He said the Bovees have worked hard to keep their food affordable. He said they understand many of their customers are on fixed incomes. The reasonable prices, large portions and hearty food make for a line out the door on most weekend mornings.

Hurwitch said he’d like the next operator to have the same community focus.

The relocated café will be next to a renovated passenger terminal. The town describes it as a “turn-key operation” with a reliable year-round customer base and strong history of profitability. It will have a brand-new kitchen, dining area and equipment. It will also be larger, increasing by 428 square feet from its current 992 square foot size to 1,420 square feet.

“Interested parties should briefly outline their background, proposed café concept and relevant experience in a document,” a news release from the town states.

These REIs should be submitted to Hurwitch by email at airportmanager@harrietstown.org with the subject heading “Café REI” or via postal mail to 96 Airport Road, Saranac Lake, NY, 12983 with “Café REI” clearly written on the envelope.

“The REI will remain open until a Request for Proposals becomes available or the airport determines it’s in the best interest to close the REI period,” according to the news release. “All qualified businesses or individuals will then receive a detailed RFP from the Town of Harrietstown.”

The new cafe on the east side of the building will be an addition. Hurwitch said the trusses and plywood are going up and the foundation should be laid soon.

The airport is planning for the cafe to be completed by – possibly July, Hurwitch said. Once they have a more firm opening date, he said the town will put out requests for proposal from interested operators. Hurwitch said the REI is kind of a warning for people to get ready, because the RFP stage will be fast.

He’s already heard from one person putting together a proposal.

The side of the building the cafe is on will be demolished and rebuilt to be more handicap accessible.

The work is being funded through a $8.5 million state Department of Transportation grant and a $500,000 Federal Aviation Administration grant.

The renovation has also included the expansion of the central receiving area and updated furniture, lighting, ventilation, water and air conditioning, as well as the installation of solar panels on the roof.

Adirondack Regional Airport commercially serves Boston and New York City. Cape Air was recently renewed for a two-year contract with the airport as part of the federal Essential Air Service system – which subsidizes flights to and from rural airports.

The commercial flights have an average of 4,600 outbound passengers annually, according to the town. According to data from the DOT, Cape Air had 9,080 passengers from January to October 2025 — an average of 14.5 enplanements per day.

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TSA staff without pay

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Transportation Security Administration staff at SLK have been working without pay during a partial government shutdown that started 21 days ago.

“They, again, are doing an outstanding job,” Hurwitch said. “We’re lucky to have them protecting us.”

Unlike the 43-day full government shutdown TSA employees endured in the fall, this one only impacts the Department of Homeland Security.

DHS is a large department encompassing things like TSA, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Democrats are opposing approving funding for DHS unless a list of 10 immigration enforcement reforms are met.

These include a ban on agents wearing masks, mandatory body cameras, requiring ICE to get judicial warrants to enter private property instead of administrative warrants, stricter use-of-force policies and new training standards.

These demands come after ICE agents killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, and have injured or been violent toward numerous other U.S. citizens.

ICE itself is not impacted much by the shutdown. The DHS agency previously got tens of billions of dollars in additional funding in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

On Thursday, the House passed a bill to fund DHS through September. The Senate had not taken its vote on the bill by deadline for this article on Friday. A similar measure has failed in the Senate.

Though Republicans have a majority in the Senate, votes have not been able to crack the 60% threshold needed to approve DHS funding.