Schenectady airport to receive over $2m in federal funding

PHOTOGRAPHER: Patrick Dodson

A ribbon-cutting is held to celebrate the opening of a new hangar at Richmor Aviation at Schenectady County Airport in Glenville in 2015. It was announced Tuesday that the airport will receive more than $2 million in funding for runway and equipment up...

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The Schenectady County Airport will receive more than $2 million in funding for runway and equipment upgrades.

U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced Tuesday $2.3 million in federal funding for the airport. The money will be used to install new airfield guidance signs, rehabilitate the runway and replace runway lighting at the airport, which is owned and operated by Schenectady County. The funding was allocated through the Federal Aviation Administration, according to a press release.

“Schenectady County Airport is a major hub in the Capital Region, and it has to meet the best standards for efficiency and safety,” Gillibrand said in the release.

The smaller of the airport’s two runways will be completely repaved, with new lights installed along the sides. That runway is generally used for general aviation aircraft, as opposed to the National Guard, said Ray Gillen, Schenectady County’s commissioner of economic development and planning.

Schenectady County Legislature Chair Anthony Jasenski said the grant, combined with other investments around the airport, will help continue momentum along Route 50.

The airport serves a gateway from Glenville, and the county as a whole, said Chris Koetzle, Glenville’s town supervisor. He added that plenty of businesses use the airport to visit the area, and he called the funding “well needed and well deserved.”

The money was awarded through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program.

The county airport is located in Glenville and was founded in 1927. It’s home to the Stratton Air National Guard Base, an Armed Forces Reserve Center, the county ice rink and the Schenectady County Airport Business Park, among other organizations. The airport averages 183 daily flight operations, according to the county’s website.

In June, the airport received $197,000 from the state to upgrade its control tower cab equipment. That funding came in addition to a new $200 million Upstate Airport Economic Development and Revitalization competition, which will solicit proposals on investments in upstate airports. At least five projects will receive state funding as a result of that competition.