LAKE PLACID — Lake Placid Airport has received $1.8 million from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to resurface its runway as the surface on which all aircraft depart and arrive at the airport begins to show signs of aging.
The owner of Lake Placid Airport is the city of North Elba.
Councilman Derek Doty was surprised when he heard about the grant award last Monday. He did not expect the grant to be awarded so quickly. It was a last-minute grant application and the announcement came quickly.
The city has hired engineering firm C&S to do the work, Doty said, and he believes the project can be completed next summer.
The condition of the runway is not dangerous and the city is constantly carrying out maintenance work there, Doty said.
“But it has cracks and crevices,” he added. “It needs to be worked on.”
Doty estimates that at least 15 years have passed since the 4,200-foot runway was last repaved.
The $1,826,743 federal grant will cover the “lion’s share” of the project, Doty said. The state will also contribute to the project. The city will pay about 5-10% of the project. He is currently reviewing what share the city will pay.
The sightseeing flight company Lake Placid Airways operates from Lake Placid Airport.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) announced the award as part of the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program.
Schumer said they had “fought hard for an increase in funding for this program this year” because Americans had raised concerns about flight safety.
“We must ensure that Lake Placid Airport’s runways are as safe and stable as possible,” Schumer said in a statement.
“To increase flight safety for visitors and residents of the North Country, we must ensure that the Lake Placid Airport runway remains stable and safe during the winter months,” Gillibrand said in a statement.
