Air Service began with a flurry at Watertown Airport late this afternoon as passengers coming and going on American Eagle to Chicago's O'Hare packed the tiny but nicely remodeled post War (WWII) terminal.
Local pols and others were a football field away in the hangar cooing to each other over the service....It actually is a job well done. Jefferson County lawmakers and management have enthusiastically embraced running the airport....Originally they felt they were strong-armed into taking the aging Aerodrome by Senator James Wright in exchange for sales tax legislation...Well, that's what did happen, but to their credit, County poobahs, led by Leg. Barry Ormsby and Board Chair Carolyn Fitzpatrick have done a great job.
I chatted up some people getting on and off the first flight including a man from Texas who came here on a hunting trip and a woman from the Lone Star State who came here to visit her daughter and son in law at Fort Drum....Her path was clear from the copy of the Chicago Sun tucked in her carry-on and the inaugural flight certificate she got as a momento.
10 comments:
The apirport , to be honest, does little for the average citizen that lives and pays for it in the county. Nice little airport or not. The people that have to pay for it, do not use it, I would believe. But thats like alot of things.
It is a convenience for rich guys to keep their toys at..syracuse airport is an hour away by car,really has anyone flown into an airport and expect to drive less than a half hour to an hour to get to their final destination?There is no real pressing need for this airport..
In very few months Fitzpatrick and the other back slappers will be trying to explain why it didn't work and how we really didn't waste millions on attempting to ram the same idea down the public's throat again. But as long as they're happy. I'm sure they had a nice lunch and went antique shopping after the festivities. Just send us the bill, Carolyn.
It's all good to say we don't need it. Understand. Others who don't work for a hot dog stand do. People who work for some of the few Corp.s we have left around here need to travel. Hell the person who owns the hotdog stand might need to go outside the area fast. Sure Syracuse isn't far. But it sure is if you are already beat and ready for bed after a long day of switching planes. Poeple need to stop thinking small. Small is going away.
The airport is a more useful and efficient use of tax money than any other PILOT or tax abatement e.g. Wind farms or housing.
Why not just fly the military out of Wheeler-Sack,and save the taxpayers some money?What the locals needed was a connection to Florida at a good price.What good is the airport to the local people,if most are heading south?Seems to me the ones that will benefit the most from a connection to Chiago will be Fort Drum connected.I will continue driving to Syracuse or Plattsburgh for my destinations.
having live in this area many years, and before it became big hamburger stand like all the other areas, what is the big rush to urbanize Jefferson County? Why do we want to make it like very where else? So a few people who have the bucks can make more? People used to come here because it was not like everywhere else. Now it is.
Keep pumping money into the airport, it will have a use someday, but not likely for the local taxpayers who foot the bill. Just a real look at reality.
Well, I for one am glad for the new service. I work for a 127 year old company headquartered in Watertown. But, all my work is away from this city. I'm going to be very grateful to drive to the Watertown airport instead of Syracuse to connect to a destination from Chicago.
I think the naysayers are going to be surprised that this will finally make the airport a bonus for economic growth locally, and a help to the large tourist industry here.
We've been down this road soooo many times before. It has always ended up the same way. Wasted dollars. I cannot believe that people can be so stupid, every two years or so. By all means, let's do the same thing one more time.
The forward plan is to have a "Industrial Center" at the airport (Phil Reed's words) dont see it happening, glad we can pour federal money into it,(It's FREE) Time to get rid of Haggman, Ormsby too, wonder if his wife ever got over the shock of being taped up? How much did that cost us?
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