East Hampton taxiway project completion urged
AOPA is urging the town of East Hampton, New York, to complete a taxiway-extension project at the East Hampton Airport, reversing a town board decision to abandon the safety-enhancement project.
The $2.1-million effort to extend a parallel taxiway 800 feet so it would span the length of the airport’s main runway has been funded through a bond authorization, and would add efficiency to airport operations, AOPA said in a letter to the town supervisor.
On the other hand, “the longer the project is delayed, the costlier the project will become and the greater the negative impact will be on other existing infrastructure at the airport,” wrote AOPA Eastern Regional Manager Sean Collins in the Oct. 22 letter to town supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc.
AOPA, which has more than 11,000 members in New York, works with local airport advocacy groups such as the East Hampton Aviation Association to improve airport infrastructure, ensure access, promote safety, and grow community appreciation of local airports.
According to the East Hampton Aviation Association’s website, the airport has served the area since the 1930s, supports 90 jobs, and generates more than $15 million annually to the local economy. Ken Feuerring, the association’s president, also is AOPA’s Airport Support Network volunteer in East Hampton.
