Forum set on MacArthur Airport master plan

Twin 7,000-foot runways and an additional terminal could be part of Long Island MacArthur Airport's new master plan, town officials said this week.

Preliminary concepts for the plan, which is updated every decade, are to be presented by Ohio-based airport and aviation planning firm Landrum and Brown during a public forum from 7 to 9 p.m. July 17 at the airport.

Islip Town Supervisor Tom Croci said the town wanted to give residents a chance to contribute early in the process. MacArthur has one 5,500-foot and one 7,000-foot runway. Croci said having two longer runways would allow quieter landings and safer all-weather flying conditions.

Landrum and Brown, selected last July by the former administration, is expected to submit a draft plan to the town in the fall. The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to grant final approval by the end of the year.

The company is being paid $923,066 to update the master plan, with 95 percent of the cost covered by a federal grant, said town spokeswoman Inez Birbiglia. The remaining costs are covered through matching FAA funds and airport fees paid to the town.

"Sometimes the residents in the area have felt disenfranchised about what's going on with the airport and what's happening in the future," said Croci, who grew up in Bohemia, a few miles from the airport. "This is just an opportunity for the public to see what some of the concepts are while the plan is evolving."

The workshop announcement was made as the town conducts a nationwide search for a permanent replacement for fired Airport Commissioner Teresa Rizzuto.