Islip to apply for $60M for new concourse, upgrades at MacArthur

Islip Town officials plan to seek $60 million in federal funds to build a 100,000-square-foot concourse and upgrade existing facilities at  Long Island MacArthur Airport to attract more customers and new airlines.

Among the proposals discussed by the town board are designating $5 million in the 2019 preliminary capital budget for design costs of a new west concourse — replacing the existing 8,200-square-foot building constructed in 1990 — and an additional $1 million for design costs for upgrades at the airport’s baggage claim terminal.

Airport Commissioner Shelley LaRose-Arken said she’s hoping to move forward with the proposals next year by securing $6 million in bonding. Officials would then seek designers for the two projects, LaRose-Arken said.

Adopting bond resolutions and accepting contracts for the design of the projects would have to be approved by the town board, LaRose-Arken said.

If bond measures are passed and designers are contracted, MacArthur would move up the priority list to compete for funding from a $1 billion grant program overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration. The grant program targets money for capital projects considered secondary airports such as MacArthur.

The airport would seek $50 million from the program for construction of the concourse and an additional $10 million for upgrades to the baggage claim area, including replacing its roof and vestibule doors, LaRose-Arken said.

If Islip board members pass bond resolutions, the $6 million would be reimbursed by funds from the passenger facility program, a $4.50 ticket tax, LaRose-Arken said.

The Ronkonkoma  airport  has struggled to attract and keep airlines and struggled financially, but last year recorded a surplus and announced added flights.

“We have to change with the industry,” she said. “We have to go out and recruit new [airline] carriers. And we have to look at the NY Metro area and get more people to come out and use this airport.” Airlines now using MacArthur include American, Southwest, Elite Airways as well as Frontier.

About 1.1 million passengers used MacArthur in 2017. An estimated 1.6 million are projected to use the airport this year, LaRose-Arken said.

Islip Comptroller Joseph Ludwig told board members at their meeting last week the FAA is looking for “shovel-ready projects,” which could mean funding the entire $60 million cost for construction of the projects.

“The hope is that we will have this design study done in time, so that we can tap into some of that billion-dollar surplus money,” Ludwig said.

LaRose-Arken said planning for the new concourse and renovations are only in the beginning stages, but construction could be completed by 2022.

The design for the new concourse could include a two-level building, she said. Each 50,000-square-foot level could include three gates and three new jet bridges. The existing concourse is more than 10 times smaller than the proposed facility and was meant to be a temporary structure, LaRose-Arken said.

“We don’t want to miss this opportunity,” she said. “This is the time — we are competing with all the secondary airports in the country.”