Angie Carpenter pushes plan for north terminal at MacArthur Airport in Islip Town address

Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter, in her State of the Town address Tuesday, highlighted multimillion-dollar initiatives including advancing expansion plans at Long Island MacArthur Airport and used the speech to push for construction of a north terminal there.

The expansion project at the Ronkonkoma airport, in its current form, has been in the works for more than a year. Islip asked companies to bid on the development contract last April and gave them two project options to choose from: build a new terminal at the airport’s north end or revamp the existing southern terminal.

Carpenter on Tuesday described the north terminal option as a chance to have a private developer fund it while allowing the airport to continue functioning with its existing terminal during construction.

“To not take advantage of this opportunity is shortsighted,” Carpenter said of the north terminal, which could accommodate additional flights and connect the airport with the Ronkonkoma Long Island Rail Road station.

“Yes, we have an existing terminal, but it is one we are going to have to continually renovate and improve at airport cost, and with potential delays, disruptions and inconvenience as we do the work,” she said.

Developers had to make their pitches by Jan. 28. Islip Town hasn’t released information about what companies applied, but the town’s plan is to select a developer this year and clear the way for construction to begin next year.

The divisive project could be potentially legacy-defining for Carpenter, who will be termed out at the end of next year.

“One day, 100 years from now, when we are likely gone — that’s a pretty sure bet — how will future Islip residents remember our time here and what we did?” she said Tuesday. “Now is our time to shape the future of this great town and to decide where we want it to go.”

Councilman John Lorenzo, who has long been skeptical about whether constructing a new terminal is justified, told Newsday on Tuesday he believes a new bid process involving Suffolk County should happen before the project moves forward.

The county owns land to the north of the airport that would connect with the airport expansion project.

It’s unclear how long that new bidding would take, but Islip’s current process began 11 months ago.

“This is not something we should rush into as a town,” Lorenzo said. “For my district, this is something that needs to be done right and planned out properly with the right experts in place.”

Carpenter on Tuesday also touted plans for a new oyster production facility in the town. Islip expects to start taking bids this year from developers interested in building the shellfish hatchery in East Islip, near the town’s current shellfish facility, according to town spokeswoman Caroline Smith.

Carpenter said the hatchery will coincide with the rollout of about 1,500 more acres for Islip’s bay bottom leasing program, which allows shellfish farmers to rent space where they can harvest oysters and clams.

“When this facility is complete, Islip Town will be the biggest producer of oysters in the entire state of New York,” Carpenter said Tuesday.

The new facility is expected to produce as many as 200 million juvenile clams and oysters, according to the state’s website.

Carpenter said Tuesday that a $10 million grant the town received from New York State in 2024 would make the facility possible.

By Sam Kmack

sam.kmack@newsday.com

Sam Kmack covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and previously worked as a city watchdog reporter in the Phoenix metro area, as well as an investigative journalist at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.