Islip gets $3M grant to aid construction of MacArthur customs station

The Islip town board voted unanimously at Tuesday’s board meeting to accept a $3 million state grant to assist with the construction of a federal inspection station at Long Island MacArthur Airport.

The grant, funded by the state’s Empire State Development agency, will help the town-owned airport build the 11,000-square-foot customs station, a crucial step in eventually receiving international passenger flights at the Ronkonkoma facility.

“We were very fortunate to be a recipient,” said town Supervisor Angie Carpenter at the board meeting, citing “very fierce competition” for these grants.

The state aid was originally announced in December. The total cost of the station is estimated at $10 million. Earlier this year, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo also pledged $6 million in the proposed state budget to help build the station and revitalize the airport, which has seen a decline in air carriers, passengers and revenue since 2007.