Airport work will cost county $44,000

Jefferson County's tab for more than $1.7 million in projects at Watertown International Airport, Dexter, totals $44,355.

The county's General Services Committee approved a resolution outlining the breakdown for four projects at its meeting Tuesday night. The projects include:

■ A $68,000 renovation of the airport's rescue and firefighting building.

■ A $349,014 rescue and firefighting vehicle purchase.

■ A $1,097,627 taxiway "A" reconstruction.

■ A $259,000 plan to extend runway 10-28 and parallel taxiway.

Airport manager James L. Lawrence Jr. told the committee that the taxiway reconstruction was recently completed. The Federal Aviation Administration has paid for or will pay for 95 percent of the projects.

The remaining five percent is divided between the state Department of Transportation and Jefferson County.

Mr. Lawrence, who is also the superintendent of the county Highway Department, told the committee that enplanements are increasing.

"They're not where we want them to be but they're moving in the right direction," he said.

The money for the runway extension came after Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., former Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and former Rep. John M. McHugh, R-Pierrepont Manor, asked for the money.

"Hopefully, next year we'll be in the construction phase," Mr. Lawrence said.

The goal is to increase the runway length to 7,000 feet. At its current length of 5,000 feet, planes carrying 50, 70 or 86 passengers are unable to land or are forced to take on fewer passengers, cargo and fuel.

The Planning and Development Committee also passed two resolutions encouraging federal action to support agriculture.

"We wanted to encourage our leaders to spend where definitely the stimulus money would do the most good," Committee Chairman Barry M. Ormsby, R-Belleville, said earlier in the day. "It's imperative they give the relief needed for farms of all sizes."

Jefferson County Agricultural Coordinator Jay M. Matteson told the committee that 10 farms had closed so far this year. Those farms generated $13 million in revenue and economic benefits through the economic multipliers that Mr. Matteson uses.

"Every dollar a dairy farmer earns will turn over in the community four or five times," Mr. Matteson said.

"Twenty years ago, we had 620 farms and now we're at 230," said Legislator Philip N. Reed, R-Fishers Landing. "It's not only just jobs, but it's the fabric of Jefferson County."

In 1960, dairy farms numbered 1,200 in the county, Legislator Robert A. Boice, R-Rutland, said.

"The stakeholders are a small group — a much smaller group than it used to be," he said. "They're at the mercy of what we do."

The resolutions approved by the committee encouraged the federal government to include economic development and agriculture if there is a second stimulus packages and for the Department of Agriculture to use the recently-passed agricultural appropriations bill for farm support programs. The resolution specifically asks for $60 million to buy food for food banks and $290 million for farm support, including additional payments from the Milk Income Loss Contract.

These programs are supported by Farm Bureau and other industry organizations, Mr. Matteson said.

Long-term solutions are being discussed this week in Syracuse at the meetings of Dairylea Cooperative Inc., Syracuse, and the Northeast Dairy Leadership Team.

"There are a combination of steps talked about to take some of the volatility of the market out," Mr. Matteson said. "Then processors and farms can have more stability in their lives."

There are signs that the milk prices farmers receive are beginning to turn around and should hit the break-even mark of $18 per hundred pounds by the end of 2010.

But, he said, the county still expects to lose at least 30 more farms by mid-2010.