Watertown airport to get $4 million

Watertown International Airport, Dexter, will receive nearly $4 million in federal funding for its runway extension.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-New York, announced the $3,904,500 from the federal Department of Transportation on Friday afternoon.

“Safe and dependable airport service is critical to Upstate New York’s future, so we need to guarantee that residents remain connected to keep the economic engine running,” he said.

He said that extending the runway at Watertown International would help attract more commercial airlines to the airport, bringing jobs and greater travel options to residents in the area.

County administrator Robert F. Hagemann III said that it gets the county halfway to its goal of a 2,000-foot extension for Runway 10-28.

"It energizes us to complete our mission to secure the full additional 2,000-foot extension," he said. "That could finish up as soon as the following construction season."

For more information, see Saturday's Watertown Daily Times.