Developments for Wawarsing's airport have begun to take flight this month. In addition to reports from the town supervisor that the proposed sheriff sub-station project went out to bid, it was announced last week that the Joseph Y. Resnick Airport will receive a federal grant of $373,730. According to a Times Herald Record article by Jeremiah Horrigan, the grant is to be used for the construction of "T-hangar taxilane segments A and B." But what does that mean in plain English?

Wawarsing Town Supervisor Ed Jennings supplies the answer, saying that, because a new hangar is being built on leased space on the airport's south end by Richard Parzoch, there will need to be a paved road to allow access.

"[Parzoch] has to have access to the runway, so we filed an application to the FAA to build a taxiway, and we have been granted $373,000," explains Jennings. He says that the application was originally filed during the administration of the previous Town Supervisor, James Dolaway. Jennings also says that he received a call from Senator Hilary Clinton's office informing him of the funding, though he says that he thinks the grant comes from both Clinton and Senator Chuck Schumer.

Even though the grant money is for $373,730, Jennings believes that the project will probably cost less than half of that at around $180,000, leaving $193,730 with the federal government. But where did the money come from in the first place?

Dwight Coombe, owner of local insurance agency Sprague and Killeen and aviation enthusiast, says that the grant money comes from a federal aviation fuel tax that is charged whenever pilots refuel their planes at Resnick Airport.

"It's not local people having to pay this," says Coombe. "It's federal money coming back to our community that could be going somewhere else. Every time someone buys fuel for airplanes, they pay a federal tax that goes into this fund that helps keep the airports up and running."

Coombe also says that there's little to no taxpayer burden; about 2.5% of the project comes from the town, which is then offset by revenue generated from the contractors who will come to work on the project renting office space from the town.

Parzoch, the person planning to build the new hangar, owns properties in Wawarsing and Ellenville, such as the building at 110 Canal Street, which he recently had renovated. Since he himself is a pilot, creating the hangar both for his use and to rent out to other pilots seemed like a logical step. He says that he hopes to have the new hangar built and ready for rent before this year's winter months, and he offers a rough estimate of $170,000 to $200,000 in terms of construction cost. Parzoch says that the airport's continued and expanded use is a benefit to the town overall, despite the fact that many may not see the immediate impact it might have on the area's economy.

"I think it's a beautiful town, and it deserves to have some better chance in the future," says Parzoch of the Ellenville and Wawarsing community. "The airport is part of it — it's like building a highway, it's infrastructure. Maybe you don't see any benefit or any impact, but in the long-term, it's a good thing that this airport is being utilized a little more right now."

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