DANSVILLE, N.Y. — Six months after News10NBC first reported on a standoff over protected airspace at the North Dansville Airport, the town is considering a temporary solution that may cost local taxpayers thousands of dollars.
At the heart of the issue are cranes belonging to LMC Industrial Contractors. Pilot cockpit video shows the cranes blocking the approach to the runway at the Dansville Airport.
READ MORE: Standoff in North Dansville as large cranes near airport cause safety hazard for pilots
The company says it needs the cranes to offload steel from railcars. The town advised LMC it’s violating local zoning laws but rather than force the removal of the cranes, it gave the company six months to come up with a solution and instead shut down the runway from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, even on days when the cranes aren’t in use.
“It’s been six months since I’ve been down here and it doesn’t really look like much has changed,” News10NBC reporter Brett Davidsen said.
“Well, not really. Not very much. We’re still in a stalemate situation with the company,” said Rick Lafford, the airport manager.
Town leaders, with the permission of the FAA, have come up with a temporary fix: shorten the runway.
A Shorter Runway
“Instead of landing at the end of the runway, they’ll move it 1,000 feet down, and all this paint structure will be moved down there,” Lafford said.
Lafford says by aiming further down the runway, pilots will be high enough to miss the cranes on approach. But shortening the runway will require repainting the runway striping and changing out the edge lighting.
“It’s going to cost about $25,000 to remove these stripes and repaint the stripes 1,000 feet down the runway,” Lafford said.
Who Will Pay?
It’s not clear who will pay for the proposed runway changes. In an email, Town Supervisor Gregg Horr said no decision has been made and they are exploring several options.
“Sadly, I believe the residents of Dansville are going to have to pay for this,” said Sean Collins, eastern regional manager of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
“What that will do is shorten the usable runway length and allow for aircraft to operate off the runway daily, which is, I guess, an improvement. But losing about a thousand feet of runway will degrade safety and also degrade utility of the airport,” Collins said.
The town has given LMC six more months to come up with a permanent plan. The CFO from LMC did not respond to Davidsen’s request for comment.
“What is the likelihood that this becomes the permanent solution?” asked Davidsen.
“I think on that one your guess is as good as mine. I’m really hoping that’s not going to happen because that would really — long term — it would cripple the airport,” Lafford said.
Stalemate Implications
The closing of the runway has already had an economic impact on airport operations. Lafford says they have lost two tenants who rent hangar space due to the limits on when the pilots can fly. They’ve also seen a drop in refueling sales.
News10 Investigates: Dansville Airport runway may be shortened — and taxpayers could foot $25K bill WHEC.com.
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