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June 16, 2008

Massena airport expansion not a spending priority

Expansion assistance possible, with significant conditions

By DENISE A. RAYMO

MALONE -- Franklin County might help Massena expand its airport if St. Lawrence County renegotiates its casino-revenue compact and takes a smaller annual share.

Town of Massena, Town of Brasher and St. Lawrence County officials recently asked legislators to contribute an unspecified portion toward the $5 million cost to extend the Massena airport runway and upgrade the terminal.

They said expansion would allow 100-passenger jets to land, bringing high-roller gamblers to the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino and the proposed $108 million auto racetrack and harness-racing venue in the towns of Brasher and Norfolk.

Edward Kanab, the consultant who made the pitch to legislators, said he could have a passenger airline "in here tomorrow" if the improvements were made.

"I'm willing to look at regional plans that will help the area, but they want us to help with an airport to bring people to Brasher where they plan to have a racetrack with slot machines," said Legislator Paul Maroun (R-Tupper Lake).

"Their slots will draw people away from the casino, which will lower the division we get," he said. "The taxpayers in Franklin County will lose money. Why would we want to give our taxpayers' money and help these people?"

Massena, Brasher and the St. Lawrence County, along with Franklin County and the towns of Fort Covington and Bombay, and the state all share a percentage of revenue from the 1,200 slot machines in operation at the existing casino.

The most-recent shares awarded gave each county $575,000 and the four towns $287,500 each.

And all must specify to the Empire State Development Corp. how their shares will be used before the funds are released.

Economic development is expected to be the key area to concentrate the funds, so it is that money that the St. Lawrence County officials say Franklin County can dip into to help pay for the airport expansion.

Franklin County specified it will use $132,758 in the Highway Department, $358,742 for tourism and $83,500 for the Empire Zone.

But none of the St. Lawrence County entities earmarked any of their slot-machine profits to the airport project, according to paperwork submitted to the Development Corp.

Its share will pay salaries in the county Office of Economic Development, fund surveys and marketing plans, promote the casino and fund problem-gambling services, fiber-optic network for a newly reopened paper mill and youth employment programs among others.

Maroun said he and some of his colleagues don't think St. Lawrence County should be sharing in any of the casino profits because the gaming complex lies entirely within Franklin County, which makes it responsible for all the liability and tax-roll losses associated with the operation.

He said he would consider helping with the airport if there was a renegotiation of the existing slot-machine contract to make it more of a 75/25 or 80/20 split, adding that Sen. Betty Little (R-Queensbury) and Sen. Darrel Aubertine (D-Cape Vincent) could mediate.

"I can't support airport expansion like this, but if they want to go to Albany and meet with Sen. Little and Sen. Aubertine, then we might be willing to help," Maroun said. "But they want our taxpayers to subsidize the people of St. Lawrence County."

Legislator Gordon Crossman (D-Malone) would also vote against spending money in another county, especially in today's shaking economic times.

"If you watch the news, smaller communities are closing their airports because they are not financially viable with the price of fuel needed at the airports," he said. "And there are no guarantees that what they want is going to happen.

"I'm all for progress, but we're facing a major economic crisis, and we've got to set our priorities," Crossman said.

He's particularly worried about homeowners trying to buy fuel to get them through the coming winter when some companies are saying it could cost $6 a gallon by the fall.

"How are people going to do it, pay $600 for 100 gallons of fuel?" he said. "I'm very concerned, and I just think the money should be spent wisely. What if we infuse money and nothing happens?"

draymo@pressrepublican.com

Casino-revenue spending
The Empire State Development Corp. is the agency to which the six parties involved in the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino compact must submit their funding proposals to show what economic-development plans will be helped.
E Franklin County: $132,758 in the Highway Department; $358,742 on tourism; and $83,500 on the Empire Zone.
E Town of Bombay: $287,500 on a new municipal complex.
E Town of Fort Covington: $287,500 for a snowmobile trail and more.
E St. Lawrence County: $238,694 to expand services and fund salaries in the Office of Economic development; $25,000 to study how to get people to move to the county; $80,000 on youth employment; $20,000 to promote the casino and a carp tournament; $22,694 on surveys and marketing; $25,000 on gambling-addiction services; $50,000 for fiber optics at a paper mill; $25,000 to study wetland boundaries; $63,612 in site fees to create an industrial park; and $90,000 for road and sidewalk construction, library bookshelves, a tourist festival and street decorations.
E Town of Massena: $81,000 to promote Business Development Corp. and hire an economic-research assistant; $35,000 to study a community-owned cable/Internet service; $50,000 for easements, sewer, water and access roads to an undeveloped section off State Route 37; $25,000 for fire equipment; $30,000 to repave a St. Lawrence Centre Mall road; $20,000 for handicapped-access doors at the Community Senior Center; $30,500 for Highway Department and Town Hall generators; and $16,000 for new 'Welcome to Massena' signs.
E Town of Brasher: $30,000 in debt service on a water-district loan; $20,000 for a playground; $30,000 for a kitchen addition at its recreational park; $45,000 for emergency services; $70,000 to pave six-tenths of a mile of road near the proposed $108 million racing complex; and $81,000 to update a business data base, strategic planning and economic-development initiatives.

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