Town Seeks Public Input On Airport's Future

Local residents interested in having their say about the future of Long Island MacArthur Airport (LIMA) may do so Tuesday night during a public meeting at the airport.

Islip Town officials are hosting a workshop from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the main terminal that is focused on developing a long-term master plan for the Ronkonkoma-based airport with the goal of giving residents an opportunity to have their say on the future of LIMA.

“Over the years the airport has changed and there have been great relations and strained relations with its neighbors,” said Islip Town Supervisor Tom Croci, who grew up near the airport in Bohemia. “I feel it’s important that residents have their say in how the airport looks in the future.”

While public input on an airport’s master plan is commonplace, Town officials said the main difference with this workshop is that the public has an opportunity to offer comments at the beginning of the process. Typically, the public comment portion of developing a master plan for an airport is near the end of the process when plans are at or near completion.

But Town officials told Patch that Croci sought and received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to have the public input portion moved into the beginning stages of the process.

“It’s a proactive step, but that is the kind of government Islip residents expect,” he said.

During the workshop, residents will have an opportunity to review a number of concepts developed by Landrum and Brown, LIMA’s airport planning consultants.

“We are at step one in the process,” Croci said. “Our consultants have come up with different options and scenarios and residents will be able to provide feedback.”