For decades, we were told that Stewart would eventually become the 4th major airport in our area. Folks in Orange County were polarized around this concept. The business community was (and is) a fierce advocate for Stewart. The environmental community has been just as passionate at the other end of the spectrum. And, we would expect no less from either sector.
During those years, the management of Stewart was a valued community partner throughout the region. They were members of all the major chambers of commerce (to include the RBA) and participated in our EXPOS and other marketing opportunities. In return, we advanced the Stewart “dream” and participated in coalitions to market the potential of the facility, including the Stewart Regional Alliance.
In 2003, the RBA became the first voice, outside of Orange County, to advocate for a mass transit system to link Stewart with New York City. Our preference was for a rail line over a new Tappan Zee Bridge and going into Grand Central Station. And, we urged that this link be a one-seat ride on a dual-track that would permit bringing workforce and passengers to the west bank of the Hudson and Stewart,
In the Spring of 2004, Chuck Seliga, then Stewart’s General Manager and Dick O’Bierne, then President of the Construction Contractors Association, arranged for a helicopter fly-over of the region so I could see, first-hand, how our vision could be implemented via a right of way from Salisbury Mills to Stewart.
We were an active participant in advancing the potential of Stewart and its’ role as an economic development driver for Rockland and the west bank of the Hudson.
Fast forward a few years. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey takes over the operation of the airport and there’s no room in the “hangar” for old friends.
The RBA Hospitality and Tourism Alliance, excited about the new management and wanting to establish new programs for business travelers and tourists, reaches out to the PA and asks for a seat on the airport’s Citizen’s Advisory Board. The request is denied. That panel is for folks from Orange, Ulster and Dutchess, only.
Anthony Shorris (who has since left) takes over as Executive Director of the PA and embarks on a speaking tour of the business associations in the Hudson Valley, but not in Rockland. He’s invited to speak at the Economic Summit held at Rockland Community College and declines.
And, most recently, the PA cancelled the airport’s membership in the RBA saying they “couldn’t afford it.” They also cancelled their other chamber memberships, with the exception of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce. And, you know what? I absolutely understand why. Orange County is where the airport is based and where most of their passenger traffic will be generated. Stewart will not become the 4th major facility. It will be as good a regional facility as can be developed, but it will be “regional.” And, Rockland offers only a limited universe of potential users. The reality of Stewart and Rockland is that half our county is geographically closer to LaGuardia and Newark, from which you have more options for number of flights and direct flights.
There’s been a lot of Press, recently, about Stewart and a rail link to Penn Station through the ARC project. The “spinmeisters” would have you think this will be a system that will be bringing NYC passengers into Stewart. I don’t think that will happen, nor do I think it’s what the PA is looking to accomplish. This is a single-track line running through New Jersey and Rockland into Orange. Even though there are sidings, I doubt there ever will be much passenger service into Stewart.
I believe Stewart will be developed to keep people from our area from using the airports south of us. I do not believe the PA will be looking to bring NYC air travelers to Stewart. In fact, I believe the rail link being discussed will be geared to Orange County commuters needing to get to Manhattan.
At one of the recent Press Conferences at the airport, Peter Cannito, outgoing head of Metro-North, noted that currently it would take 90 minutes to travel from Penn Station to Stewart. He added that could be cut to 60 minutes with some construction efforts to “straighten the line.” Let’s say you are in NYC and, for whatever the reasons, you have to access an airport through Penn Station. Are you going to get on the train that will take 60 minutes to get to Stewart or the train that will take 20 minutes to get to Newark (where you have more flights and more direct flights)?
So why all the talk about a rail link to Stewart? Orange County is the fastest growing county in the state. There is a growing number of people who commute from Orange into Manhattan. There also is a growing number of transplanted Rocklanders who need to commute back to jobs in Rockland. More and more we recognize that commutation by privately-owned vehicle is losing appeal. Crowded roads, escalating gas prices, rising tolls, potential for a Congestion Pricing plan eventually being put in place in Manhattan and, of course, ever increasing pollution, all make rail travel THE preferred mode of travel. But, where are these folks going to get a train into the City? There’s no parking left at Metro-North stations. The only way they can accommodate the growing numbers from Orange is with a new station and a new parking lot. And, the most reasonable place to build that is at Stewart Airport via a connection from Salisbury Mills, part of the plan we advanced back in 2004.
And, adding to the mix is the seemingly endless service reductions, downsizings and “pull-outs” of a string of airlines, the most recent being Air Trans, JetBlue and Delta. Advocates for the airport say these are merely “blips” and the airlines are making a “mistake” by doing this.
After Air Trans’ announcement that it would leave Stewart, Sen. Chuck Schumer, a “champion” of the facility, met with the President of JetBlue who assured him that their commitment to Stewart remained strong. Two weeks later JetBlue discontinued several flights and the spin was that it “was seasonal and they are going to reexamine it when the winter season comes.” One could wonder, then, why the airline added flights from Westchester County Airport.
With all of the above, it must be noted that there is development around the airport, money is being invested and some Rockland businesses and individuals will enjoy a benefit from the further development of the facility. However, this writer doesn’t see Stewart as the “economic beacon” for the entire region, as some like to call it, but more of an opportunity for Orange County and some from the surrounding area.
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