Town Calls For Public Participation In Airport's Next Steps

EAST HAMPTON, NY — With the town board voting last month to delay deactivation of the East Hampton Airport until May 17 — with a new, private-use airport set to open on May 19 — officials are calling for continued public participation in the net steps of the process.

The public is asked to weigh in as the East Hampton Town board completes mandated legal steps to address airport safety, noise and environmental impacts.

Town officials said in a release that they heard residents "loud and clear" during an extended public process calling for change at the airport.

Alternatives to implement and study during the summer season are being developed; the prior permission required framework will allow airport use based on certain parameters, and the impact of that will be studied, the town said.

The board has now embarked on the New York State-mandated legal process in order to enact
restrictions at the new airport, under the State Environmental Quality Review Act.

To that end, a public "scoping" session will take place to identify options and alternative actions
related to airport operation.

"We invite members of the public to suggest what actions they believe should be assessed," the town said.

Comments can be submitted through March 18 to EHAirportScope@EHamptonny.gov, or sent by mail to the Town Clerk, 159 Pantigo Road, East Hampton NY 11937.

The additional chance for public input and the development of an outline framing
the range of action alternatives and their possible impacts is a required part of
the legal SEQRA process, and will help to define alternatives and areas of study, the town said.

Next steps include the town board selecting what options to implement during the summer in order to study their impacts, as required — and including them in a draft GEIS scope.

Also, data will be collected throughout the summer after the airport reopens with the PPR framework in place.

After the summer, the impacts of the first restrictions will be assessed; a draft GEIS will be prepared, and the town board will discuss the impact of the PPR in deciding whether and
how to operate the airport in the future. The board may modify the restrictions,
should the initial restrictions studied over the summer not achieve the desired
result, officials said.

Initially, on Jan. 20, the town board voted to deactivate the airport and activate the new, private-use airport at the same site; the process was projected to take place within a week, closing on Feb. 28 and reopening on March 4.

Soon after, the Federal Aviation Administration said that the process could actually take up to two years.

Up to three lawsuits were filed to stop the closure of the airport, according to Newsday.

Then, the town sent out a release stating, as it has in the past, that the intent is to implement a "balanced prior permission required framework" at the airport. "The town and FAA continue to work cooperatively to complete the deactivation and activation process in a timely and efficient manner, with the shared goal of the town opening a safe private-use airport in the manner that is least disruptive to aviation," the town said.

East Hampton officials also said that the town has met on several instances with the FAA to discuss logistics of the deactivation and activation process.

"Over the past few weeks, the FAA and the town have addressed several issues raised by the town's desire to retain an airport with enhanced local control, including town ownership of all navigational aids in use at the East Hampton Airport; town control of all communication aids in use at the East Hampton Airport; utilization of a private air traffic control tower at the private-use airport; and a process to facilitate air-to-ground communications at the new private-use airport," town officials said.

The FAA said it expected to have all of its internal processes completed for opening of the new private-use airport, except for introduction of instrument flightprocedures, no later than May 19, town officials said.

Once its aeronautical study is completed, the FAA told the town that it anticipates that the air navigation facilities currently available at the East Hampton Airport will be available upon activation, with the caveat that instrument flight procedures may not be immediately available, the town said.

Specifically, all weather, navigation, and communication aids should be operable and available; the private air traffic control tower will be in place consistent with how and when it has operated in the past; new agreements with terminal radar approach control facilities, or TRACON, will be entered into; the town will obtain its own ground communication outlet for real-time communication with air traffic controllers; and the new airport will be available for safe use by operators, the town said.

East Hampton said it work with a qualified third-party vendor that has been approved by the FAA to design and implement special use instrument procedures; the town and FAA are optimistic that the special use instrument procedures will be available at some point during the 2022 season, town officials said.

"The town continues to work with the FAA to make this a reality," East Hampton Town said in a release.

According to East Hampton Town, the FAA also requested that the town coincide opening of the new private-use airport with FAA charting cycles.

The FAA issues new navigational charts on 28- and 56-day schedules. According to the FAA, the first charting cycle date to occur after the FAA will have all of its internal processes completed for activation of the new private-use airport is May 19.

"By coinciding activation with the FAA's charting cycle, it will facilitate clearances to and from the new private-use airport by air traffic controllers, allow flight plans to be filed by pilots, and allow the FAA to circulate notices to air missions and other FAA publications related to the new private-use airport," East Hampton officials said. "Based on the FAA's stated timeline and request that the town coincide opening with a charting cycle, the town has decided to postpone deactivation of the East Hampton Airport until 11:59 p.m. on May 17. The new private-use airport will open at 9 a.m. on May 19."
The FAA did not immediately return a request for comment.

After the board announced the delayed deactivation, Loren Riegelhaupt, spokesperson for the Eastern Region Helicopter Council also issued a statement: "We are pleased the East Hampton Town Board is starting to listen to commonsense solutions and delayed their plans for the airport to allow for more discussions and alternate solutions. For everyone's best interests, we ask that all sides stop filing lawsuits and implore the town not to rush ahead with their misguided plans to close the airport. Instead, we suggest that all of the impacted parties come together to find a solution that works for all."