Farmingdale's Republic Airport has been in discussion with the Federal Aviation Administration since they requested in February 2005 that Republic Airport undertake the widening of Taxiway Bravo to meet current runway safety area standards. Two years later, Republic Airport has begun preparing bid documents to commence the $8 million project.

Originally addressed in 2000, the FAA sent the RAC a memorandum in February 2005 stating "...we have determined that due to the non-standard separation between Runway1/19 and current parallel Taxiway B, the state should consider undertaking the relocation of Taxiway B in this fiscal year as a first priority."

According to Airport Manager Michael Geiger, the motivation behind the project, is first and foremost, safety.

"It's a safety issue for the aircraft that are operating at this airport," he added. "The further apart they are, the safer it is if an aircraft does go off the runway."

In June 2005 the Republic Airport Commission (RAC), an advisory council that provides advice on projects to be undertaken at the airport, tabled voting on a resolution to widen the distance between Taxiway B and Runway 1/19 from 200 to 400 feet in order to more safely accommodate aircraft wingspans on the ground.

"We had a lot of meetings and then Legislator Dave Mejias suggested we go to 300 feet and we brought it up to the FAA and now it's only being extended 300 feet, instead of 400 feet," RAC Chairperson and North Massapequa resident Frank Nocerino said.

In October 2005, the RAC then announced that the airport was in a position to negotiate with the FAA. Tom Felix from the FAA's Planning and Engineering Division stated that the taxiway should be relocated to a minimum of 300 feet from runway centerline to taxiway centerline, in accordance with FAA design standards.

"We're just doing what is required," Nocerino added.

Taxiway Bravo is an existing taxiway, which is currently located 200 feet west of Runway 1/19 and runs parallel to Runway 1/19. A taxiway allows an aircraft to move from one point in the airport to another.

In August 2006, the FAA issued a grant to begin design work and on Sept. 26, 2006, they issued an environmental determination on the taxiway relocation safety project. Nocerino said the airport must move forward or they "will lose the funding"

Geiger sent out a July 9, 2007 letter to 250 area residents stating Republic Airport "is preparing the state environmental determination, plans and bid documents so that the project can begin this year and be completed by the end of 2008. As part of NYSDOT and the Republic Airport Commission's commitment to an improved outreach program, we would like to extend an open invitation to learn more about the Taxiway Bravo safety project."

The NYS Office of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency designated Republic Airport a primary Emergency Response Location in 2005. This project will include infrastructure improvements to accommodate emergency relief efforts for man-made and/or natural disasters.

"It will help us if there is some type of disaster that requires a large amount of aircraft coming in and out for disaster relief that having this separation will certainly help us in terms of getting the aircraft in and out in terms of loading and unloading," Geiger added.

Skeptics of the project believe widening the taxiway might create future operational issues in terms of allowing larger aircraft or changing flight patterns at Republic Airport.

Farmingdale resident Helen Norjen, a trustee of the Woodlands Civic Association said, "if this is for disaster preparedness, hopefully people can come up with some kind of protection and assurance to make sure it will not morph into something that would be harmful to the community."

Norjen, who also is part of Working Group, a group of civic leaders and local town officials established to discuss and exchange information on airport related projects including the Taxiway Bravo Relocation, has long followed the airport's expansion.

"First we had a nighttime curfew and that was lost, then we had a 60,000-pound weight limit and there's been an injunction against that for the past 10 years," she explained. "We just don't want to see something that is going to open a Pandora's box."

Geiger, the airport director, assured, "this is not going to increase the capacity of the airport in any way."

"This does not change the type of aircraft that comes into this airport. It's not making runways longer," he added. "It doesn't change the layout of how the aircraft fly over the community."

Farmingdale resident Kevin Norton, chairperson for both the Concerned Citizens Association of Farmingdale and East Farmingdale Civic Association's Republic Airport committees said, "The civic associations aren't necessarily against going to the 300 feet, but we've never been given the opportunity to discuss it and for it to be brought to the community at an open forum."

As the airport nears the final review stages, Concerned Citizens of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Community President Carol Meschkow urges all residents to attend an informative meeting being hosted by the group on Aug. 7.

"It will offer residents an opportunity to learn about the plans first hand from airport management before the bid process is complete," the Plainview resident said.

"The relocation is something that we just want to make sure that everyone hears about it before anything is done," Norjen added.

"When you have a large group, more questions are asked," Norton said.

Geiger stressed that it is difficult to hold meetings during the summer because of people's various schedules.

"We've been meeting with several of the civic organizations and as we discuss it further with them there's a potential that we could hold a meeting if they felt it would be useful to their communities," he said.

The Concerned Citizens of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Community, Inc., is hosting representatives of Republic Airport for a presentation on Tuesday, Aug. 7 from 7 to 8 p.m. in the auditorium of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Library.

The next Republic Airport Commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. in the Republic Airport Administration Building on Route 110 in East Farmingdale. For more information, call 631-752-7707 or visit www.republicairport.net. To comment on this project, contact Airport Manager Shelley LaRose-Arken at 631-386-6104.