To the editor:
I read Tom Catillaz's plans for the town airport with interest and great satisfaction. Every single one of his ideas made a lot of common sense and makes me wonder why they weren't done before.
Almost every airport charges for long-term parking (and usually short-term, too), even Plattsburgh. Five dollars per day sounds like a fair deal, and if it can add $50,000 to the airport's bottom line, why not?
The plan for leasing land for hangar space is good business as well. There will be no out-of-pocket expense for the town, and the airport would receive rent checks each month. Experimenting with the fuel price to spur demand and bottom-line profit is also a good sensible business strategy, and it's not the "status quo."
The "status quo" has only created a budgeted operating loss of $381,000 for this year alone, which leads to the "Big Idea," as Tom calls it. Regionalizing the airport ownership and operation so the burden is off the shoulders of town taxpayers is an idea that I supported in my campaign for Harrietstown councilman last election.
The town of Harrietstown desperately needs new thinking and new ways of doing things. The "same old, same old" status quo just doesn't cut it anymore, and that's why I'm voting for "Tax Cap" Tom Catillaz this Election Day for Harrietstown supervisor.
Sincerely,
Douglas Fransen
Saranac Lake