Courtesy of MacFarland Johnson (Engineer of Record)
By Susan Elise Campbell
The Saratoga County Airport expansion project that began with a competitive solicitation in September 2022 is nearing completion “on time and on budget,” according to Phil Barrett, chairman of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors.
Barrett is Supervisor for the Town of Clifton Park and has served as chairman of Saratoga’s board for the years 2007, 2024 and 2025. He said the Board “is very involved with the airport project from start to finish,” which began with an application for funds from Governor Kathy Hochuls’s Upstate Airport Economic Development and Revitalization Competition.
The competition encouraged such projects as state-of-the-art boarding concourse and concession areas, terminal expansion or rehabilitation, improved security screening, opportunities to move passengers more safely, and increased focus on cleanliness and disinfection.
According to Barrett, $230 million of federal dollars were split among nine winning airports that worked directly with the Department of Transportation and state officials.
Recipients were required to match 15 percent of the total to fund their projects and Barrett said all Saratoga partners approved the county’s contribution. Combined, the airport renovation budget is $35.2 million.
“We were very clear on our goals to update and upgrade the airport and what we wanted to achieve throughout the planning, application, and bidding process,” said Barrett. “The final product will result in new facilities and amenities for travelers including meeting rooms and new hangar space, and a general upgrade in aesthetics of the airport as you enter the property.”
“In that type of public bidding process, interested construction firms submit their price for completing the scope of work to be done and, in this case, we were successful in having the low bid,” said David Hollander, vice president and a spokesperson for LeChase Construction Services, LLC, Schenectady office.
LeChase Construction is a top ranked, full service general contractor with seven offices throughout New York.
McFarland Johnson out of Saratoga Springs was hired to provide an environmental assessment master plan for the airport, Barrett said. Airports and transportation infrastructure is a focus area for the design and engineering firm.
Based on progress made so far, Barrett said he does not expect any delays with the project’s timeline.
“In any project like this, you do encounter supply chain issues with certain kinds of items and you live with that,” he said.
Hollander said, “This type of project brings some inherent challenges, and we expect and prepare for that.”
“For example, installing the necessary fire-protection tank and pump equipment for the new jet hanger required pretty extensive excavation work,” he said. “In addition, we have to be careful working around the existing airport, which remains open during the project.”
That means LeChase Construction has to ensure materials are stored securely. On windy days the crew may need to shut down activity “to avoid the chance that debris could blow off the jobsite and potentially cause damage to the airplanes,” said Hollander.
In terms of the structures themselves, the various facades and finishes on this project are a mixture of materials: slate, timber wood columns, and metal roof panels on the terminal, and metal siding on the hangar. The new aesthetic is more reflective of the history and character of the area, he said.
“We have addressed some design changes along the way, but we’ve got a flexible team and they continue to keep everything on schedule,” Hollander said.
“We expect to turn over the new buildings this spring or early summer, just in time for horseracing season,” he said. “We’ve had a positive experience working with all of the local officials.”
Governor Kathy Hochul said in a May 14, 2024 release, “The Saratoga County Airport is now poised to become a key connector for prominent businesses and industries.”
The Governor named such businesses as GlobalFoundaries and General Electric, and said expansion would strengthen the “gleaming gateway” that brings more than a million people to the historic Saratoga Race Course annually and, once again for the 2025 season, the Belmont Stakes.
“A diverse group of residents use the airport on a regular basis,” said Barrett. “It is heavily used due to its location here in Saratoga County and when you consider the counties around the state that are excelling, certainly Saratoga is at the top of that list.”