The Village of Montgomery recently announced an intermunicipal agreement (IMA) to provide municipal sewer for the Orange County Airport, ending a ten-year negotiation.

The agreement will provide the airport with a maximum of 20,000 gallons per day. The airport will pay the village $400,040 over ten years, at two-and-a-half times the village rate. The airport will also pay for sewer lines to the facility.

Director of Aviation Edward Magryta said the airport received an $800,000 New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) Aviation Bureau grant in 2007 for the purpose of sewer infrastructure. However, the grant expires in April and the airport needs to demonstrate it has municipal support to receive the money from the state.

The county also has the bonding authority for $600,000 for the purpose of sewer installation.
Water and sewer expansion is critical to the airport’s growth, Magryta said. A municipal connection is more efficient and requires less land than septic, so acquiring an upgrade in systems might attract private investment interesting in building more hangars and businesses.