|
||||||
|
Clinton County: Aerospace Capital of the East? The Laurentian Aerospace Corporation's Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Facility and the Plattsburgh Aerospace Institute put Clinton County on the forefront of cutting-edge aerospace industry
The Laurentian
Aerospace Corporation's Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility
that is going to be built on the Plattsburgh air force base has caused
a major stir in the area. The 262,000 square-foot MRO facility will create
1,500 high-paying jobs within six years. Approximately 760 jobs will be
provided within the first five years of phase one of construction, which
is slated for Spring of 2008. This date, however, may be premature. "We haven't even had the chance to get all the information out to the job market," said John Masella of the New York State Department of Labor-Clinton County Workforce Department.
According to Gary Douglas, President of the Plattsburgh/North Country Chamber of Commerce, engineers are in the process of selecting the construction site on the base. Until that's known, only an estimated construction date is available. Along with the date, the $62 million dollar construction cost is also an informal figure. "[The cost of construction] is a moving target impacted by the final design of the project," said Douglas. To help fund the project, Laurentian will apply for New York State's Empire Zone PILOT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) payment program, according to Adore Kurtz of the Development Corporation. The 15 year payment program provides real estate and property taxes paid in full to the affected taxing jurisdictions for 10 years, which the state will then reimburse, according to Adore Kurtz of the Clinton County Development Corporation. That means that the Town of Plattsburgh, Clinton County and Peru School District will receive their full share of tax revenues from Laurentian. "The MRO facility and the Aeronautical Institute are critical to attracting other businesses to Clinton County." -Gary Douglas, President-Plattsburgh/North Country Chamber of Commerce. Many of the 1,500 jobs created may be filled by area residents who receive education and hands-on training at the Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute, a Federal Aviation Administration Part 147 Airframe and Power plant school, which began offering some classes this fall and will offer a full curriculum in September 2007. The project began in April of 2004, well before city and town officials met with Laurentian Aerospace Corporation. It is administered by Clinton Community College and Champlain Valley Technical Center (CV Tech) and works in coalition with L'Ecole d'Aeronautique, North America's largest aeronautical institute located in Quebec. This alliance qualifies graduates of the Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute to work to U.S., Canadian and International standards, according to Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute Project coordinator Jim McCartney. "These are exactly the type of high-paying service jobs that everybody wants," Douglas said. "The employment needs of Laurentian are very much in alignment with our program and the qualifications of our graduates... We are proud to have played a role in attracting Laurentian to our area," McCartney said.
A similar airframe and power plant institute in Burlington, the Burlington Tech Center, has enjoyed 100 percent placement of its graduates over the years into aerospace jobs with an average starting salary of $35,000 per year, states McCartney, noting that CV Tech boasts a 94–96 percent placement rate of its graduates. "The nature of work to be performed at the MRO facility[will allow]our graduates will be trained to perform," McCartney said. Laurentian should begin hiring in late 2008. The cutting-edge jobs range from minor maintenance to complete overhaul, which could mean replacing seats to painting an entire air bus. "These are exactly the type of high-paying service jobs that everybody wants," Douglas said. With the MRO facility as the centerpiece and the added incentive of the Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute, Clinton County will soon be on the forefront of the ever-growing aerospace industry and, according to Douglas, will likely lead to economic growth in the area. "The MRO facility and the Aeronautical Institute are critical to attracting other businesses to Clinton County and you can expect to see an influx of people from outside the area making Clinton County their home," Douglas said. Will the MRO facility on the base revive what was lost when the base was closed in 1991? |
1838: Brownstone dormitories built to house military personnel, known as the "Plattsburgh Barracks," open. 1944: After years of occupation by the military, the base was transferred into a Navy indoctrination school and became known as Camp McDonough. 1945-1953:
Camp McDonough was transferred to the Army Air Forces and then to the
Army Engineers who briefly occupied the base. During this period New York
State Housing Commission made the barracks available for college 1953: "Plattsburgh
Barracks" returned to the Federal Government and used as November, 1955: Runway completed-first aircraft lands. 1963: Construction
of 12 "Atlas F" missile silos completed, costing $3 1995: Plattsburgh Airforce Base closes on September 29. PARC is created to manage redevelopment of the former base. 2002: Brownstones go on the market as centerpiece of Planned Unit Development; attract bids ranging to $2 million. 2006: The Canadian Aerospace Corporation, Laurentian, signs a deal with the Plattsburgh/North Country Chamber of Commerce and local partners to construct a 262,000 square-foot Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility that will create 1,500 high-paying jobs within 6 years. History courtesy
of the Plattsburgh Air base Redevelopment Corporation
|
|||||
| Copyright © 2001 - 2006 All Points North. All Rights Reserved | ||||||
