electrical passenger vehicle/equipment charging stations; safety improvements for passengers walking between the plane and terminal building; and a renovation of the building’s façade. Garrelts, for one, is enthusiastic about the improvements.“The new canopy for curbside pickup means that nobody has to stand in the rain when they’re getting picked up and dropped off,” he shares. “We added two rental car counters and expanded the lobby for check in and ticketing. Now, nobody has to stand in line. And a new flight display system in the great room, which is large enough to be able to divide into three segments, shows the stages of flights and all the information that you need. So, thanks to Governor Hochul; it’s a project that she helped with to modernize our terminal.” Garrelts is a firm believer that the new terminal upgrades will attract more people to the airport, and as more people come through Ogdensburg, the more they will grow to appreciate the natural beauty of the North Country. To that end, the airport works closely with the St. Lawrence County and City of Ogdensburg Chambers of Commerce to attract more tourism to the area and travelers to the region. EDUCATING AND SERVING THE COMMUNITY Another important item on Garrelts’ agenda is educating local school children about future opportunities in the aviation sector. “I have worked with the school districts, going to classrooms to talk about aviation and how it benefits the community,” he relates. “We move people and we move cargo and planes are becoming more frequently used for transportation. There are so many sectors of the aviation industry. For example, people do surveying from aircrafts; helicopter pilots inspect power poles and cut down trees. People are finding more and more ways to surprise me with what you can do with aviation.” ® NYSDED WEEKEND Getaway IN NORTHERN NEW YORK Plan a Trails for hiking, cycling, paddling & more on our interactive trail map: STLCtrails.com BOOK YOUR STAY AT 1-877-228-7810 107 AVIATION VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 04, ISSUE 03 OGDENSBURG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
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