A special meeting of the Columbia County airport committee at the West Ghent firehouse next Thursday night (7 pm) will be the first actually held in the town which hosts the facility.
But in response to an invitation to attend and answer questions, representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration are now saying they “can't make it,” according to committee chair Art Bassin.
At last Tuesday's meeting, Bassin reported that the reps had to “get permission” from higher-ups before committing to the meeting—leaving an impression now that permission was denied. Another source indicates that one of the staffers recently had a death in his family, but one would think such a vast agency would have enough personnel to advise communities on urgent policy questions.
SATURDAY UPDATE: Bassin was told by the FAA’s Steve Urlass “that they are in the final phases of a move to new offices. He said they would be available the second half of February.”
