By Councilman Mike McElwee
I wish Ernie Fazio had done some more research before writing his op-ed, maybe reaching out to any of the four councilmen who voted “no” and asking why. I will give you one councilman’s perspective, to begin with the fact that the Town Council was not included at any point in this plan for a North Terminal.
As mentioned, one step that could be taken to see if there is any need to connect our train to the plan would be some type of shuttle. It could be a train, monorail, electric bus, or even petty cab. It’s a very short one-mile trip. When I first came into office last year, I toured the airport and was driven around the property. It’s a very short ride, under five minutes. This shuttle can be done on airport property without affecting any local traffic.
To the comment that it would be expensive is insane as this option would be far less expensive than building a new terminal for $1 billion. I find myself traveling often to watch my son play ball, visit his college, and visit friends. Many of the airports have shuttles, buses, and monorails to get you around their properties. In New Orleans, you take a twenty-five-minute bus ride to rent a car. In Orlando, you take a monorail to get to your gate.
I’d like to bring up two other points. Our current South Terminal has recently gone under $30 million of renovation, including new baggage areas, investments in our mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) system, and another $10 million to build a rental car center. This terminal still has the original West side that is currently mothballed and not being used. The other point is that revitalizing this area and adding a shuttle-to-train and Federal Inspection Station (FIS) – customs and border inspection – can bring in international flights that our existing carriers are already servicing in other airports. This current terminal has plenty of room for growth and expansion that will benefit the local economy, creating construction jobs and long-term permanent jobs on site.
A few points about this North Terminal, from what I understand, is that the proposed space is the former Town landfill that will require years of remediation before a building can be built. From what I’m told, this new terminal will not have a rental car center or enough parking, so we will most likely need a shuttle to our current terminal to accommodate parking for local users of the airport. This reason alone makes it seem like starting with a shuttle to see if there is this non-existent demand for people to access our airport from the train is the proper first step. If our current property was operating beyond its capacity, I could entertain a new terminal. We are just not there yet, and common sense says to work to improve what we have instead of starting over. I am a very frequent user of this airport, and its success is important to me, but this new terminal plan does not make sense at this time.
Councilman Mike McElwee (R-West Islip) has represented the Third Council District in the Town of Islip since 2024. The Third District contains West Islip, Baywood, Brightwaters, Ocean Beach, Saltaire, Robbins Rest, Atlantique, Lonelyville, Kismet, and parts of Bay Shore and Islip hamlet.
Councilman McElwee’s office is located on the First Floor of the West Wing of Town Hall at 655 Main Street in Islip. The office can be reached at 631-224-5559.
