Griffiss Vying for FAA’s New Air Traffic Control Center

Picente says possible center could bring 800-1200 New Jobs

Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr., today announced that Griffiss Business & Technology Park received a site visit by FAA for potential siting of FAA’s new Air Traffic Control Center facility.  The FAA site visit was in response to a solicitation from FAA for potential locations.

Dubbed the Liberty Integrated Control Facility, the facility would replace existing  terminal radar approach control facilities, known as TRACONs, within the New York Enroute Air Traffic Control Center’s airspace, as well as the N.Y. Enroute Center's under-30,000 feet operations, into one 250,000-square-foot facility.

County Executive Picente Said “The Griffiss site meets the FAA criteria and would help FAA merge operations into a state of the art Air Traffic Control Center’s airspace that will help achieve major economic savings.”  Picente also noted that the Griffiss site offers a central geographic location with major highways and interstate access.  “The presence of the Eastern Air Defense Sector and having a shovel ready site and a functioning Airport are also major advantages”, Picente added.   

The facility would initially create 800 jobs with potential to increase total employment up to   1,200 workers. It would be the first such facility built by the Federal Aviation Administration under its plan to consolidate existing air traffic control facilities in the northeast corridor.

Griffiss is home to EADS, a national defense asset that protects the continental US (a member of NORAD, a joint international command with Canada) through national airspace surveillance. The location is also home to the Air Force lab known as Rome Lab and Griffiss Technology Park currently has over 6,000 jobs including cyber security, aeronautical manufacturing, research and development including heavy MROs that employee 600 people and growing.

Griffiss is also under consideration for two multimillion dollar federal programs involving the FAA and the national missile defense program.

Picente said “This campus would bring with it up to 1200 new jobs, with salaries that are $80,000 and higher and will help address one of the key points raised  by the State Comptroller on the mismatch between the economic recovery in downstate NY with the slow pace of recovery in the Upstate economy”. It is clear that the Upstate economy is struggling to recover from the global recession and this operation would help provide a long term cost effective solution for FAA and at the same time help direct employment to the Mohawk Valley – Central New York regions”.