The Lake Placid Airport sign is seen on State Route 73. (Enterprise photo – Andy Flynn)

LAKE PLACID — Lake Placid Airport has received $1.8 million from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to resurface its runway as the surface on which all aircraft depart and arrive at the airport is beginning to show its age.

The owner of Lake Placid Airport is the city of North Elba.

Councilman Derek Doty was surprised when he heard about the grant award on Monday. He did not expect the grant to be awarded so quickly. It was a last-minute grant application and the announcement came quickly.

The city has hired engineering firm C&S to do the work, Doty said, and he believes the project can be completed next summer.

The condition of the runway is not dangerous and the city is constantly carrying out maintenance work there, Doty said.

“But there are cracks and fissures in it,” he added. “We still need to work on that.”

Doty estimates that at least 15 years have passed since the 4,200-foot runway was last repaved.

The federal grant of $1,826,743 covers the “Lion’s share” of the project, Doty said. The state will also contribute to the project. The city will be responsible for a percentage of the project, somewhere between 5 and 10%. He is looking into what percentage the city will pay.

The sightseeing flight company Lake Placid Airways operates from Lake Placid Airport.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) announced the award as part of the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program on Monday.

Schumer said she “fought hard” for increased funding for this program this year as Americans express concerns about flight safety.

“We need to ensure that Lake Placid Airport’s runways are as safe and stable as possible,” Schumer said in a statement.

“To increase flight safety for visitors and residents of the North Country, we must ensure that the runway at Lake Placid Airport remains stable and safe during the winter months,” Gillibrand said in a statement.