U.S. Deportment of 

ll'tiMpOftctlan 

Office otlhe secretarv 

of Transportotloo 

Ms. Martha 0. Robertson 

Chair 

Tompkins County Legislature 

320 North Tioga Street 

Ithaca, NY 14850 

Dear Ms. Robertson: 

t.J 

AUG 212013 

N:ew JerSieY Avenue, SE Wo:;hin~Jion, DC 20590 

Thank you tor yotir letter~ addressed to Secretary Fo}{X, supporting the proposal submitted by the 

Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport for a grant under the Department of Transportation's 

Small Community Air Service Development Program. Secretary that I respond to 

you on his behalf. 

The Small Community Air Service Development Program was established to help smaller 

communities address air service deficiencies, particularly related to high airfares or 

insufficient service. Under the statute, the Department may make a maximum of 40 grant 

awards each year, although no more than: four awards may to communities in the same State. 

l.n order to provide communities with latitude in developing solutions to their air service 

deficiencies, the statute provides flexibility in the types of projects that can be funded. 

On June 24. the Department issued an order requesting that comtl1Ullities interested in receiving a 

grant this year file their applications by July 26. As these gnmt requests are pending before the 

Department, I cannot comment on the rnerits of any particular proposal. I assure you that the 

Department will give full and fair consideration to all proposals that have been properly filed. 

As is our sta:ndard practice, I am placing a copy of your leuer and this response in Docket 

DOT -OST -2013-0120 as a contact outside the record of thjs matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this program. 

Sincerely yours. 

Susan Kurland 

Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation and International Amdrs 
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Tomp~f,~iji\{g~stature 3lQ N'orth .r.ipga\Stre~t, Ii.lili~.a, N.Y. 14850 

Telephol!e (6.o7):=!i74;Ml\4 .FA~i (6~7) 274-5430 

·:':, \Y\vw.(~tii~~'lfi~~i\o.ot-gJliglslnture 

July 19, 2013 

The Honorable Anthony Foxx 

Secretary ofTransportation 

U.S. Department ofTransportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

··:, .. ... .i_;!'~l~:·.~.='" . : · ..... ·i · .•.. "". ..:;.V 

·.~· 

·., ... :.· ... · 

Re: Application for Small Community Air Service Development Grant-

· Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport, Ithaca, New York. 

Dear Secretary Foxx: 

I write in support of the grant application from the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport. 

Tompkins County is one of the bright spots in the New York State economy. Its extraordinary educational and 

research institutions attract students, scientists, and investment from throughout the world. Our knowledge- · 

based, high tech economy is highly dependent on mobility and access, yet we are quite geographlcaliy Isolated. 

The.nearest Interstate highway exchange Is over 20 miles away and passenger rail service Is farther away still. The 

Tompkins County economy, which fuels the economy of Upstate New York, depends on reliable, quality air service 

provided by the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport. 

The volatility of the airline industry, continued congestion In the New York, Newark, and Philadelphia air traffic 

control (!rea and more recent events concerning contract towers, have all served to undermine the stability of our 

passenger base. The Small Community Air Service Development grant will help us to expand our air service 

offerings and re-establish customer loyalty by providing more .non-stop destinations to less congested airports 

and thus more reasons for the community to use their local facillty.ln a worlc! of global competition, easy access 

to the world market has become an essential factor for our future wellbeing. 

I 

A grant award to the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport will be translated into sustained economic growth In 

sectors that are as important to the nation as t~ey are to Upstate New Yor.k. · 

Your favorable consideration of our grant request Is greatly appreciated. 

Sincerely, . 

l;tcw~~~ Martha 0. Robertson, Chair 

Tompkins County Legislature