PLATTSBURGH -- Plattsburgh International Airport and the CBN Connect broadband network received $2.25 million in state funding Thursday.

In a visit to Plattsburgh, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced $2 million in funding for renovation of another nose-dock hangar at the airport and $250,000 for design of the broadband network.

FILLING OUT THE SHELL

The funding announcements are part of the governor's City-by-City plan, which identify priorities in upstate communities and focus on maximum utilization of each city's unique assets.

In Plattsburgh, that is the availability of development space at the new airport. The airport has about 1.5 million square feet of industrial space available for aviation or aerospace development and 108 acres of developable land nearby.

The $2 million will be used to renovate and refurbish the fourth of eight hangars to make it more attractive to prospective tenants.

"One obstacle to development is that these hangars are only shells," Spitzer said.

Two hangars have already been renovated, including one used by the Department of Homeland Security, and work on a third is under way.

"That will allow us to continue to build momentum right here at the airport," Spitzer said.

LOCAL ASSETS

The City by City plans are one part of the governor's upstate agenda, which also includes reducing the cost of doing business, working toward an innovation economy and strengthening infrastructure.

Spitzer said that when the Air Force decided to close Plattsburgh Air Force Base in 1995, one report indicated it would take 40 years to recover.

"Plattsburgh did not lie down and die," he said. "You have staged a remarkable comeback."

Plattsburgh is poised to be part of the innovation economy because of its proximity to the border and Montreal, as well as its location on the Quebec-New York Corridor, he said.

"They offer tremendous opportunities to capitalize on international trade and commerce."