PLATTSBURGH -- While the rest of the country may be suffering from economic doldrums, the North Country remains somewhat insulated from the downward spiral.

But many challenges still loom for Clinton County.

"We are pretty blessed, in a weird way," Clinton County Legislature Chairman Jimmy Langley told the Plattsburgh Noon Rotary Club Wednesday.

"We do not have the big booms that some areas have, but then we don't have the big bust, either, like what is going on across the country right now."

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Langley (R-Area 7, Peru) said the overall state of the county right now is good, and he hopes that trend can continue.

A lot depends on the success of Plattsburgh International Airport, he said. The airport, which opened last June, saw its 9,000th passenger take off in 2008, a figure that county officials did not expect to hit until next year.

Langley explained that if the county reaches 10,000 enplanements a year and does so for two consecutive years, it will be eligible to receive about $1 million in federal airport-improvement aid.

A successful airport will mean more growth, hopefully for the whole county, Langley said.

"The terminal and the business of air service really do not make any significant revenue for the county.

"Our intention has always been and will continue to be that of a job creator in the aeronautical industry."

Langley said that efforts to bring in more aviation-related businesses, including Laurentian Aerospace, are ongoing.

"My colleagues and I would like to see more emphasis on the industrial side than what we see now.

"It will come. I don't know when, but I hope soon."

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