North Dansville keeps Dansville Airport open, but a shorter runway limits flights to daytime

North Dansville keeps Dansville Airport open, but a shorter runway limits flights to daytime Brett Davidsen News10NBC DANSVILLE, N.Y. — The runway lights at Dansville Airport are being shut off as part of a temporary solution following a year-long stalemate between the Town of North Dansville and one of its largest employers. PREVIOUS: News10 Investigates: Dansville Airport runway may be shortened — and taxpayers could foot $25K bill Standoff in North Dansville as large cranes near airport cause safety hazard for pilots Bryan Mettler is a leisure pilot who calls Dansville Airport his home base. The airport serves private planes, flight instruction, military training and medical transports. “It’s the only blacktop runway in the county, used by locals and emergency,” Mettler said. The short-term plan, approved by the FAA and valid until April 2028, allows the town to shorten the runway landing area by about 1,200 feet and restricts flights to daytime hours only. “It’s only a temporary thing so they’re not going to move the lights, which I get that, but it doesn’t help us at all if you want to fly at night, which we can’t now,” Mettler said. The changes are being made to accommodate LMC Industrial Contractors, a business next to the airport that has set up large cranes directly in the path of the runway. LMC says it needs the cranes where they are to offload steel from railcars and losing them would hurt business. By moving the runway threshold, pilots will land at an angle that avoids the cranes. In a news release, the town supervisor, Gregory P. Horr, said, “This temporary solution was made attempting to make best efforts to balance the interests of local industry, maintain airport operations while allowing flight safety, and the taxpayers of the Town of North Dansville.” The town had explored closing the airport but cannot because it accepted federal grant money. Still, Mettler believes the temporary solution could lead to the airport’s closure. “We all know the solution. He just won’t do it. So after two years time, they’ll say oh well, we’ll let it slide another two years. By then the grace period for taking in grant money will be over and they’ll just close it and sell the land,” Mettler said. As part of the plan, LMC will pay the $50,000 cost to modify the runway. News10NBC reached out to two executives with the company, but they did not respond.