By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- The Town Council unanimously gave the go-ahead to spend over $4 million to make improvements at Massena International Airport.

They awarded a $4,035,742 contract to Barrett Paving Materials to repave a runway and repaint the markings on another. They also gave a $32,000 engineering consulting contract to C & S Companies. The vast majority, 97.5 percent, came from a Federal Aviation Administration grant. The 2.5 percent local share was written into 2013’s budget.

Town Supervisor Joseph Gray said the repaving will be done next year, the runway marking may be done this year, weather-permitting.

If the proposed 2014 budget is passed as it is currently written, the airport will see four additional upgrade projects next year.

Aviation Drive, which leads from North Raquette Road to the hangar and maintenance area, will be re-surfaced at $45,000.

Nearby trees and other obstructions that could pose a risk to aircraft will be cleaned up.

“Surrounding properties have trees, in most cases, so high they penetrate the navigable airspace,” Gray said. “We try to work with property owners to come to a settlement to agree with what we’re doing.”

A new 10-bay T-hangar will be built on the property at a cost of $850,000. It will require between $30,000 and $80,000 worth of subsurface work because the ground shifts up and down, moving the slab and causing problems with aircraft taxiing in and out.

“You have to go down 40 feet to get to solid surface,” Gray said.

The four projects under the proposed budget will carry a $1,125,000 price tag. The FAA will pay $992,750 of that, New York state will chip in $26,125 and the local share will run at $106,125.