Thread: Feds eye Big Flats building NY to ease immigration crisis

Feds eye Big Flats building to ease immigration crisis
FAA says site not available



ELM 020810 wings of eagles 1 jhr
This is the former Wings of Eagles Discovery Center next to the Elmira Corning Regional Airport in Big Flats, later used by Sikorsky and now vacant, that was suggested for use as a federal immigration processing center. / FILE PHOTO
Written by
Bob Jamieson

A Big Flats aviation facility was, and may still be, under consideration for another kind of flight — processing some of the thousands of Central American women and children now crossing into the U.S. illegally.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency called Chemung County June 23 to tell them the now-closed Sikorsky Customer Delivery & Completion Center was being considered as a reception center, Chemung County Executive Tom Santulli said Monday.

“My understanding ... is that it would be used for many of these refugees that have come across the border. They were looking for a place to process people, house people,” Santulli said. “It wasn’t asking you if you were interested, it was sort of telling you they were seriously considering it.”

An unprecedented influx of immigrant youths from Central America is overwhelming federal shelters and roiling debate in Washington over how to solve the crisis, USA TODAY reported.

Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning, in his weekly conference call with the media Monday, referred to a potential immigration detention center in Big Flats. He said he was opposed to it and it likely would not go through because the site is not a good fit.

That’s the same conclusion reached by Santulli and Ann Crook, manager of the Elmira Corning Regional Airport. It’s not known if the proposal is still being considered.

Chemung County owns the 105,000-square-foot facility, which sits on 14 acres next to the airport, and is trying to sell or lease the facility, built in 1995 as the original site of the Wings of Eagles Discovery Center, an aviation museum.

Sikorsky closed that site and another one at the airport in 2012-13, resulting in the loss of 1,200 manufacturing jobs for military helicopter contracts.

Santulli said he and Crook discussed the fact that the Federal Aviation Administration previously told the county only an aviation business could operate there for security reasons and that any use outside of that would be rejected by the FAA.

He said Crook also called the FAA on June 23 to discuss the proposal in light of the restrictions on the building’s use. Santulli said it is his understanding the FAA agreed it was an inappropriate use.

http://www.stargazette.com/article/2...gration-crisis

I think all this gobbling up sizable "warehouses" will soon produce an inflation of commercial rents? So as taxpayers we pay the rent for uninvited "guests" facililolties. Later, we pay for the inflated commercial rents as consumers.

What does it take to get Americans angry enough to makes contructive changes? If any politician over the next 40 years says, "If you want change in Washington, vote for me!" Walk away, turn off the TV, that dog will not hunt in this town ever again.