Stacey Pfeffer, Author at The Inside Press

Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino; Lt Col Joseph Wooley, Civil Air Patrol; Peter Scherrer, Westchester County Airport at a rededication ceremony this past July for the Lockheed T-33 jet, known as the “T-Bird” after the WWII plane was restored for a year. Photos Courtesy of the Office of the Westchester County Executive.

It’s another busy morning at Westchester County Airport. On the runway, a JetBlue flight is about to take off to Orlando with several young Westchester families en route to Disney. Another runway has a handful of business travelers coming in on a United flight from Chicago. Meanwhile a Westchester-based CEO is boarding his corporate jet for a meeting in Rochester.

Opened in 1945, Westchester County Airport operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and currently has six airlines offering flights, serving approximately 1.75 million passengers a year. The airport’s code, HPN, actually stands for Harrison, Purchase and North Castle, not White Plains Airport, as many people mistakenly believe, because the airport’s footprint is owned by all three towns. The airport employs 1,300 workers full-time and brings in an estimated $735 million to the region, according to a 2010 analysis.

The main terminal at Westchester County Airport.

The airport first began commercial flights in 1948 and the National Guard maintained a base at the airport from 1952 to 1983. In 2005, the airport began to offer discount flights to several key destinations for the first time.

With residential properties surrounding the airport, the county works hard at limiting noise and other environmental hazards.

A Westchester County Airport Advisory Board meets monthly and the board discusses topics such as noise/odor complaints with meetings open to the public. The board consists of eleven members appointed by the County Executive with representatives from the surrounding areas and aviation specialists. Residents can track flights and complain about any noise issues via www.airport.westchester.gov under the flight tracking tab. The County and Board have also been instrumental in capping terminal use to 480 passengers per hour to limit the impact on surrounding communities.

“The Westchester County Airport serves a very important purpose for the residents and businesses not only in North Castle but in the surrounding region,” notes Michael Schiliro, the Town Supervisor of North Castle. “In April, the North Castle Town Board adopted a Resolution requesting that North Castle be considered an Interested Agency for the proposed legislation modifying the Terminal Use Agreement. It is important to strike a balance between sustaining the level of service expected by the users of the airport while addressing the environmental, traffic, and noise impacts of North Castle residents. We intend to be an active participant in the process.”

“I think when people hear the words development or expansion they confuse construction with that,” notes Richard Conrad, an Advisory Board member from North Castle who is also the CEO and Owner of GP Aviation, a company that operates and sells business jets. For example, the airport recently built a separate building on the right hand side of the terminal for baggage screening to make it safer and efficient for all passengers. “The airport really is a jewel of Westchester, offering accessibility, ease of entry/egress from the airport and civilized travel with fewer crowds than other nearby airports. The county and [County Executive Rob] Astorino are huge proponents of it and are constantly looking for ways to improve the airport experience for everybody.”

Samantha Shinnick, an Armonk resident, uses the airport frequently and likes that “it’s a small airport with pretty good service (except when it snows). They run the operations smoothly based on security lines, etc.” However, she wishes there were more reasonable taxi services available and would like Uber to be allowed on-site.

There are several fixed-base operators (FBOs) at the airport such as Million Air and Signature Flight Support and these operators offer the convenience of driving right up to your plane and having staff handle your baggage. “It’s just another level of civilized travel,” comments Conrad.

In addition, Conrad notes that the airport is a “mecca for business aviation,” bringing in millions of dollars to the area.

Stacey Pfeffer lives with her husband and three young children in Chappaqua. She has written for New York Family Magazine, Kveller.com, Westchester Parents and Inside Chappaqua. She has flown to Florida several times via Westchester County Airport.

Chappaqua, NY – A first time and upcoming “Hillapalooza Weekend,” created by Chappaqua Friends of Hill (CFOH) and scheduled for August 6 and 7, is intended to be a “town-wide celebration of Hillary,” states CFOH founder and president Dawn Evans Greenberg.

“We decided to create Hillapalooza as a way to involve the community, especially families with children, in celebrating a historic and monumental day in our town’s history. Hillary is our second presidential nominee from Chappaqua–Horace Greeley was the first–and the first women ever, of course, so we think a town-wide celebration is in order to share the excitement, “ noted Dawn Evans Greenberg, the President of CFOH.

Members of Chappaqua Friends of Hill during a meeting at Chappaqua Station

In just days, a group of ten CFOH supporters will in fact be representing the more than 540 CFOH members by attending the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Philadelphia. Recognizing that not everyone can go to the DNC, Hillapalooza weekend was formed as a way to involve all CFOH members and also help any Hillary Clinton supporter in town find ways to get involved or simply come out and show hometown support for Hillary Clinton in a friendly, welcoming environment. The event kicks off on August 6^th with a barbeque hosted by CFOH at a private residence in Chappaqua. To RSVP for this event, contact Hillapalooza16@gmail.com

The event will feature lawn games, music and food for the whole family organized by local party planner Monique Banks.

“We are a team of Chappaqua moms and dads who are truly honored to celebrate this history making accomplishment of one of our own,” said Banks. “That being said, we know how to throw a party…and it will be a celebration to remember.”

“One hundred years from now, historians will be talking about this election and we want our town to have a place in that conversation,” Greenberg added. “While the day is 99% celebration, we do hope we can get more folks involved locally as well as let the world know just how proud Chappaqua is to be home to our first female presidential candidate.“

The Hillapalooza weekend continues with a special event on August 7^th geared to local college students. Several college students home on summer break have been active CFOH volunteers. They wanted to increase their support for Hillary when they return to their college campuses this fall, noted Greenberg.

“WHAM” Training for College Students

The free event on Sunday will also offer training for college students, provided by Carol Evans, who co-founded Executive Women for Hillary and is a Hillary campaign professional. Evans created a dynamic training model called WHAM (Winning Hearts and Minds for Hillary). The training session will feature skill-building to empower students to develop their Hillary commitment story–why they believe Hillary is the most qualified, intelligent and moral choice for President.

“This training session will look at what a Trump presidency might do to America,” commented Tracy Stein, a local Clinton supporter and campaign fundraiser who is helping to organize the training session.

“Our hope is that, armed with new confidence to speak about Hillary, students will make calls, canvas, and most importantly, go back to colleges throughout the country to act as Hillary ambassadors,” continued Stein. “These student ambassadors can have enormous power in the GOTV effort. As the demographics play out, reaching college students could make a huge difference in this election.”

Students interested in attending the training session can RSVP to Tracy Stein at tastein1@gmail.com.