Islip’s Long Island MacArthur Airport is slated to receive $3 million worth of security upgrades within the next eight months, according to town Aviation Commissioner Rob Schneider.

Islip Town announced Wednesday that it was awarded a federal grant to cover the cost of the upgrades. They will include roughly 7 miles of improved fencing around the airport, and new security cameras around the perimeter.

Town Councilman John Lorenzo, the district representative for the airport, told Newsday the project, which has been in the works for about five years, is needed to “keep our airfields safe and secure for the future.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation funding will be used to replace the airport’s existing 6-foot fence with a new 8-foot fence topped with barbed wire, according to Schneider, who said the grant also will fund a “state of the art” security camera system along the airport’s boundaries.

“This is a hardening of the system,” Schneider said.

The taller fence will help the airport remain compliant with federal rules that require it to “prevent wildlife from entering onto the airfield,” in addition to bolstering security, Schneider added.

There have been multiple security breaches at the airport over the past two years, Newsday has reported. Those incidents include a Feb. 4, 2024, theft of a Bobcat loader, which someone then drove through an airport fence, according to police.

Last December, Newsday reported, a passenger got into a secure area for TSA screeners despite repeated warnings not to enter, according to police. He was found about 10 days later and arrested, according to the police report.

In January, the airport's security director resigned, marking the third time that had happened in less than three years, Newsday reported.

Schneider said the planned upgrades weren’t instigated by any security breaches. He said the project has been in the town’s airport capital improvement program for five years and that the airport has been in compliance with federal rules.

“This isn’t something that came about as a result of anything other than planning for our future and making sure we have a hardened security system, as well as making sure we’re doing everything we can to keep wildlife off of the airfield,” Schneider said.

Both Islip Town and federal officials still have to sign off on the $3 million funding deal, which Schneider said normally gets completed “within six weeks” of the grant announcement. He expects construction to begin by early fall and take three to six months to complete.

Schneider added that the construction will not interfere with flights or any other airport operations.

Newsday has reported the number of passengers traveling through MacArthur last year reached nearly 1.4 million, up from around 1.2 million the previous year.

In a news release Wednesday, Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter thanked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) for helping facilitate the grant.

“They both understand and appreciate the importance of Long Island MacArthur Airport to the region, and fully support our public safety priorities,” she wrote.