"OGDENSBURG — Cape Air still covets the former U.S. post office at 420 Ford St. as a ticket office, even as the building’s owner has hired an international commercial real estate broker to find tenants.

An executive with the Massachusetts-based airline continued earlier this week to reiterate the carrier’s readiness to go somewhere else in the city if a lease cannot be arranged at 420 Ford St., no matter how much the site is preferred.

“We are keeping our options open,” said Jacqueline B. Donohoo, Cape Air’s Northeast marketing manager. “But 420 Ford is the perfect fit for our operation. So, we are willing to wait until things are settled there before looking elsewhere.”

Watertown optometrist Dr. Noaman Sanni closed in April on his $350,000 purchase of the 13,000-square-foot building from the Ogdensburg Growth Fund Development Corp. He opened one of his Center for Sight eye care offices there in April 2011, occupying 4,400 square feet.

Ms. Donohoo said Cape Air’s space needs for its ticket office are relatively modest, given the 8,600 square feet available.

“We are waiting to hear from the property manager before moving forward,” she said.

“Ideally, we would like to operate on one side of the building. We only need about 500 square feet for our operation. If all goes as we hope, the details of the build-out will be left up to the owner of the property and Cape Air would just be renting the space.”

Robert C. Nelson, Syracuse-based senior broker for CBRE of Los Angeles, declined Tuesday to specify the status of the lease negotiations.

“Negotiations with any prospects would be confidential,” Mr. Nelson said.

Cape Air likes 420 Ford St. because of its central downtown location and proximity to Ogdensburg International Airport, where the airline schedules flights.

While the airline hopes to open the ticket office this year, it already has missed a deadline.

The Growth Fund had set aside $10,000 in state Main Street grant funds to help cover the cost of the build-out, but the money had to be spent by June 31.

Not having been used, the funds were given to Ogdensburg Public Library for renovations.

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