|
Hanscom Area Towns Committee
<br /> Meeting Minutes
<br /> February 27, 2020
<br /> Attending: HATS Selectmen Jonathan Dwyer, Lincoln, chair; Suzie Barry, Lexington; Linda Escobedo, Con-
<br /> cord; Mike Rosenberg, Bedford; Emily Mitchell, Bedford.
<br /> Other HATS members: Margaret Coppe, Lexington.
<br /> Also attending: State Rep. Michelle Ciccolo; Alaina Coppola, Massport director of government afiars; Edward
<br /> Freni, Massport director of aviation; Amber Goodspeed, Hanscom Field opertions director; Greg Kernusky,
<br /> Hanscom Air Force Base community relations; Todd Smith, Massport Aviatipon Group; Lisa Wieland, Mass-
<br /> port chief executive officer; Sharon Williams, Hanscom Field manager.
<br /> Selectman Dwyer introduced CEO Wieland, noting her previous success as port director. Ms. Wieland pre-
<br /> sented an overview of Massport after six months as chief executive officer. She said her role is to fulfill Mass-
<br /> port goals and align with the commonwealth's. She acknowledged Massport's three core businesses: aviation,
<br /> maritime and real estate.
<br /> Logan International Airport experienced unprecedented growth in 2019, she said, with a 4 percent increase in
<br /> passengers, much of it driven by the strong economy as well as travel-intensive industries, changes in aviation
<br /> technology and more international flights. She outlined planned Logan capital investments, including seven new
<br /> gates in Terminal E, a 2,000-car garage, and roadway improvements, including a high-occupancy vehicle lane.
<br /> There is also a communication campaign, in partnership with the MBTA, aimed at reducing vehicle trips. Part
<br /> of the plan is new Silver Line buses. Massport also reconfigured Uber and Lyft traffic, centralizing those opera-
<br /> tions so they no longer congest Logan roadways. She said in 2018 those services made 12 million airport trips,
<br /> and five million were without passengers. CEO Weiland also mentioned planned improvements to Logan Ex-
<br /> press bus service, including more parking in Framingham and Braintree and a new Back Bay location. Massport
<br /> plans a new express service from North Station and is considering new express sites in the west suburbs.
<br /> CEO Wieland said Hanscom Field continues its mission of general aviation and corporate activity. She noted
<br /> that state oficials have approached Massport about a possible site for construction of a corporate global head-
<br /> quarters facility. The 10-year Massport strategy for Worcester Airport continues. The airport has added a new
<br /> landing system for bad weather.There are three Jet Blue flights daily to Florida and New York. American and
<br /> Delta have added flights to airline hubs, so Worcester is becoming a springboard for travel. Massport is trying
<br /> to build awareness and to identify other service opportunities, she said. In 2019 there were almost 200,000
<br /> Worcester passengers, a 34 percent increase from the previous year.
<br /> CEO Wieland said Massport's Martime Division is a"hidden gem," with an $8 billion annual economic impact.
<br /> More than 250 companies rely on the port to connect to the global economy, she said. A project to deepen the
<br /> harbor and modernize the terminal was funded by state and federal sources. Dredging is 70 percent complete.
<br /> About 440,000 passengers used the cruiseport last year, a 10 percent increase from 2018. This year, she said,
<br /> the expectation is for 100 ships from 25 cruise lines, with Boston serving as a home port and port of call. CEO
<br /> Wieland also noted that Massport is a landlord for seafood processing operations — about 60 businesses in the
<br /> South Boston area. She noted that seafood arrives by air and is processed here. Massport owns the fish pier and
<br /> is creating space to expand. This all contributes to a healthy, diversified economy, she said, and Massport, as a
<br /> prime landowner in the Seaport District, enabled much of the development there. Massport's real estate portfo-
<br /> lio is designed to maximize value. Revenue from planned residential buildings and a new hotel will help fund
<br /> improvements to the maritime infrastructure, she reported.
<br /> CEO Wieland noted Massport's diversity and inclusion initiative in real estate criteria for developers. There are
<br /> many minority equity holders on the Omni Hotel project, and it also involves some minority construction firms,
<br /> she said. The private redevelopment of Commonwealth Pier also has diversity and inclusion models.
<br />
|