HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-10-15-HFAC-min
HANSCOM FIELD ADVISORY COMMISSION
MINUTES
October 15, 2002
1.Introductions: Those present introduced themselves. Janet Kennedy reported that
she is filling in for the League of Women Voters. Peter Enrich said he has
updated his email list for HFAC meeting notifications. There were no comments
on the Minutes.
2.HFAC Membership Status: Margaret Coppe, Susan Sekular, and Tom Hoban
have been working on ensuring all HFAC positions are filled. The four
contiguous towns have representatives and most have alternates. Neither Carlisle
nor Acton have appointed representatives, so other towns are being asked about
their interest in joining. There have been discussions with the Town of Waltham
about joining, but this has not been resolved. Tom Hoban reported that most of
the aviation representatives are in place, but most of them do not have alternates.
P. Enrich said he needs a list that can go to the Boards of Selectmen for approval.
3.Noise Report: Sara Arnold distributed the monthly noise report. It was noted that
jet activity continued to increase approximately 40% in both August and
September as compared to a year ago.
4.Planning Report: Sara Arnold and Richard Walsh reported that:
-Proposals for the Hangar 1 site are due on October 21. Once they are
submitted, Massport will review them to determine the best proposal, and the
proponent will present the plans to HFAC.
-The parking lot construction bids just came in, but there is no additional
information at this point. It is expected that the work will be done this fall.
-Bids for the fencing project around the Civil Terminal are due next week, and
the work will be done this fall.
-Taxiway restoration on Echo and Juliet will begin this month.
-Shuttle America reduced its operations to six daily round trips to Trenton.
T. Hoban noted that activity on the East Ramp has declined because access is a
problem. When T. Hoban originally moved to the East Ramp, access was
available through the Air Force Base. After the USS Cole incident, the Air Force
tightened security, and now access is limited. He believes this is discouraging
general aviation activity at that end of the field. P. Enrich noted that the towns
support general aviation at the field and would take steps to help if there was
identifiable and reasonable action to take.
5.Environmental Status and Planning Report: R. Walsh reported that the technical
workshops have been completed, and HATS is hosting a meeting to receive
comments on November 17 at 7:30 p.m. in Bedford. On November 7 there will
be a Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act hearing in Bedford at 7:30 p.m.
Written comments are due by 5 p.m. on November 15.
6.Vegetation Management Plan (VMP): Massport has received Orders of
Conditions from all four towns. However, Massport had some issues with the
Bedford Order, and Shhair appealed the Bedford Order to the Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) as Massport was trying to resolve its issues with
the Bedford Conservation Commission. Because the deadline for an appeal was
imminent, Massport also appealed the Bedford order.
There were questions about Massport’s efforts to communicate with Shhair, and it
was noted that Shhair has agreed to withdraw its appeal if Massport will do the
same. R. Walsh said that this is a Bedford issue, and Massport will communicate
with Bedford and/or DEP. He said that Massport needed to appeal in order to
reserve its rights to do so, but communication with the Bedford Conservation
Commission is still on option. Shelly Moll noted that Massport’s appeal is based
entirely on environmental issues while Shhair’s appeal questions the legitimacy of
Massport using the “limited project” provision as the basis for the project.