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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-02-24-HFAC-min Hanscom Field Advisory Commission Minutes February 24, 2004 1)Minutes: After introductions, Peter Enrich said that the Bedford League of Women Voters was deferring to the Lexington League to provide an HFAC representative. The January Minutes were accepted, although the HATS Environmental Subcommittee noted that the Minutes did not detail all the questions that were presented to Liberty Mutual. However, it is assumed that Liberty Mutual representatives are handling this. To date, there has been no further communication between Liberty Mutual and HFAC. 2)Monthly Noise Report: Sara Arnold reported on the monthly statistics, noting that total operations were down, although there were increases in twin piston and jet activity. There was discussion about the decrease in small aircraft operations. It was noted that January had a lot of cold, ice and wind; those weather conditions are particularly inhibiting for operating small aircraft. S. Arnold said that the increase in jet operations caused noise levels to increase. John Williams asked whether there was more that could be done to encourage noise abatement, such as the use of different flight tracks. Steve Lerner asked about Hanscom aircraft using a continuous decent approach as is done at Logan. It was agreed that J. Williams, S. Lerner, S. Arnold, Dave Bayley and Cedric Daniel would meet to discuss these issues. 3)Massport Reports: S. Arnold reported that implementation of the vegetation management program began in late January and has gone smoothly. There have been regular meetings with the Conservation Commissions from the four towns. Signature Flight Support experienced a fuel spill of approximately 20 gallons. It was contained on a pavement area and cleaned up immediately. The spill was reported to the Department of Environmental Protection. The deicing report will be available in the spring. 4)Airline Update: Richard Walsh reported that Shuttle America is planning to leave Hanscom at the end of May. Boston-Maine has expressed interest in starting a Hanscom- to-Trenton service, conducting seven daily round trips. They plan to use Jetstream 31 turboprops that have 19 seats. They may also provide service to the Cape and the islands during the summer. They have not announced a start date. When asked about Massport subsidizing Boston-Maine, R. Walsh said that to-date no business terms have been discussed with Boston-Maine. Resident representatives noted that Massport has an incentive to subsidize the airline in order to keep the $1 million it gets from the FAA if it accommodates over 10,000 enplanements. R. Walsh also said that Massport had contacted and had received calls from other airlines that may be interested in operating out of Hanscom, and he will share additional information as soon as he has something specific to report. P. Enrich noted that this is the first time that Massport has reported having solicited airline activity at Hanscom. R. Walsh commented that Massport is interested in serving its customers and in maintaining service at Hanscom. There was a discussion about the financial trade-offs for having commuter service. There was a comment that the airport’s economic vitality is needed to ensure safe and secure facilities. Pilots also are concerned about higher fees if the airport looses commuter enplanements. 5)HFAC’s Role Regarding Development at Hanscom: It was determined that there were no additional questions that HFAC wanted to forward to Liberty Mutual. It was noted that Liberty Mutual shouldn’t be held responsible for HFAC’s concerns about growth; at the same time, how does HFAC express its concerns. There are various processes in place related to development, including the Towns’ Development of Regional Impact process and Massport’s Environmental Status and Planning Report. J. Williams suggested that there could be a value in bringing all the different views together to see if there is any common ground and any room for compromise in an effort to provide Massport with recommendations. He recognizes that there are competing interests, but he mostly hears an anti-aviation view at HFAC meetings. Members suggested that there could be a brainstorming session; it would help to look for mechanisms that would influence Massport’s business decisions. R. Walsh noted that it would help to have issues that affect Massport—such as housing near the airport—on the table as well. It was agreed that Sara Mattes and J. Williams will develop some questions for the March meeting—and they will be included with the Agenda. P. Enrich will arrange for a room with a round table. The State of Hanscom presentation will be postponed; although it would be useful to get the written report before the March meeting. HANSCOM FIELD ADVISORY COMMISSION DATE: 2/24/04 HFAC MEMBER ATTENDEES CATEGORYNAMEIN ATTENDANCE Contiguous Towns (4)********************** BedfordSheldon MollX Bedford Alt.Mark Siegenthaler ConcordAnne ShapiroX Concord Alt.Charles Blair LexingtonPeter EnrichX Lexington Alt.Michael Barrett LincolnSara MattesX Lincoln Alt.Sarah Holden Local Citizen Groups (2)********************** So. LexMargaret CoppeX No. LexGraydon Wheaton Area Wide Organizations (2)********************** LWV LWV Alt. Other Area Towns (2)********************** Carlisle or ActonSteve LernerX WalthamRep. Tom Stanley Waltham Alt.Michael Squillante Businesses Basing Acft at Hanscom (2)********************** East Coast AviationTom HobanX RaytheonMichael Burke Aviation/Aviation Related Businesses (2)********************** Jet AviationFrank DiglioX Signature Flight SupportRick BlazeX Signature Alt.Paul Gamache Business Aviation Organization (1)********************** MBAAJohn WilliamsX NBAA (Alt. Org.)Ken Heider General Aviation Organization (1)********************** Hanscom Pilots AssociationThomas HirschX Ex-Officio Members********************** MassportSara ArnoldX MassportRichard WalshX MassportCedric DanielX HAFBRhonda Siciliano FAADave BayleyX MMNHPNancy Nelson **************************************************************** Other AttendeesAffiliation 1B. ForsterCNC Newspapers 2four members of Groton Plane Sense