HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-07-20-HFAC-min
Hanscom Field Advisory Commission
Minutes – 20 July 2021
Prepared by Massport Staff
Video of HFAC Meeting can be found on the BEDFORD TV YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGZoHgJ7H08Lcm7aj90Gfw
• Call to Order: HFAC Chairman Christopher Eliot called the meeting to order at 7:03pm
• Announcements:
• Chairman Eliot will be recording the HFAC Meeting and will make it available to those who ask for it
• Chairman Eliot welcomed all to 20 July meeting pursuant to Chapter 20 of the Acts of 2021
o Act suspends certain provisions of the Open Meeting law; anyone can listen or view by remote participation
• Chairman Eliot states that people refuse to accept scientific knowledge, there are more COVID-19 deaths
• Mark Giddings and Barbara Katzenberg attended orientation meetings at the Massport Offices
o Gave new members a better sense of the scope and scale of airport operations
• Email response from Rep. Thomas Stanley (9th Middlesex) in support for a permanent remote meeting option
o Rep Stanley is a sponsor of H.3152 - Act to modernize participation in public meetings
• Presentation by Chris McCann will be rescheduled for Fall of 2021 but Chairman Eliot has not progressed on it
• Will be joined by Massport Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for more information on Taxiway November Project
• Minutes: The June 2021 Meeting Minutes were not available for approval
• Approval will be pushed till the next meeting in September
• Monthly Noise Reports: Amber Goodspeed presented the April Noise Report and noted that:
In June 2021 as compared to June 2020:
• 7am - 11pm operations increased 62.1% in June 2021
• Singles (including touch and goes) increased 69.8% in June 2021
• Turbo activity increased 35.3% in June 2021
• Jet operations increased 73.6% in June 2021
• Helicopter activity increased 10.0% in June 2021
• Night Operations (11pm-7am) increased from 110 in June 2020 to 210 in June 2021
• Margaret Coppe asked for interactive website link to log noise complaints from Massport Noise Complaints page
• Mark Giddings asked about increase in military flights; referred to Hanscom Air Force Base Public Affairs
• Ira Goldman asked about replies from the online complaint system
• Barbara Katzenberg asked about responsibility of noisy aircraft not operating from Hanscom Field
• Capital Programs and Third Party Development Reports: Amber Goodspeed presented the Capital Programs and
Third Party Development reports and noted that:
• Ross Rectrix plans to file a Notice Of Intent with the Concord Natural Resources Commission for work in the
buffer zone under jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act; goal to get on August agenda
• Massport expects the North Airfield RFP to be released in August
o Patty Dahlgren queried about working with Bedford; Airport Director has met with Town of Bedford
• Rehabilitation of Taxiway N project has been pushed back to Mid-August due to supply chain issues
o 60,000ft of paving in estimated 400 total daytime, weekday only truck trips along Route 62 and Hartwell Road
o Removed material does not require testing for contaminants (lead)
Lead binds to organic material so lead adhering to bituminous pavement not anticipated
Any soil removed offsite will be tested under MA DEP Policy # COMM-97; soil disturbance will be minimal
o Wheel wash will be used when appropriate; all loads hauled off will be covered; dust will be limited
o Public Bidding Process from Feb 2021 can be found on Bid Express Massport website
o Trucking route will most likely be north on state road MA RTE 62 during the daylight hours
• Surveys and appraisals for former Navy Hangar are being scheduled for Summer 2021
• Six Hanscom Field Noise Monitoring Terminals will be replaced throughout the summer; outages expected to only
be four hours during the day of replacement and all will be calibrated
• Design plans in progress to relocate the Pine Hill T-Hangars to the North Airfield, west of former Navy Hangar
o Chris Boles queried about coordination of relocation and North Airfield RFP
o Jennifer Boles asked about acreage difference between 2019 RFP and current
• Agenda Items: Topics discussed on published agenda:
• Discussion of ESPR Chapter 3: Airport Activity Levels
o Provides details on the number of operations, single engine and jet trends, long term development goals
• Chairman Eliot summarized work in Legislature to make online option for all meetings
• Citizen Comments: Citizens commented on and/or asked about the following topics:
• Fan Di queried airfield development deterrence, projected 65 DNL contour increase & anonymous noise reporting
o Chairman Eliot perceives single engine aircraft have been decreasing while jet aircraft have been increasing
o Tom Hirsch explained some single engine aircraft may be louder than newer jets
o Jet aircraft move through airspace quickly as to opposed single engine aircraft circling with touch and gos
o Ira Goldman asked if future trend for corporate jets to fly out of Logan instead of over suburbs
• Jennifer Boles requested HFAC Board ask Massport to remain through the entire HFAC
• Amy McCoy stated her impact from recreational flyers with tight turns, stalling and low flying is higher; asked
about breakdown between jet & general aviation traffic from Massport
• Cargo or Scheduled Commercial Passenger Services
• Massport not present during this topic
• Other Business: The proposed date for the next HFAC meeting is 21 September 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
• Discussion of Chapter 4 of the ESPR: Airport Planning
• Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:39 p.m.
Attendees: Christopher Eliot, Margaret Coppe, Mark Giddings, Thomas Hirsch, Barbara Katzenberg, Emily Mitchell,
Susan Bator, Amber Goodspeed, Dan Dragani, Michael Vatalaro, Mark Wimmer, Chris Boles, Jennifer Boles, Patty
Dahlgren, Fan Di, Ira Goldman, Amy McCoy.