HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-02-21-HFAC-minHanscom Field Advisory Commission
Minutes – 21 February 2023
Prepared by Massport Staff
Video of HFAC Meeting on the Lincoln, MA Live Streams Page:
https://lincolntv.viebit.com/index.php?folder=Hanscom+Field+Advisory
• Call to Order: HFAC Chairman Christopher Eliot called the meeting to order at 7:01pm
• Announcements:
• Chairman Eliot recording HFAC Meeting; welcomed all to 21 Feb meeting pursuant to MA Open Meeting Law
• Chairman Eliot noted the North Airfield Environmental Notification Form (ENF) was filed on January 17th with
the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office
o Started a Public Comment period that ended February 14th
• Chairman Eliot discussed the HFAC site visit of the North Airfield at Hanscom Field on February 6th
o HFAC approved to send a letter to the MEPA Office drafted by Chairman Eliot and Barbara Katzenberg
• Chairman Eliot discussed the North Airfield project with Senator Michael Barrett and others on February 15th
o Result was a letter sent to Secretary Rebecca Tepper, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
(EOEEA) and Lisa Wieland, Chief Executive Office of the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport)
• Minutes: The January 2023 Meeting Minutes were reviewed for approval
• The January 2023 Meeting Minutes were approved unanimously with no amendments
• Cargo or Scheduled Commercial Passenger Services
• Chairman Eliot asked Massport the two questions about Cargo and Scheduled Commercial Passenger Services
o Amber Goodspeed responded Massport has not been approached by heavy cargo or commercial scheduled
passenger service
• Monthly Noise Reports: Amber Goodspeed presented the January Reports and noted that:
In January 2023 as compared to January 2022:
• 7am - 11pm operations increased 10.8% in January 2023
• Singles (including touch and goes) decreased 0.2% in January 2023
• Turbo activity increased 29.4% in January 2023
• Jet operations increased 0.8% in January 2023
• Helicopter activity increased 4.2% in January 2023
• Night Operations (11pm-7am) increased from 154 in January 2022 to 163 in January 2023, a 5.8 % increase
• Margaret Coppe noted that military operations have increased compared to levels reported in 2021
• Thomas Hirsch remarked correlation of increased military flights does not necessarily reflect a higher EXP value
• Capital Programs and Third Party Development Reports: Amber Goodspeed presented the Capital Programs and
Third Party Development reports and noted that:
• No updates for the Salt Storage Shed nor electric vehicles
• Construction ongoing for Atlantic Aviation and Signature Flight Support building; no updates
• North Airfield Ventures, LLC (NAV) filed Environmental Notification Form (ENF) with MEPA office on 17 Jan
o Public comment period closed on 14 Feb; MEPA will review comments and issue a draft scope on 24 Feb
o Certificate will inform development team of scope of study for the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR)
o DEIR expected to take at least six months before comprehensive report issued and public comment process
• FAA approved the land swap between Runway Reality Ventures, LLC (RRV) and Massport
• Data collection and analysis ongoing for the 2022 ESPR
• Bid for Runway 05/23 Phase 1 construction posted 15 Feb and closes 08 Mar; project team to be at March HFAC
• Agenda Items: Topics discussed on published agenda:
• Chairman Eliot asked to discuss MEPA comments letter; reiterated wish that entire HFAC could have crafted letter
o HFAC voted to retroactively approve the submission, but not unanimously
• Chairman Eliot requested discussion on letter he co-authored with Senator Barrett
o Emily Mitchell will not sign the letter as process was rushed and did not have time to discuss with colleagues on
Select Board; fossil fuel free aviation is goal she shares but she believes letter shifts focus to single concern
o Bedford citizens have concerns about impacts on traffic, utilities, infrastructure, roadways and aquifer
o Thomas Hirsch prefers to see HFAC’s emphasis on more immediate impacts and not far off technology
o Senator Barrett clarified his letter was not crafted with HFAC, and complimented the letter that HFAC filed
o Tom Flannery, president of the Homeowners Association at Hartwell farms, raised concerns regarding forest
habitat, noise impacts and air quality
o Thomas Hirsch asked if electricity demand, generation and battery production costs will be investigated
o Senator Barrett explained grid will be green with offshore wind and Quebec hydro power to realize vision
o Tanya Gailus commented on natural preservation aspect of climate change resilience Ron Green objected as
focus is entirely on ground impacts and not the operation of aircraft on the environment
o Ira Goldman commented on aircraft noise in the town of Concord
o Sara Mattes, former selectman from Lincoln, did not sign letter as it does not address impacts to the Great
Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and Minute Man National Historical Park
o Richard Baughman concerned about potential heat island effects
o Terri Ackerman, Concord Select Board member, commented on project mitigation strategies
o Senator Barrett discussed the project, Massport and serving the four communities near Hanscom Field
o Richard Baughman commented on the ENF requirements
o Mark Gailus commented on corporate responsibility
o Anna Winter Rasmussen commented on partnership between the communities around Hanscom and East Boston
to block commercialization of Hanscom in early 2000s
o Tanya Gailus asked Senator Barrett to not use project to champion alternative energy and climate change issues
because she believes the project should not be taking place at all and is not worth supporting
o Amber Goodspeed concluded by reiterating this is the beginning of a long process and all comments to MEPA
will be considered when looking at the scope and determining what the project team will need to study
• Emily Mitchell addressed chat comments about the Hanscom Area Towns Committee (HATS); Lexington is the
current chair so she encouraged Lexington citizens to reach out to local representatives
• Patty Dahlgren inquired about the Navy parcel
• Citizen Comments: Citizens commented on and/or asked about the following topics
• No additional comments
• Other Business: The date for the next HFAC meeting will be at 7:00 p.m. on 21 March 2023 via Zoom
• Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
Attendees: Christopher Eliot, Margaret Coppe, Barbara Katzenberg, Thomas Hirsch, Emily Mitchell, Amber Goodspeed,
Michael Vatalaro, Mark Wimmer, Terri Ackerman, Kay Aubrey, Senator Mike Barrett, Alan Basmajian, Richard
Baughman, Karen Beckley, Jenn Berman, Jennifer Boles, Malcolm Bryant, Anne Calhoun, Nina Campanello, Richard
Canale, Charles Carr, Mollie Cecconi, Sara Cherkerzian, Rebecca Collins, Elizabeth Coules, Randi Currier, Patty
Dahlgren, Rich Daugherty, Susan Davis, Robert Dorer, Patricia Dranoff, Katherine Durham, Doug Elder, Lee Feng,
Kevin Finn, Tom Flannery, Walter Fontana, Nancy Fresella-Lee, AJ Fripp, Susan Frommer, Mark Gailus, Tonya Gailus,
Coreen Garrett, Jennifer Glass, Ira Goldman, Ron Green, Audrey Horst, Mark Howell, Brian Hough, Joyce Isen, Jeanne
Krieger, Brianne Krupsaw, Christopher LaCamera, Sara Lance, Jennifer Lee, Norm Levey, Jeff Lewis, Russ Lewis,
Young Li, Bill Mahoney, Sara Mattes, Amy McCoy, Emily McDonald, Katherine McKeigue, Gail O’Keefe, Ricki Pappo,
Ellen Quackenbush, Bill Rabinowitz, Neil Rasmussen, Karlen Reed, Jeremy Richmon, Kathryn Rifkin, P. Rose, Mike
Rosenberg, Juanito Sayno, Erin Sharaf, Lynne Smith, Kaye Spofford, Jonathon Stevens, Kathleen Sullivan, Phil Thayer,
Julie McCay Turner, Colin Valentine, Anne Wagner, Linda White, Mary White, Marjie Whittemore, Kati Winchell,
Christine Wojnar, Kalmia Woods Corp and Peter Zimmerman. In addition, there were several unidentified attendees.
Addendum: HFAC North Airfield Site Visit Minutes drafted by Chairman Eliot
Hanscom Field Advisory Commission (HFAC)
North Airfield Site Visit
Minutes – 06 February 2023
Drafted by Chairman Eliot
• Hanscom Field Advisory Committee (HFAC) had an informal meeting on the sidelines of the North Airfield site on
06 February 2023
• HFAC decided to send a letter to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office written by Christopher
Eliot and Barbara Katzenberg. The main points of the letter are:
1) Although some kind of North Airfield development has been discussed since 2017, the MEPA filing is the first
time we have seen a concrete plan
2) Collect and summarize comments from local groups and towns. The HFAC stance on this project will reflect and
be derived from the expressed wishes of the affected communities.
• There was discussion of possible conditions MEPA could put on approval of the project, such as a condition that no
aircraft requiring leaded fuel be based in the North Airfield.
• Christopher Eliot left about 3:20 pm after the initial MEPA briefing
• Attendees: Christopher Eliot, Margaret Coppe, Mark Giddings, Barbara Katzenberg, Emily Mitchell and 120+
visitors