Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-07-24-HATS-min HATS Meeting July 24, 2014 Meeting Minutes HATS Members. Peter Braun, HATS Chair and Lincoln Selectmen, Elise Woodward, Concord Selectmen, Joe Pato, Lexington Selectmen, Michael Rosenberg, Bedford Selectmen Other HATS Representatives: Andy Friedlich, Lexington; Brooke Whiting Cash, Concord. Others in attendance. MassPort representatives Sharon Williams, Amber Goodspeed, Anthony Derosa, Nancy Donohue, Brenda Ennis, Matt Brelis, Jennifer Eagan, and Jose Masso; Jim Meadors, Lincoln Conservation Commission, Susan Brooks, Lincoln Town Clerk; Jennifer Green-Lanchoney, HAFB Public Affairs representative. Mr Braun opened the meeting at 7.30 p m. with welcome and introductions at the Lincoln Town Offices. He announced that Deb Mauger recently resigned as Lexington Selectman and HATS Board member and thanked her for her service, saying he has enjoyed working together toward the common interests of the Hanscom area towns Mr Braun also welcomed Joe Pato, who is now the Lexington representative pending the filling of the vacancy in a special election in November and reallocation of liaison assignments. Mr. Pato thanked everyone for their welcome. Plane Crash - Update by MassPort: Ms. Sharon Williams, Director of Hanscom Field for Massport, gave an update She introduced her team. Amber Goodspeed, Manager of Community Relations and Noise Abatement; Anthony Derosa, Director of Community Relations; Nancy Donohue, Assistant Director of Gov't Relations, Brenda Ennis, Assistant Director Capital Programs and Environmental; Matt Brelis, Media Relations; Jennifer Eagan, Media Relations; and Jose Masso, Director of Media Relations. She recognized and thanked the dedicated teams from MassPort, HAFB, and the HATS towns that have worked together, including the Fire Departments, Police Departments and Town Management Timeline. Ms. Williams gave a summary of the timeline of events, referring to a map of the airfield. On May 31st the Gulf Stream arrived at Hanscom field at 3.45pm No services were requested and staff waited at the airport until the passengers arrived back about 6 hours later. Ms. Williams reviewed the runway layout and weather details (calm winds), stating the plane proceeded to take off and went into the grassy area off the runway and ended up in the Shawsheen river. Responses were immediate and the area declared fire safe. The next day, the NTSB investigators arrived and were there through June 6. The runway was soon reopened, although there was minor damage to Massport structures and major damage to FAA infrastructure (navigational aids). Repair is still in process, but has not impaired airport operations. On June 13, a preliminary factual report was released, but the NTSB's final report will take 8-12 months Initial Response: Ms. Ennis gave an update regarding the environmental protection response. She said the Town of Bedford was the original responder. Mass DEP was notified and generated a release tracking number, and environmental activities are being supervised by a licensed site professional. The excavated area is set to be re-stabilized, and there have been multiple soil and water samples taken to be sure there is no long-term contamination The discussion was opened up to questions. Questions and answers were as follows: How much contaminate was lost'? Less than anticipated Has NTSB offered preliminary conclusions? There are no hypotheses at this point, Has there been any feedback regarding responses? There were positive comments regarding the communication path in the weeks following the accident; there was a lot of onsite work from the towns especially Bedford so there was a lot of coordination and communication; they appreciated having a liaison in that communication path. The police were involved in response review and said it was overwhelming from all over the Commonwealth including federal FBI. Was there any feedback on communication and coordination improvements? There is continuing discussion. Is Massport ready to engage a deputy Fire Chief for HAFB? This is in process; the position has been posted and will be a Massport employee but for both HAFB and Worcester airport. They hope to have someone on board by September and are looking for someone who can work well with the communities. Is there a way to assure pilot compliance with checklists, etc.'? It was agreed that it is too premature to discuss this Massport was invited, and offered, to bring updates as they are available and can also bring the new deputy Fire Chief to introduce as soon as the hiring process in completed. Mr. Braun thanked everyone from Massport for coming and providing a report. Jet Aviation Wetlands Permitting Process - Update by Lincoln Conservation Commission: Jim Meadors, Co-Chair Lincoln Conservation Commission, was in attendance to give another update on the wetlands permit for Jet Aviation. There has been an appeal to DEP by a ten-taxpayer group of Lincoln's citizens (not an official representation of the Town). There was a recent site visit by Rachel Freed of DEP, which was well attended. They did a walk-around and answered questions. DEP plans to proceed on two tracks: (1) consider wetlands and environmental issues; and (2) have DEP lawyers consider whether the local bylaw applies to this case. Letters to DEP from Massport and the ten-taxpayer group were provided to the Board. DEP has not made a determination yet. Ms. Freed has written a letter to Jet Aviation counsel requesting information and responses to a number of questions. Timelines on decisions were discussed, and Mr Braun asked for electronic updates The Board thanked Mr. Meadors for the update, and handouts of the letters were distributed to those interested. HATS Website - Discussion of Initial Construct and Content: The website was displayed for everyone to see. It was reiterated that HATS is initially establishing a non-interactive, informational web presence. Mr Braun reviewed each page of the web site, which can be accessed at http://www.hanscomareatownscommittee.com. Mr. Braun requested that suggestions and edits be emailed to him. He also requested that the HATS Selectmen identify and send him any archived meeting videos and minutes for posting, as well as establish a HATS web site link on each town web site HATS Minutes Archiving - Input from Town Clerks on Past and Future Practices: Susan Brooks, Lincoln Town Clerk, was in attendance to discuss HATS public records and archiving of minutes. Mr. Braun asked each of the towns to access and scan to him what they have for posting. Ms. Brooks said it has been challenging to determine the schedule of HATS meetings, so the website is a great start for having an electronic repository to post meeting agendas and minutes. She suggested that the Town Clerks also include a link to the HATS website. Content on Town websites was discussed as well as how to efficiently obtain all the data. The process for archiving minutes was discussed; the then sitting HATS selectman-chair has typically been responsible for archiving the approved minutes. In Concord, they go to the Selectmen's office but are likely not a comprehensive set. Mr. Rosenberg said there might be gaps in Bedford as minutes might not be approved for months at a time Each Selectman should inventory what exists in their files or their predecessors' and if possible batch them into scans by calendar year. The process of approving minutes was discussed. Based on legal advice reported by Mr. Pato, there must be a quorum of three Selectmen for there to be an official HATS meeting, but approval of minutes only requires a majority of those currently present who were also at the prior meeting. It was agreed that all minutes prior to this are deemed records of the meetings, assuming that this protocol was followed. HATS Media Communications - Policy and Practice in Responding to Inquiries (E.g. Recent Globe Article): In June, phone calls were received from a Globe reporter with a 24-hour deadline regarding jets at HAFB, and Mr Braun and Mr Rosenberg were quoted in the resulting Globe article Mr Rosenberg said his practice is to take the opportunity to speak with the reporter if he has background and experience but also refer the reporter to other appropriate officials. He typically does not speak for HATS per se (as opposed to speaking as an individual Selectman) without prior discussion of the HATS Board. Ms Woodward said it sounds like calls were handled appropriately, and she concurred that no one should speak on behalf of HATS without consensus. It was discussed that representatives should speak from personal points of view or only on established HATS positions. Air Force Base Updates: Leadership changes: The farewell party for Col. Weilacher was upbeat and he will be missed (he went to Langley AFB in Virginia). The ceremony for the change of command to Colonel Michael Vogel had a huge turnout, filling the Aero hanger. The hope is that Col. Vogel can attend a HATS meeting in the fall. Gen. Moore from Wright Patterson is in the process of retiring as well as his superior, Gen Janet Wolfenbarger They are unsure of replacements at this time Jennifer Green-Lanchoney, of HAFB Public Affairs, handed out a bio on Col. Vogel and said it is also available online. There will be a new Deputy Commander at the end of the month. Mr. Braun reported that at the ceremony Gen. Moore had reiterated publicly and privately his perspective that HAFB is distinguished for the high level of it receives from Congressional representatives, the Governor, the MASS Task Force, and the local municipal and business communities, and that it is serving as a role model for other bases under his command. P-4/Services Regionalization Process Update: The public/private working group process led by the Pentagon is winding down. Minutes from the partnership meetings were distributed and briefly discussed. The basic idea has been to envision the Base as a municipality for the purpose of considering regionalization opportunities that could improve the quality and cost for all parties. For example, it has emerged that the Base and the existing paramedic consortium in which Lincoln and Concord participate could benefit from adding the Base, which is now being reviewed by the Base's legal and procurement staff. Regional Transportation Updates: Updates were provided on the following matters: Rt 2 / Crosby Corner Project; Rt 2 / 1-95 Bridge Project; and Rt 2 / Bike Connections. Other Regional Updates: There was initial discussion of the new MassPort Community Advisory Committee, including the purpose of the committee, each town's process to appoint a member of the committee, and potential opportunities to coordinate the appointees' activities on the committee. Future Meeting Dates: Future meetings were confirmed for September 18 and October 23 and scheduled for November 20 Discussion of the proposed land-use reform legislation led by the Planning Board representatives was confirmed for the September 18 meeting. Other future agenda items will include Col. Vogel and possibly one or more of the Congressional representatives. Minutes: By Motion duly made and seconded in accordance with the protocol described above, the Minutes of the HATS meetings of March 27 and May 22, 2014 were approved. The Minutes of the April 24, 2014 meeting had already been approved at a prior meeting in accordance with the above-mentioned protocol. Adjourn: The meeting adjourned at 9.30 p m Submitted by Peter Braun, HATS Chair.