HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-03-17-HFA-min
Hanscom Field Advisory Commission
Minutes
March 17, 2009
Prepared by Massport Staff
1. Minutes:
No corrections to the February Minutes were reported.
2.Monthly Noise Report:
Sara Arnold presented the monthly noise report for February 2009. In
response to questions, S. Arnold explained that:
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The civilian EXP in February is the lowest since Massport started using EXP 6.1.
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Total EXP is noticeably influenced when the military and civilian portions are close to
equal. When the military portion is low, the total EXP is close to the civilian portion.
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Local aircraft activity refers to touch & go operations, which are dominated by single
engine piston aircraft.
3. Capital Projects:
Massport’s responses to questions:
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Hanscom is currently receiving annual FAA funds for airfield projects, including taxiway
rehabilitation.
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There are many capital program items that Hanscom lists for federal funding that never
get approved.
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Taxiways E, M and G identified were last reconstructed/resurfaced in the early1980s.
Massport will go out to bid for Taxiway E in the near future.
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The website for the new noise monitoring system is still in progress.
4. State of Hanscom:
Barbara Patzner presented the annual State of Hanscom. Massport
provided H. Manz with an electronic copy of the PowerPoint presentation for the HFAC website.
In response to questions, B. Patzner explained that:
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Amortization in the budget represents capital expenses that are written off over time.
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There was a re-allocation of security and fire rescue funds within the operating budget;
this should be taken into consideration when comparing financial data for multiple years.
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Massport staff members from security, fire, public relations, legal etc. allocate hours to
Hanscom, and their time is paid for from Hanscom’s budget.
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Costs for fire rescue services escalated considerably when Logan fire rescue provided
service during FY08. Massport was able to return to contracting with the air force in late
FY08, which brought costs down, although not to pre-FY08 levels.
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Massport submitted its initial stimulus fund requests to the governor’s office, and these
items are listed on the governor’s website. Subsequently, it was decided at the federal
level that the FAA would receive its own funds to distribute to airports. Massport
submitted an updated list of stimulus fund requests to the FAA.
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Massport is planning to resurface Taxiway “E” irrespective of the availability of stimulus
funds.
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The Massport fire department opposes empty buildings on Massport property. Massport
is interested in demolishing the vacated Hangar 24 and three vacant, uninhabitable
residential houses on Massport land.
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Massport engineers have inspected the centrifuge in the building adjacent to Hangar 24,
and have determined that demolishing Hangar 24 would not affect the centrifuge.
Hazardous waste, such as asbestos, would have to be handled according to regulations.
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Some time ago, the Massachusetts Aviation Historical Society met with Massport
regarding its desire to build a museum on the entry road to the airport. A proposal has
not been submitted.
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Massport and the Boston Chamber of Commerce collaborated to produce the 2004
economic impact report. There will not be another such report in the near future due to
the expense involved.
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Massport has implemented some of the recommendations the USDA has made on
wildlife penetration mitigation at Hanscom, such as increased patrolling and fencing
improvements.
In response to a question about having a third Fixed Base Operator (FBO) on the field, Frank
Diglio (Jet Aviation) said that he would prefer there wasn’t another FBO. He said that a year ago
his facility was “maxed out”; with the downturn in the economy there isn’t the same demand, but
he would look to expand as the economy recovers.
Attendees: H. Manz, M. Rosenberg, M. Coppe, F. Diglio, T. Hirsch, K. Tiffany, A. Frymer, J.
Krieger, K. Winchell, K. Ohmart, R. Andre