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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-05-28-HATS-minHanscom Area Towns Committee (HATS) May 28, 2025 at 7:00 pm Meeting Minutes Call to Order Mark Sandeen called the meeting to order at 7:01 pm Pursuant to a notice duly filed with the Town Clerks of HATS member towns, the HATS meeting was convened virtually by Zoom video conference. Select Board members: Mark Sandeen, Lexington, Jim Hutchinson, Lincoln, Terri Ackerman, Concord Other guests: Amber Goodspeed, Massport Government and Community Relations; Christopher Wittenberg, Hanscom Field Airport Director; Susan Mygatt, Steven Hagan, Margaret Coppe, Glen Kernusky, HAFB, Anne Sobol, Lincoln; Christopher Eliot, HFAC Chair; Tom Gramaglia; Mike Vatalaro; Barbara Katzenberg; Rick Muse, Director of Operations for North Airfield Ventures; Ken Schwartz, Senior Vice President, VHB; Neelakshi Hudda, Tufts University; John Durant; Simone Monteleone (NPS); Cindy Arens, Sustainable Lexington Committee; Alex Chatfield, Massport Community Advisory Committee, Lincoln representative. Agenda Mark Sandeen, HATS chair, acknowledged that it is Terri Ackerman's last HATS meeting and thanked her for her service on the committee. A new Concord representative is expected to be appointed this summer. Mr. Sandeen briefly outlined the agenda. North Airfield Ventures/Runway Realty Ventures Rick Muse from NAV/RRV shared a presentation on the Navy Hangar renovation project. While the SDEIR preparation has been going on, Muse reported that there has been a lot of interest in this Navy hangar. Muse specifically mentioned businesses involved in research and development, medical services, and the specialty delivery of pharmaceuticals. Merlin Labs, an aviation technology company creating autonomous flight control systems is in negotiations to enter a long-term lease to use 75 to 80 percent of Navy hangar space for research and development. The Navy hangar, vacant for around 25 years, was previously used by Raytheon and the U.S. Navy for research and development. The building is protected under the Massachusetts Historical Commission and is to be renovated by the lessee per the historic building requirements. The development team is planning to file a Notice of Project Change (NPC) this week to pull the Navy hangar out of the original proposal to become its own separate project. In addition to the hangar being renovated for R&D purposes, the proposal calls for updating an existing ramp to access the Hanscom Field runway and creating access to Hartwell Road as well as a 140 -space surface parking lot. The project could bring over 100 jobs and real estate tax revenues to the town of Bedford, and income tax revenues for the Town of Bedford. The project will fully restore the Navy hanger in line with historic preservation covenants. Given the low number of flights (1-2 per day) this does not trigger any MEPA review thresholds. After the NPC is filed, additional meetings will be held with local stakeholders and communities. SDEIR Ken Schwartz from VHB reviewed the work on the SDEIR for larger development. They are using a third -party consultant, InterVISTAS, and expect to file in summer or fall. They are also meeting with the relevant federal agencies (FAA, EPA, USAD, USN, NPS). Jim Hutchinson commented that he likes the low number of daily operations on the project but asked about the possibility of an increase in flight numbers in the future by Merlin or other future tenants of the Navy hangar and about the safety of take -off and landing. Mr. Muse described that flight operations will not take place in highly congested areas and that the Merlin aircraft will not be fully autonomous and will have pilots onboard. They also have strict FAA guidelines on this type of testing. There will be a Merlin representative at the next public meeting. Mr. Muse clarified that Merlin will be leasing 75-80% of the hangar space and they will only have 1-2 flights per day. Mr. Hutchinson also asked Mr. Schwartz about the phasing of the larger project and the SDEIR. Mr. Schwartz said it will tie development to a 20 -25 -year planning horizon and that it will not all be built at once and further SDEIRS will not be needed once approved. Terri Ackerman asked about the areas of flight operations- is it Minute Man NP, Great Meadows, Sudbury River, or somewhere farther away? Mr. Muse said that the areas were northeast, northwest, and south of Hanscom, and it was not clear how far that extended. Mr. Sandeen thanked Mr. Muse and Mr. Schwartz for coming and asked if theywere still fully committed to additional private jet development. Mr. Muse confirmed that the size of the development remains unchanged- 495,000 square feet of hangar space, less the 87,000 square feet from the Navy Hangar. Mr. Sandeen asked about the other hangars and if companies are still interested in leasing them. Mr. Muse said yes, there is a lot of interest in storing private and corporate jets there for long-term tenants, not transient aircraft that come and go daily. Mr. Sandeen asked if they could restrict nighttime operations, and Mr. Muse said they will not be restricting them beyond the rules of the airfield, and that Merlin will operate 9-5. On the SDEIR, Mr. Sandeen asked if the concerns in the HATS letter will be addressed, e.g. greenhouse gases, particulates, emissions below 3000 feet. Mr. Muse and Mr. Schwartz said yes, all of those will be addressed. Mr. Sandeen commented that all four towns have sent comment letters and look forward to the responses. The increased emissions would generate more emissions than all of the cars from all four towns combined when the full build is completed, and people in all four towns are working hard on zero emissions. Margaret Coppe asked if the public meetings for the NPC have been secured. Answer: The meeting will be virtual in June. Is there a comment period? It starts when the filing is made. Ms. Coppe suggested that the comment period be extended. Ms. Coppe asked about an organ -donation company - are they still planning on using one jet flight per day? Answer: They are in discussions with them. Ms. Coppe said that Merlin filed for an FAA exemption to fly over densely populated areas and also asked what a "short" flight is. Mr. Muse did not have an answer, but it will be addressed in the public meeting. Mr. Hutchinson asked about the length of the lease. Answer: 10 years, minimum, with Merlin, and for the other companies, it is too early. Mr. Sandeen asked about the deadline, and that getting the project done by 2026 seems very aggressive. Answer: We have pricing and timelines, and have been working with Eversource for many months already. It's going to be tight, but we think we can do it. Ms. Ackerman agreed that having the public meeting at the end of June and the public comment due within a week of it is not a good idea, and that they should extend the public comment period. Ms. Goodspeed said that Hanscom can discuss that with the NVP team, but it's up to them as it is their process. Mr. Sandeen does not want to make the process quicker- it's not fair to ask people to come to a meeting that is sooner rather than later. Ms. Ackerman wants there to be time for thoughtful comments, at least 30 days after the public meeting. Dr. NeeLakshi Hudda discussed flight durations and the count of airport operations, and asked how they are counting operations. Answer: one operation for take -off, one operation for landing. Dr. Hudda said that multiple loops and circling/training flights are not counted in that count. Mr. Sandeen asked that the airfield report missed approaches because those are counted. Simone Monteleone asked if the project team will be going for federal rehabilitation tax credits. Answer: Yes. Anne Sobol asked if NetJets has asked to establish a regional hub at Hanscom? Mr. Muse said no, we have not spoken to them. Ms. Sobol believes that they are interested. Cindy Arens, chair of the Sustainable Lexington Committee, shared the committee's concern that a comprehensive environmental impact evaluation has not happened and that the development will negatively impact the climate goals of all HATS towns. More jet travel will only increase emissions. Alex Chatfield, the Lincoln representative to the Massport Community Advisory Committee, asked about the restoration of the access ramp and the specifics of the land - swap agreement between Massport and the developers. Answer: Yes, it has to be executed, but it has not happened yet. We have the document ready. Ms. Goodspeed said that the land swap has already been approved by the FAA. Hanscom Air Pollution Study Dr. Neelakshi Hudda, Dr. Sean Mueller, and Dr. John Durant presented information about their Air Pollution study Dr Hudda, Assistant Professor at Tufts University, presented preliminary results of the HATS Air Pollution Study, a HATS funded analysis of airborne contaminants surrounding Hanscom Air Field. Hudda's preliminary data showed high concentrations of ultrafine particles and Lead in areas that were closer to Hanscom, as well as those downwind of the airport. UFP concentrations often exceeded WHO guidelines for good air quality at several of the sites, and lead and bromine were detected in 100% of samples. Dr. Hudda reviewed the UFP testing sites in Bedford and Lexington. Higher concentrations in Lexington happen when the winds are blowing from the west. In Bedford, Concord, and Lincoln, when the wind is blowing from the airport, the concentrations similarly increase. Dr. Hudda also reviewed the lead and bromine testing protocols and results. Results from testing sites showed 35-60x over background for Lead, 470-660x over background for Bromine, 140-160x for Sulfur, and 0.2-0.3x for Aluminum. The Phase II report will be submitted to HFAC in June. Mr. Sandeen asked if it's correct that Lead is at 60x above background. Dr. Mueller said yes, since it's in the air and not the soil, it's not naturally occurring. Mr. Sandeen asked for clarification about Lead. Dr. Hudda discussed lead that was in the soil from prior use of leaded gasoline, in addition to aviation -related usage. There was a discussion about how, compared to the average Lead we see in the Boston area, we are at 2x. Dr. Mueller discussed how the Boston average is taken from the Harrison Ave. site near Logan Airport. Mr. Sandeen discussed the UFPs and whether there were dramatic differences in the four towns. Dr. Hudda said that Bedford sees the most impact from wind -related UFPs of the four towns. Mr. Sandeen asked if the report would discuss how people in Bedford and others should use this information. Dr. Hudda said yes, and that towns should consider that as well as fossil fuel impacts overall. Mr. Hutchinson asked if there was a statistically significant relationship between distance and concentration levels. Dr. Hudda said that we know how dispersion works, and that shows that yes, concentrations match that, but she was surprised about the Thoreau Farm results. Mr. Hutchinson asked if a map that showed expected concentration levels across all four towns could be created, notjust from the testing sites. Dr. Hudda said there are gaps in the data, but they are working on it. Mr. Hutchinson asked if there are any efforts to monitor or regulate exposures to UFPs. The answer is no, not really, but Dr. Hudda added that smaller engines on smaller airplanes also do not burn more cleanly than larger ones. Mr. Sandeen remarked that Secretary Tepper said that the SDEIR should reference the results from the testing partner, and he is happy that Dr. Hudda will have data ready now. They should not delay in sharing them since the results will be used as part of the SDEIR review process. Dr. Hudda is happy to share, make publicly available, and be of assistance. Massport updates Amber Goodspeed, Massport Government and Community Relations from Massport gave some updates. • The storage shed work has been completed. • Hanscom Field terminal facility renovations are underway to bring it up to code and improve security- will take a year. • They are working on the installation of ADA ramps at the east and west entrances. • High -mast pole lights are going to be replaced with LED lighting in summer/fall. • There is anew airport director, Christopher Wittenberg Mr. Wittenberg introduced himself and discussed his experience in the aviation and airport industry. He has over years of experience in airport management. Mr. Sandeen asked Mr. Wittenberg to come back in six months to share his vision for the future. Hanscom Air Force Base updates Glen Kernusky, HAFB Public Affairs, gave some HAFB updates. • HAFB appreciated being a part of the 250th anniversary celebration in Lexington and Concord and being a part of the Memorial Day programs in the four towns as well. • The Sartain Gate improvement project is coming to an end, and the new visitors center is fully operational. • The new gatehouse ID checkpoint should be working very shortly. Mr. Sandeen thanked Ms. Goodspeed for helping Municipal updates Mr. Hutchinson talked about the Annual Town Meeting in Lincoln. He is unclear if there will be a tariff impact on the bidding process for the Community Center- there are plans if the costs escalate, including a Special Town Meeting in June. Mr. Hutchinson also talked about a development project that is not an MBTA-related project, but the "spigot has turned on yet in Lincoln." That project is creating some conversation. They also have a Town Meeting Study Committee to look at ways that Town Meeting may improve- they did adopt "clickers" at the last Town Meeting. Ms. Ackerman from Concord discussed the MCI development- will the State transfer to Concord or not? Concord has Town Meeting next week- MCI will be on the agenda as well as the potential expansion of Newbury Court, the assisted living center next to Emerson Hospital- they are also using clickers. Finally, this is her last HATS meeting as she prepares to leave the Select Board, but she will remain as the Concord HFAC representative. Mr. Sandeen did a lightning round on Lexington: • 250th anniversary celebration went off without a hitch. • The town was certified for the first round of the Climate Leaders Green Communities certification and grant program • The 25% funding for the transportation design for the Hartwell Ave jug -handle was NOT included in the 2040 TIP. • A lot of activity on MBTA Zoning- 10 proposals to create 1,100 units have been submitted. A group of townspeople who were concerned about the pace of development and the potential for as many as 5,000 units called a special town meeting in March to consider a citizens' article that would reduce the number of zoning overlays, lower the acreage, and lower the density of the remaining districts. That article passed with 95% of the vote, and people want to tap the brakes on that development. • A financial summit on the budgetary impacts of MBTA zoning on Town and LPS will be taking place. • LHS planning process- final design phase underway, with a Net -Zero, solar panels, and all -electric buildingwill be submitted in August. That will save Lexington $76 million over 30 years. • For the first time, the town installed a synthetic turf field with natural infill. Harrington fields will be all -grass. Approval of meeting minutes from January 28, 2025 Jim Hutchinson moved that the HATS minutes from January 28, 2025, be approved. Minutes were approved 3-0-0. Future meeting dates Mr. Sandeen suggests that we meet on July 24, August 21, or August 28. Mr. Hutchinson suggests that we do a poll off-line for a date after the SDEIR is submitted. Mr. Sandeen agreed that we should meet shortly after the SDEIR is released. Upon further discussion, HATS is tentatively scheduled to meet on July 10. Adjournment Mr. Hutchinson moved to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Ackerman seconded. The meeting adjourned at 8:56 pm with a 3-0-0 vote. The meeting was adjourned at 8:56 pm.