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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988-10-18-HFA-min HANSCOM FIELD ADVISORY COMMISSION MINUTES OCTOBER 18 , 1988 In attendance Ken Klemmer Actor Joe Hammond Beechcraft Norm Fredkin Raytheon Robert Domnitz Merriam Hill Assoc Paul Roberts Concord Michelle Matteo Bedford LTC Harold Olson U S Air Force Liz Banks Lex Minuteman Henry Wifholm Digital Bradley Davis FAA Jack Taylor Lexinton John McGovern Concord Sara Arnold Massport Barbara Patzner Massport Robin Ellis Massport Rick Bessom Massport Joyce Hals Massport 1 Minutes Two corrections were made The reference to aircraft flying for the Air Force change in command ceremony were A-10s , not A-4s Michelle Matteo corrected the statement for the Catskill Airways MEPA discussion to say that a MEPA representative would be asked to attend an HFAC meeting 2 Announcements Chairman Paul Roberts reported that he sent a sympathy card to the Farnsworth family and in response received a notice that there will be a memorial service on Saturday, October 29th at 2 P M at the First Parish Church , Weston Carlisle has appointed John Kurtak , 131 Virginia Farms Road , as its new representative Acton has appointed Ken Kiemmer , 70 Concord Road, as its new representative The Selectmen 's Room in Lexington will no longer be available for HFAC meetings It was decided to request Room G-15 , in the same building , for the meetings If a large crowd is expected then Estabrook Hall will be requested 3 Massport Tree Clearing Project Rick Bessom advised members that the project will begin in the winter of 1989 In order to conform to the FAA 's primary slope clear zone requirements , it is necessary to clear brush in approximately 10 acres and to cut approximately 36 acres of trees , all in the vicinity of the runways Sixty percent of the area was cut in 1978 , 1979 or 1981 and now needs to be recut Trees have penetrated the other forty percent of the area where clearance is required Because some of the land is located in wetlands , Massport is scheduled to review the project with the Bedford and Concord Conservation Commissions The proposed cutting is all on Massport property In most of the areas the trunks will be left , and there will be no use of herbicides Burnable wood will be cut in four foot sections and stockpiled for public use A future announcement will provide details on accessing the wood In response to the concern that future cutting might be necessary on non-Massport property , Bessom stated that he did not anticipate this because there is Massport property surrounding the ends of the runways , and with increased distance from the runway, the clearance requirements are less stringent and thus less apt to affect trees 4 Noise Subcommittee Report Bob Domnitz reported that on September 28 , the subcommittee reviewed the plans presented by Bob Berens of HMM, noise consultants hired by Massport Berens discussed his recommendations for placement of the seven proposed noise monitors His proposal recommends that one noise monitor be placed at the end of the four runways to ensure capturing the noise of each departure or arrival A fifth monitor would be placed in the Black Duck Pond area of Concord and a sixth one at the top of the hill in the Manor area of Lexington The fifth and sixth monitors will provide information on the noise levels in communities that are affected by the most heavily used runways , 11 and 29 His proposal also included one semi-portable monitor, to be used in locations that may be experiencing problems with or changes in airport noise Domnitz reported that Berens also presented data which indicated that the approximate ambient noise level at each proposed monitor location ranged from 35 to 45 dB Several members stated their appreciation to Massport for the plans to install the noise monitors 5 J Planning and Statistics Sara Arnold distributed and discussed the noise data for September of this year and compared it to 1987 data She noted that complaints were lower , because in 1987 one person had registered many of the complaints Night operations increased , reflecting in part the 20 or so monthly traffic helicopter operations Operations of singles was up slightly , and the number of jet operations was about the same During September , the EXP for civilian aircraft without singles was 2 7dB higher than in 1987 , reflecting the increased use of jets in the noisier groups used to calculate EXP Arnold explained that the Catskill Airways JT-31 is still classified in a noisy turbo aircraft group because of its weight , which is over 12 , 500 pounds This weight puts the JT-31 in the category of heavy turbo which has a noise level based on older , noisier models and does not truly reflect the newer, less noisy types This is having an impact on EXP Arnold explained that Hanson, Miller, Miller and Hanson (HMMH) , Massport noise consultants , have indicated that this aircraft belongs in a less noisy group Domnitz objected to this suggestion, because EXP numbers should riot be adjusted to only favor movement of aircraft from a noisy group to a less noisy group Joyce Hals defended making this type of adjustment when it is obvious that a new aircraft has begun operating at Hanscom on a regular basis Hals stated that this is always done when a new jet enters the market and should have been done with the JT-31 Domnitz stressed that a consistent method should be used to trigger changes both for noisier and quieter aircraft Hals advised the HFAC that Massport staff had met to discuss the increase in EXP over the past four months and concluded that it would ask Bob Miller from HMMH to review the reports for this period and analyze the source(s) of the problem Once this is accomplished , Massport will meet with the Noise Subcommittee and report on the findings Further action will depend on the information learned and discussions with the subcommittee Greiner Report Roberts asked Massport for an update on the Greiner Report , stating that Concord is interested in any future projects Hals told Roberts that the budget process for next year is just beginning , and the airport ' s needs will be reviewed within the next few weeks Following the review , a prioritized list of projects will be given to the budget office for further review It will not be until the end of the fiscal year that projects are approved for funding Roberts asked that Massport provide copies of the Greiner Report to members who do not have one and that an update and review of the report be provided at the November meeting Other LTC Harold Olson told HFAC that the Air Force is planning a series of public meetings in the towns abutting the Air Force Base to review their plans for additional development Paul Roberts reported that he called MEPA and learned that the new representative is Joleen Dubner She will be invited to attend the next HFAC meeting to discuss the Catskill Airways ENF Bob Domnitz asked whether anyone knew about the FAA s interest in the railroad spur No member had , and he said he would look into the matter Barbara Patzner reported that a company, Sun World Airlines had requested operating rights for a charter operation at Hanscom to serve Atlantic City , using a DC-9 Massport has denied their request , based on the Noise Rules and Regulations