Rift Remains Over Airport Article

CHATHAM – At a public hearing Tuesday evening, airport critics raised concerns about tree trimming, noise, plane traffic and even the type of aircraft fuel being used at Chatham Municipal Airport. And while some of the topics were beyond the narrow scope of the single town meeting article being debated, they’ll eventually need to be addressed, select board members said.

But after hearing testimony from around 25 speakers over two-and-a-half hours, the board stood firm in its support of Article 40 on the May 13 annual town meeting warrant, which changes a map that defines the airport approach zones.

The article to be decided by voters at next week’s annual town meeting adopts an updated map that replaces one approved in 1958. Since then, the Federal Aviation Administration has approved changes to improve airport safety, and the new map reflects the reality of current aircraft traffic patterns. It widens the approach zones under which trees could need to be trimmed to allow aircraft safe access to the runway. Unlike a second airport-related article, which corrects a typo in the town bylaw, Article 40 inspired many comments from the public, which appeared about evenly split between supporters and detractors.

Former airport commissioner Susan Wilcox said the airport is an asset to the town, “but the airport commission, with this current proposal, is looking to remove an excessive amount of trees,” she said. Resident Harriet Prout concurred, saying estimates of the number of trees that will need to be removed vary widely, and the airport commission has been unable to provide a number.

“Everybody in this room should be very concerned,” she said, since, she claimed, the loss of many trees would endanger the town’s aquifer.

Airport Commission Chair Huntley Harrison said it’s impossible to count the trees beforehand because they grow so densely in some areas, though claims that thousands of trees are involved are “totally untrue.” The vegetation management plan estimates the number of acres where work will be conducted over several years. “Does that mean we’re going to clear-cut all of those acres? Absolutely not,” he said. There will be substantial clearing behind Ocean State Job Lot and near the cranberry bog at the other end of the runway. “There are a lot of trees there. There are a lot of dangerous trees there,” he said.

“Most of us love trees,” pilot Rene Haas said, but they can be a significant cause of accidents. Some trees have grown 40 to 60 feet in the last 20 years, and the new approach zones aren’t a sign of some “hidden conspiracy to expand the airport,” he said. “It’s the trees, and not the airport, that are expanding,” he said.

Pilot Hart Fessenden said the vegetation removal is key to maintaining the airport’s safety. “We maintain our roads, we dredge our harbors,” he said.

Resident Gerry Stahl warned of “enormous and irreversible” damage if too many trees are cleared. He said that the new flight paths that allow planes to approach the runway on a straight, shallow glide path “may, in fact, lower safety by encouraging arrivals in poor weather conditions.”

That claim was refuted by a number of other speakers. Riverbay resident Leo Eldredge said the current circling approaches are far less safe than the proposed straight-in flight paths, which also cause less noise and reduced fuel use.

“We have to keep our focus on the safety,” he said.

“In my opinion, this article threatens our public health and has not been properly vetted,” resident Jane Wilson said. Leaded aviation gasoline is used at Chatham Airport, and the lead emitted by plane engines will now be dispersed over wider approach zones, she asserted. “Reducing our exposure to toxic lead emissions should be a top priority for our town,” she said.

Several pilots said that unleaded aviation fuel is currently very difficult to obtain, and has not yet been approved for use in all planes. But Harrison said he’s committed to having some unleaded fuel available this summer on a limited basis, and if the town can reduce the amount of lead emissions, “that’s great. But it’s not going to happen overnight,” he said.

Resident Kevin McCarthy said his property was outside the airport approach zone based on the 1958 map, but is now included. “Is the town going to reimburse me for the loss of property value?” he asked. Citing excessive noise and occasional use of the airport by jets, McCarthy said the airport causes inconvenience to many people in town in order to accommodate a small number of aviators.

Orleans resident Peter Gerstberger, who has been flying out of Chatham since the 1960s, said that trees can be a real hazard, particularly in poor weather.

“We’re on the same page. I wish you people would see it. We want to be safe. We want you to be safe,” he said.

Airport critic Juris Ukstins said he doesn’t believe the new approach zones are all about safety.

“There is a plan, and there is an agenda. The airport commission just doesn’t want the public to know what it is,” he said. Ukstins said the commissioners want to encourage larger planes to use the airport more frequently.

Harrison warned of “scare tactics” from airport opponents, and said the driving factor for the new approach zone is safety.

“I’m confused, sometimes, when I hear that everyone wants a safe airport,” he said. “But it seems to me when the airport commission is trying to create a safe airport, we get pushback.”

Select board member Michael Schell said the goal of Article 40 is to support the bylaw which the town can use to fulfill its responsibility “to keep obstructions out of the approach surfaces so planes don’t hit them.” Whether voters approve the article or not, the airport commission still has a responsibility to work with people who have trees in the approach zone to remedy the problem, he noted.

With regards to concerns about noise or traffic, “they’re legitimate issues,” and it is incumbent on the town to work with the community to address the concerns, “so that we have a happy relationship,” Schell said.

While some speakers urged the select board to remove Article 40 from the warrant, board member Dean Nicastro said it is too late to do so. Voters will have a chance to weigh the matter at town meeting and then decide whether to approve the article.

“That’s the democratic process,” he said.