Project planners share environmental study findings for airport upgrades

The local state-owned Hartness Airport is scheduled to undergo improvements to the runways, parking apron and hangars.

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2016-04-29 / Front Page Project planners share environmental study findings for airport upgrades By Tory Jones Bonenfant toryb@eagletimes.com Heath Marsden, senior airport planner with the firm Jacobs, explains several graphics on tree height and proposed clearcutting, wildlife species, visual and instrument-approach runways, and nearby natural resources. — TORY JONES BONENFANT Heath Marsden, senior airport planner with the firm Jacobs, explains several graphics on tree height and proposed clearcutting, wildlife species, visual and instrument-approach runways, and nearby natural resources. — TORY JONES BONENFANT SPRINGFIELD — Wildlife habitats, wetlands and archaeology were all carefully studied as part of an Environmental Assessment study completed in March by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a local state-owned airport. Planners and project managers with VTrans, EIV Tech, and planning and engineering firm Jacobs presented a draft Environmental Assessment for a proposed Runway Safety and Apron Improvement Project to gather input at a public meeting on Thursday, April 28 at the Hartness State Airport in North Springfield. The airport requires federal funding through the FAA, explained Heath Marsden, a senior airport planner with Jacobs. “They don’t meet FAA requirements right now,” Marsden said of the runways at the airport. That is why the proposed improvement measures were put into place, to minimize property damage and eliminate any loss of life, he told the audience of about 10 community members. The cost of the environmental study was about $230,000, which was 90 percent funded by the FAA and 10 percent by the state, he said. Further improvements resulting from the study would be eligible for federal funds, he added. Marsden, along with VTrans Project Manager Jason Owen and EIV Technical Services Project Outreach Manager Jacqueline Dagesse, reviewed several enlarged topographical and habitat maps with proposed clearcutting to help explain findings in the 245-page draft Environmental Assessment. As part of the environmental study, which included 22 environmental categories, the study group used geographic information systems (GIS) technology and worked with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, scientists and archeologists to help determine if they were working on land that may have “culturally-sensitive artifacts” or wildlife on the endangered species list. The agency did not find any artifacts or bones, and were cleared through the archaeological process, Marsden said. When looking for any potential impact to Northern Long-Eared Bat or grasshopper sparrow habitat, they found that the sparrow had not been sighted in that area for 15-20 years. But in a “bigger issue,” a female Northern Long-Eared bat had been identified on Army Corps property about a quarter-mile from the end of Runway 23, he said, so the group had to do a detailed habitat assessment with Vermont Fish and Wildlife, and with involvement of U.S. Fish and Wildlife. An aircraft sits on the runway at the Hartness State Airport, which is scheduled to undergo improvements to the runways, parking apron and hangars. — TORY JONES BONENFANT An aircraft sits on the runway at the Hartness State Airport, which is scheduled to undergo improvements to the runways, parking apron and hangars. — TORY JONES BONENFANT The area was cleared in one spot, but in another, several mature trees were identified that could house bats, he said. The group then revised its tree plan for clearcutting and selective cutting. The draft assessment covers several safety and facility improvements at the Hartness State Airport, including: — Correcting Runway Safety Area deficiencies for Runways 5, 23, and 11 to meet FAA safety design standards — Vegetation and tree removal within protected airspace surfaces for Runways 5-23 and Runway 11 to maintain safe approaches for arriving and departing aircraft — Expanding to add more aircraft parking apron area to meet anticipated demand for aircraft parking, and possibly more hangars in neighboring space known as the Graves property. The draft EA includes existing data on conditions, evaluation of design alternatives, and analysis of any potential significant impact on resources. This was the last public meeting in the planning process, and representatives from the study team collected comments from meeting participants. Comments can also be submitted in writing by May 9 to Jason Owen at Edward F. Knapp State Airport, 2000 Airport Road Berlin, VT, or electronically by that date to Heath.Marsden@jacobs.com. Comments, including personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time, according to a recent public notice regarding the assessment. The Environmental Assessment becomes a federal document when evaluated, signed, and dated by the responsible FAA official, according to wording in that draft. A project schedule has also been sent to the FAA for review. A hardcopy of the draft is available for review at the Springfield and Weathersfield town offices, the Hartness State Airport and at the Edward F. Knapp State Airport, 2000 Airport Road Berlin, Vermont, or electronically at http://aviation.vermont.gov/airports/hartness. Once the comment period has ended and the group receives a finding of no significant impact, future improvement plans include clearing the approaches and purchasing an easement so that if trees grow into the approach paths later, they could be removed as needed. The vegetative management, including tree and brush cutting, can take place in the winter, Marsden said. The group will work on a plan with the U.S. Army Corps and VTrans. For more information, contact Dagesse at jdagesse@eivtech.com or (802) 324-5522, or Marsden at Heath.Marsden@jacobs.com or (603) 666-7181. Culines: An aircraft sits on the runway at the Hartness State Airport, which is scheduled to undergo improvements to the runways, parking apron and hangars. Heath Marsden, senior airport planner with the firm Jacobs, explains several graphics on tree height and proposed clearcutting, wildlife species, visual and instrument-approach runways, and nearby natural resources.