Hunter: Runway Work Needed To Keep Airport Safe

by Alan Pollock

            CHATHAM — It’s not surprising that, to Airport Commission Chairman Richard Hunter, spending $180,000 for the town’s share of a $3.6 million new runway is a no-brainer.  But with town meeting just around the corner, he wants to make sure voters understand the request being brought before them in Article 12.

            The biggest misconception Hunter wants to quash is that the runway is being expanded. 

            “It’s a 3,000-foot runway.  It’s going to be replaced by a 3,000-foot runway,” he said. 

            The pavement in the municipal airport’s runway is 30 years old, and is crisscrossed by cracks which have been sealed over numerous times.  Some cracks are now an inch wide or wider, and crews work to make sure vegetation doesn’t grow there.  Hunter said the runway had an expected useful life of 20 years, and is now clearly in need of replacement.

            The biggest challenge to the project is the federal requirement that airports of this size be equipped with 240-foot paved runway safety areas at either end.  At the northern end of the runway, nearest Great Hill, the pavement comes close to the property line, which is at a precipitous drop-off.  At the southern end of the runway, the pavement ends only a few feet from an even larger chasm behind Ocean State Job Lot.  Further complicating matters, there is a certified vernal pool very close by.

            Over the years, a handful of aircraft have gone past the end of the runway, sometimes ending up in the trees.  The airport is prone to frequent crosswinds and occasional fog.

            As part of the runway reconstruction, all of the existing pavement must be removed, Hunter said.  Once that is done, the runway layout will be moved 50 feet toward the southern end to accommodate the runway safety areas, which will require extensive re-grading.  A large retaining wall will also be needed to protect the vernal pool.

            Together with new runway lights, the project will cost $3.6 million.  The federal government pays 90 percent, and the state government and the town each contribute 5 percent.  In years past, the town’s contribution to such projects was only 2.5 percent, Hunter said, but “at five cents on the dollar, it’s still a bargain.”

            The runway reconstruction is one phase of a multi-year effort to make improvements at the airport.  A new above-ground fuel tank has already been installed, along with a paved aircraft tie-down area.  In the years ahead, the airport plan calls for construction of a new administration building, but that project is still at least five years away.  Though the federal government will not contribute to the new administration building, the state is expected to cover 80 percent of the cost, Hunter said.

            He said the funds for the runway reconstruction cannot be used for any other purpose, though they may be spent over the course of two fiscal years, depending on the construction schedule.

5/8/08