Bedford Minuteman
July 26, 2001

Conflicting information exists regarding plan to cut trees in Bedford
By Stephen Hagan, Staff Writer

Massport officials call it the " Vegetation Management Plan. " Local
officials and opponents of expansion at Hanscom Field call it a potential
eyesore and blight on the landscape. The plan is an effort that is aimed at
cutting down hundreds of trees in the area adjacent to Hanscom Airfield
runways.

While Massport officials contend the plan is designed to improve the safety
at the airport, airport opponents contend the effort is designed to foster
expansion goals.

Massport is moving ahead with the plan but local officials are reporting
specific information about the plan is hard to come by.

Lincoln Selectman Sara Mattes, the chairman of the Hanscom Field Advisory
Council, reported Monday that the four towns that makeup Hanscom Field,
Lincoln, Bedford, Concord and Lexington, have all been given conflicting
information about the progress of the " Vegetation Management Plan. " But
Mattes said HFAC members have little doubt about the end product of the
plan: more and bigger aircraft.

" This could bring 737s, " Mattes said at the Lincoln Board of Selectman
meeting on Monday. " It's all about the cutting of trees. Massport likes to
call them 'vertical intrusions.' "

A HFAC meeting was held last week where members shared their conflicting
versions of what Massport has told them about the plan, according to Mattes.
She said the Bedford contingent in the group is now heading up " the charge
" to sort out the process and discover exactly where and when the tree
cutting will take place. Mattes said the communication " had major holes in
it. "

In addition, local officials claim they have found it difficult to gather
the kind of information they want about the process.

" The state pretty much has thumbed their noses at us, " said Mattes.

In the meantime, the group reports that there has been an increase in the
number of 707s and 737s into and out of Hanscom. Mattes said that 8 percent
of the airplanes flying in and out of Hanscom lately have comprised 92
percent of the " noise threshold " emitted by the planes.

" We're getting more and more of them at night, " said Mattes. Part of the
justification for additional night flights, Mattes said, is the reduced fees
that the airport charges for vehicle trips.

Oral Arguments

The U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston will hear oral arguments
on Aug. 2 regarding the pending appeal of the FAA decision to allow flights
from Hanscom to LaGuardia Airport in New York. The appeal, by Save Our
Heritage and other organizations, asserts that the FAA failed to comply with
the requirements of the National Historic Protection Act in their process
and wrongfully allowed the flights. In their decision on the preliminary
motions, the First Circuit denied the request by Massport to dismiss the
case.

" This was our first hurdle, and is a great victory for Save Our Heritage
and historic protection advocates everywhere, " said Neil Rasmussen,
President of Save Our Heritage. " It clearly shows that the first circuit
sees merit in the case and that it should proceed to through the full appeal
process. "

The First Circuit allowed Massport and Shuttle America to intervene in the
appeal.

" We always assumed that they would enter the case and feel that it is an
appropriate action, so we did not argue against their intervention, " said
Rasmussen.


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