The Bedford Minuteman
August 2, 2001

HATS: Added time is good

By Barbara Forster, Correspondent

An unexpected letter from Massport brought smiles to members of the Hanscom
Area Towns Committee during the meeting on July 26 in Concord. The
correspondence, signed by Hanscom Airport Director Barbara Patzner,
announced changes in the process for submitting a proposed vegetation
management plan to the conservation commissions of the four towns.

The new schedule has four presentations: two to the Hanscom Field Advisory
Commission on Aug. 21 and Sept. 18 and separate public meetings on Aug. 28
and Sept. 13. Massport will specifically invite abutters to the public
hearings and notify them about meetings with the various conservation
commissions. Notices of Intent will be filed with the conservation
commissions later in the fall.

According to the original schedule, Massport expected to deliver Notices of
Intent and a proposed vegetation management plan to the four communities
starting Aug. 1 with Bedford, Lexington on Aug.8, Concord on Aug. 22, and
Lincoln on Aug. 30.

" We're pleased to see that Massport recognizes the legitimate concerns of
all four towns (in this matter), " said HATS Chair Gary Clayton of Concord.
" It's also a recognition on their part of a well-established public
process. "

" It's clear that this is the appropriate thing they needed to do, " he
added.

The impetus to alter the process started at the July meeting of HFAC.
Elizabeth Bagdonis, Bedford Conservation Commission administrator - who
represented the four conservation commissions - reported that the 1999 GEIR
(Generic Environmental Impact Review) Update/Expanded GENF (Generic
Environmental Notification Form) for Airport Vegetation Management  provides
a process for public comment before the final plan is submitted to the
conservation commissions.

" When she raised the issue we decided to look at it again, " said Massport
representative Richard Walsh. " It is a gray area but we felt that to remain
consistent with what we've done (with the GENF), we should follow that more.
"

According to Walsh, Massport originally followed procedures in the Wetlands
Protection Act, which has not yet incorporated the more extensive public
process procedures from the GENF.

" We always planned on public review, " said Massport's Tom Ennis, who was
recently assigned to lead the vegetation management project.

" We originally thought it could be in conjunction with the NOIs, " added
Walsh, " but it's more appropriate to follow the GENF. "

The vegetation management plan focuses on plant growth in the approach zones
to the runways. Historically, some type of vegetation removal project takes
place at the field approximately every five years.

*More public meetings*

In addition to public hearings about vegetation, Massport will hold an open
meeting on the draft scope of the Environmental Status and Planning Report
for Hanscom at the Air Force Base on Sept. 11. The scope, which describes
the issues Massport wants to study, was filed with MEPA on July 16.

MEPA's public hearing is slated for Sept. 20. The public comment/review
period ends Sept.28 and MEPA is expected to issue a certificate seven to 10
days later.

Public input counts, explained Ennis. " We (Massport) propose a scope, but
MEPA gives us one, " he said. " It's MEPA's scope. "

*The parking bugaboo*

Parking and parking lots continue to be a bone of contention between the
communities and Massport. Richard Canale, who co-chairs HATS' Environmental
Sub-Committee, disagrees with the agency's interpretation of a recent letter
from MEPA about Massport's plans to repave and re-stripe the parking lot at
Hanscom.

The committee argues that, based on the 1995 GEIR which reports 400-plus
spots in the parking lot, that the project increases the number of parking
spaces and therefore triggers a MEPA threshold that would require an
Environmental Notification Form. Massport counters that no threshold is
crossed because the size of the parking lot is not being increased.

Both sides plan to discuss the issue with MEPA.


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