Hanscom blueprint approved
But Massport must target traffic, noise

By Davis Bushnell, Globe Correspondent, 12/19/2002

The Massachusetts Port Authority's preliminary 2005-2015 environmental blueprint for Hanscom Field ''adequately and properly complies with'' state laws, but in its final report, the agency must zero in on traffic and noise mitigation measures, state Environmental Affairs Secretary Robert Durand said Tuesday.

In releasing his findings, Durand presented Massport, Hanscom's owner-operator, with a certificate indicating that the blueprint, which is a draft of its environmental impact study for the Bedford airport, meets the requirements of the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act. However, the agency will have to have its Boston consulting firm, Rizzo Associates, flesh out sections on traffic management and noise issues, in particular.

There is no deadline for Massport to submit a final report.

Although his office fielded many public comments concerning ''halting commercial flights at Hanscom,'' Durand said those requests ''misapprehend the legal status'' of the environmental impact review process, which is not designed to address such issues.

Shuttle America, which operates as US Airways Express, and Boston-Maine Airways now have a limited number of daily flights to and from Hanscom. Foremost among Durand's recommendations is that Massport work with officials at Hanscom Air Force Base to come up with a transportation management plan for the area, which includes the Minute Man National Historical Park.

''Given the physical constraints on Route 2A caused by the need to preserve the character of the National Park,'' traffic mitigation measures are in order, Durand wrote in his report.

Massport, which maintained in its draft study that traffic and other factors would have a minimal impact on the region over the next decade, was also told by Durand that plans for two roundabouts, or traffic circles, on the edge of the national historical park would be inappropriate.

Durand also said that Massport needs to give more consideration to accurately monitoring and controling noise caused by corporate jets and commercial aircraft. He noted that a workshop this fall on Hanscom noise levels generated a lot of concerns from homeowners living near by.

Massport spokesman Jose Juves said traffic and noise matters will be looked into further. ''But we're pleased with the certificate because it allows Hanscom to continue to play a strong role in regional aviation,'' Juves said.

And the authority still believes, Juves said, that the airport will have little or no effect on the area's environment in the coming years.

Others, however, said that the environmental affairs office did not go far enough in pressing Massport to come up with comprehensive mitigation measures across-the-board.

Durand's findings fall ''far short of what I would have hoped,'' said Peter Enrich, a Lexington selectman and chairman of the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission. Enrich said he hadn't yet read Durand's report, so he couldn't offer specific criticism.

But he noted: ''I think the next step should have been another draft that would have suggested dramatic alternatives in coping with the
(environmental) impacts.''

Anna Winter, executive director of Save Our Heritage, a Concord-based historic preservation group, said that ''the [MEPA] certificate makes many suggestions but few demands.

''Since the state of Massachusetts has shown that it will not adequately protect these nationally important resources, '' she said, ''we will be taking our case to Congress in the new year.''

This story ran on page 1 of the Globe NorthWest section on 12/19/2002. © Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company. ==========
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