MIDDLETOWN – The Rhode Island Airport Corporation wants to hear from residents and businesses around the Newport State Airport, known locally as the Colonel Robert F. Wood Airpark, as it kicks off a strategic 10-year plan for the five general aviation airports in the state.
The first meeting will focus on the local airport and take place at the J.H. Gaudet Middle School, 1113 Aquidneck Ave., on Wednesday, Nov. 13, beginning at 7 p.m.
"It is something that is sorely needed and long overdue," said state Sen. Louis DiPalma, D-Middletown.
He said he met about a month ago with Iftikhar Ahmad, president and CEO of the Aircraft Corp. and T.F. Green Airport, to request the meeting.
"Residents need to hear about the current status of the airport, what's happening there, and what's being considered for future plans," DiPalma said.
A similar meeting took place in October 2016 and "it got a little contentious," he said.
Aviation related businesses located at the airport, private pilots and neighboring residents sometimes have conflicting interests. For example, there is a nearby resident with a tree on her property that is intruding into the airspace as defined by Federal Aviation Administration regulations, DiPalma said.
"I've tried to resolve it but have not been successful," he said.
"In Westerly, the issues have gotten very contentious," DiPalma said. "We don't want that happening here."
Bill Fischer, spokesman for the Airport Corp., said trees on private property intruding into the airspace of Westerly State Airport have forced the airport to restructure, including shortening a runway. He said the disputes have resulted in civil litigation.
The five general aviation airports administered by the Airport Corp. in the state, besides Newport and Westerly, are North Central State Airport in Smithfield, Quonset State Airport in North Kingstown and Block Island State Airport. The corporation also administers the international airport, T.F. Green in Warwick.
About 100 people attended the 2016 forum DiPalma referred to, with some residents complaining about excessive noise and problem piloting over the past several years. They said it was straining quality of life for those who live nearby.
Others, including businesses that rely on the airport, countered the airport was a good neighbor, operating safely within the rules set by the Airport Corp. and Federal Aviation Administration while helping grow the economy.
The Airport Corp. will be developing a 10-year plan to assess the condition of airport infrastructure at all five general aviation airports, Fischer said. This plan will summarize and prioritize necessary improvements at each airport.
The strategic plan will assess the condition of airfields, roadways and parking area pavements, and prioritize necessary pavement repairs and reconstructions at each airport, he said.
Included will be an updated airspace analysis plan. The plan will identify current obstructions present within the airspace surrounding the airports and runways.
In addition, "a 10-year business plan will evaluate the current financial health of each airport, define economic development opportunities, and provide potential paths forward to establish self-sustaining operations," Fischer said.
In order to create the strategic plan, the Airport Corp. has formed an internal task force made up of aviation experts in the fields of engineering, planning, operations, finance, legal and property management, he said
In addition, the town's Planning Board is drafting regulations for an Airport Hazard Area Overlay District. The land for the airport was acquired by the state almost 60 years ago, but there has never been any airport overlay zoning regulations imposed on the properties surrounding the airport.
The purpose of the overlay district would be to protect navigable airspace around the airport and incorporate the Federal Aviation Regulations that support this goal, according to a document drawn up by Town Planner Ronald Wolanski.
The district also would establish and maintain a safe operating environment around the airport and support it as a transportation facility.
"Businesses and residents have to cohabit the area and the more contact they have with each other, the better," DiPalma said about the upcoming meeting. "I want the Airport Corporation to tell us, "Here's what we are working on and here's what we are considering."
"We should do this on an annual basis," he said.
———
©2019 Newport Daily News, R.I.
Visit Newport Daily News, R.I. at www.newportdailynews.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
