Nashua runway repairs delayed

FAA shutdown fallout: Airport supporters say rebuilding runway would make Nashua Municipal Airport more valuable

NASHUA -A $16 million project to rebuild a runway at Nashua Municipal Airport will likely be delayed due to the recent Federal Aviation Administration shutdown.

The project at Boire Field, the busiest general aviation airport in New England, may not break ground this fall as anticipated because a temporary funding resolution is in place rather than a long-term solution, according to Roy Rankin, airport manager.

"Where we are right now is undecided," Rankin said Friday, explaining he has been working seven years to get the runway relocated.

Rankin joined U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, and Mayor Donnalee Lozeau on Friday, urging Congress to reach an agreement on a long-term authorization for the FAA. Without it, major projects such as the runway reconstruction in Nashua may be delayed.

The city's airport is in a holding pattern, Rankin said, explaining temporary funding will not jump-start the highly anticipated runway rebuild since it is mostly financed by the FAA.

The new runway is necessary, in part, to allow aircraft to take off and land with slightly less fuel, according to Shane McLaughlin, owner and partner of Nashua Jet Aviation.

There are 364 planes based at the city's airport, with even more people interested in using the facility but waiting for the new runway to be constructed, said McLaughlin.

He stressed that the FAA's lack of long-term authorization is having a direct impact on Nashua's Municipal Airport and the entire community.

Steve Finnerty of Bedford was one of 42 employees at the FAA's Air Traffic Control Center in Nashua to be placed on unpaid furlough July 23.

"I was told to file for unemployment," said Finnerty, the father of a 2-year-old son and 15-month-old twins. Finnerty said it was a humbling experience, and although he is pleased the FAA will be fully funded until Sept. 16, he said there is still another partial shutdown threat if action is not taken soon.

Finnerty said his family tapped into savings during that two-week period, but that many of his co-workers were not as fortunate to have emergency funds available. If the furlough would have gone beyond September, Finnerty said their savings would have been depleted.

His wife, a former school teacher turned stay-at-home mom, was starting to look for available teaching positions if Finnerty was let go.

"We are real people with real families," he said, stressing the FAA funding situation is impacting thousands of families throughout the nation.

The FAA has been relying on short-term budget extensions since 2007, hampering its ability to invest in long-term projects and causing uncertainty for workers, according to Shaheen.

At a time when job creation should be a top priority, Shaheen said it is important to stop playing politics and work together to create solutions.

"Without a long-term authorization, the FAA can't plan effectively for major renovation projects or a badly needed overhaul of our air-traffic control system," said Shaheen."It's time to get past the ideological standoffs and work on real bipartisan solutions that can help our economy grow."

Elisa Muise of Merrimack, New England Regional chair of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said she is relieved to have a six-week extension, but is still worried that Congress will not pass an FAA reauthorization bill before the deadline.

Long-term authorization is critical to the nation's airspace system, according to Muise, who said modern updates will help increase capacity and reduce delays.