I have written extensively about the Barnstable Municipal Airport. The crowd that kind of reminds me of the gang that could not shoot straight.
The commission has unnecessarily picked fights with Barnstable residents and with our neighbors in Yarmouth. The BarnstableBlogger has recommended a simple plan to get us back on track.
My plan included:
1. The Town of Barnstable support the appointment of 2 Yarmouth residents to serve on the Airport Commission.
2. The Commission and Town Council representatives immediately meet with Airline officials to negotiate an understanding that flights don't start at the crack of dawn.
3. The Commission be required to implement a real noise monitoring and abatement Program with the help, advice and guidance of Yarmouth officials.
I watched the last Airport Commission meeting (why aren't they shown live?) and was horrified how the Yarmouth gentleman (as in gentle man) was mistreated by an arrogant Airport Commission. All he was asking for was a REAL evaluation of noise complaints in Yarmouth. The one-time, middle of the day, one hour survey was laughable. Someone should look into the staff who is responsible for such a joke.
I hereby amend my plan to also include:
4. Change the Town Charter to bring the Airport Commission under town management. This certainly would increase accountability and professionalize the operation.
5. Appoint new members to the Airport Commission. Several members (the problem, not the solution) are up for reappointment. The Council should act swiftly and decisively. And,
6. Televise all Airport Meetings live and replay them at times when people are watching.
The Town Council has a real opportunity to show leadership on this one. My bet is that they will seize the moment and do the right thing.
What do you think?
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A realistic look at life and politics in the Town of Barnstable.
5 comments:
I agree with you BB. Great piece. Keep up the good fight!
It's too bad others don't join your effort. You offer a common sense approach.
Al
BB,
The main problem with the airport is that the people who run it don't think of it as a part of the community, they think of it as only a business....it exists for the commissioners and manager as something to produce more passengers, bigger planes, more routes, and ultimately more $$$$$
I agree with you that it is time for some changes, but think we need to go even further, and consider if Hyannis is the best place for a "regional" airport. Maybe the time is right to relocate the airport to Otis....with the military cutbacks, it might be a way to ensure the survival of Otis, and there is much more space there to properly develop .
The argument that the Hyannis airport was there before the current homeowners, and they just need to live with it is not valid...the airport was originally built in an area that was out in the woods, and has greatly expanded from its original footprint. For those of us who can remember driving to Barnstable Village on Old Jail Ln up to Airport Rd, to hear that the airport was always like this is nothing but fiction....
The "Barnstable Municipal Airport" should exist for the betterment of Barnstable, and not mainly as a convenience for people who want to live on a remote island but have all the convenience of immediate transportation, or to enrich a few airline owners. Once the majority of people in Barnstable cease to benefit from the airport, it is time to rethink its usefulness.
Our town leaders should be required to study the feasibility of Otis before making any commitment to spend Million$ in building a new terminal.
Hey Coddah- You are way outside the box, but you raise a legitimate concern. What are the ramifications of such a move? Do you need federal or state approval? What does the upper Cape say about this? Thanks for planting a seed.
It is not just a seed, but the desire to see this issue throughly vetted by the community before any expansion of facilities is made.
The Airport Commission hasn't done much to make me think they believe it is a "municipal" airport.
If we allow the expansion of the terminal building without resolving the other problems caused by the airport (noise, traffic, polution issues), we can rest assured that the current problems will only get worse.
I also predict that the airport will be seeking to lengthen the runways in some way to better accomodate the jet users and to allow larger planes.
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