Gardner City Airport Commission approves MassDOT grant assurances, hears project updates on Runway 18/36, master plan and wildlife survey

The Gardner City Airport Commission voted to approve MassDOT grant assurances tied to a wildlife hazard site visit and received status updates on multiple airport projects, including runway closeout paperwork, an EPA-approved stormwater pollution prevention plan and the final payments for the airport master plan.

The commission approved a motion to accept the Massachusetts Department of Transportation grant assurances for the wildlife hazard site visit, an Airport Improvement Program (AIP) project that also includes FAA funding. Commissioner (unnamed) moved to approve the grant assurances and a second was recorded; the commission then voted to approve the document, making the state-level paperwork official for the wildlife survey project.

Why it matters: the grant assurances formalize the state portion of funding for the wildlife hazard site visit and allow the city to complete required contract and grant steps so consultant work can proceed on schedule.

The commission heard several project updates from the airport’s engineering representative. The consultant reported that the closeout report for the Runway 18/36 pavement survey (the “18/36” project) was submitted to the FAA on April 3 and that the city is still waiting for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to issue its payment voucher; he described that step as a paperwork exercise and said the work itself is complete. “We were able to actually submit the closeout report, FAA’s closeout report for that project back on April 3,” the engineering representative said.

The consultant also reported that the airport’s Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan and associated notice of intent were approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on May 1. “The smoke water pollution prevention plan and notice of intent … were actually approved by EPA on … May first of this year,” the consultant said; he said he provided a copy to staff and offered to work offline with airport staff on monitoring and compliance requirements.

On the airport master plan, the consultant said the final city payment for the master plan product had been received (an earlier MassDOT payment came through on April 9 and FAA final payment on April 30) and that once all payments are posted the project can be removed from the active update spreadsheet. He emphasized that a master plan establishes need and eligibility for federal funding but does not commit the city to pay for projects listed in the long-range plan.

The commission was briefed on an upcoming wildlife hazard site visit and survey. The kickoff meeting is scheduled for noon on May 30 and the field survey is expected to run through June 1. The consultant said New Earth Ecological, an airport wildlife biologist, will conduct the survey, document wildlife presence and attractants, and prepare a report with recommendations to reduce wildlife hazards to aircraft. The consultant said MassDOT had been invited to the kickoff but attendance was not yet confirmed.

The commission also discussed the environmental assessment and obstruction study that will follow the master plan. The consultant said the obstruction (airspace/tree) study must be completed before the environmental assessment starts; he estimated the obstruction study would take a couple of months and the environmental assessment roughly a year after that, with the wildlife-survey report expected by the end of summer.

Commissioners raised operational concerns unrelated to grants: gate and equipment repairs, invoice and voucher procedures, and monthly financial reporting. The airport manager reported an emergency automatic gate repair by Parker Fence Company and sought guidance on approving the vendor invoice. Commissioners asked that bills and payment vouchers be brought to the commission for review and discussed setting a dollar threshold for staff to approve routine purchases (petty cash or an authorized purchase limit was suggested). The commission asked staff to consult the city purchasing officer about delegation and bid requirements for parts and specialized replacements.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve MassDOT grant assurances for the wildlife hazard site visit (AIP project): motion made, seconded and approved by the commission (mover/second not specified in the transcript). No formal roll-call tally was posted in the meeting record.

What’s next: The wildlife kick-off meeting is set for noon May 30, after which the consultant’s field survey begins. Staff were asked to follow up with the city purchasing officer on invoice and voucher procedures and to provide monthly expense/balance reports for airport accounts at future meetings.

(QUOTE: “I motion to approve,” Commissioner said during the vote; the engineering representative said, “the stormwater pollution prevention plan and notice of intent … were actually approved by EPA on … May first of this year.”)