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Airport commission unanimously accepts FAA/MassDOT grant fees, forwards application to mayor
Summary
Gardner City Airport commissioners voted unanimously to accept fee estimates for an FAA and MassDOT grant application and to forward the application to Mayor Nicholson for final approval. The total grant request and each partner share were presented during the meeting.
The Gardner City Airport Commission voted unanimously to accept estimated project fees and forward a grant application to Mayor Nicholson for final funding approval.
Commissioners reviewed a package of studies and fees tied to an ongoing airport project, including an environmental assessment and obstruction analysis. Yale requested the commission set a vote to accept a calculated fee of $221,400 and forward the grant application to the mayor; after a detailed review, the commission voted unanimously to do so.
The packet presented to the commission listed a grant total of $226,900, itemized as $221,400 for an environmental assessment and obstruction study, $4,000 for an independent fee estimate and $1,500 for up to three newspaper advertisements. The transcript records the federal and state partners as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT); the FAA share was recorded as $215,555, MassDOT share as $5,672.50 and the city share as $5,670.72 and 50¢.
Staff reported that a notice of intent for a stormwater prevention plan was submitted on March 6, 2025, and that the SWPPP was under review by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Electronic copies of project plans (APU and ALP) were provided to FAA and MassDOT and paper copies were to be provided at the next meeting. A site wildlife hazard visit was scheduled for May 29–30.
No mover or seconder was recorded in the transcript for the fee acceptance vote; the record shows a unanimous commission vote without named tallies. The commission directed that the grant application be forwarded to Mayor Nicholson for final funding approval.
The application files and the fee estimates will be submitted to FAA and MassDOT as part of the grant package; staff said the final grant applications had already been submitted to those agencies. Commissioners asked procedural questions about review timelines and whether review personnel could hold up the project; staff said the project was advanced and expected to continue through agency review.
