New Bedford committee hears $76 million airport revitalization plan, tables decision for three months

The New Bedford City Council special committee on the airport on Feb. 26 heard a presentation on a proposed revitalization of New Bedford Municipal Airport that would rebuild the terminal, relocate the air traffic control tower and add aircraft rescue, firefighting and maintenance buildings — a project staff estimated at roughly $72 million to $76 million in design and construction costs.

Scott Service, airport manager, told the committee that the project would rely heavily on federal and state grants and said the airport’s local share is expected to be roughly $3.8 million (about 5.5 percent). “If we know that we're not gonna be able to get out of having an airport and we need to have it, it's a small price to pay to increase it, to grow it, to make it into a self sustaining thing,” Service said.

Service described both constraints and opportunities. He told the committee the airport covers about 982 acres and that roughly one-third of that acreage came from the Department of Defense; closing the airport would require federal and state sign‑offs and could trigger large buybacks of property interests and grant-assurance repayments. “That's about a $100,000,000 purchase for the city of New Bedford,” Service said, adding that amortized grant-assurance paybacks he calculated amounted to roughly $41 million and that tenant lease buyouts could raise the total to an estimated $150 million to $200 million.

Service said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) no longer supports full privatization of airports but does allow limited privatization of discrete airport areas, and that any airport closure must be justified to the FAA, MassDOT Aeronautics, the state secretary of transportation and the Department of Defense. Service also said the airport has begun talks with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to reestablish an on-site TSA checkpoint; one tenant has submitted a letter of intent to run twice-daily flights to Boston that would connect passengers to Logan’s international flights.

On project specifics, Service said a Federal Aviation Administration study has determined tower height and siting; design solicitations for the tower are under way. He described a timeline in which design work for the terminal, the ARFF (aircraft rescue and firefighting) and SRE (snow-removal/equipment) buildings would go out in late March or early April with a contract in May and possible construction completion in December 2028, subject to funding. Service gave a total program estimate of about $76 million for tower, terminal, fire station, maintenance building, design and soft costs and said roughly 95 percent of the cost would be covered by FAA or state grants depending on awards.

Committee members pressed on wetlands and developable acreage, road and lighting conditions on Airport Road/Aviation Way, local match funding and construction‑cost escalation. Service said wetland delineation and an FAA-funded update to the airport layout plan (ALP) are nearly complete and would identify parcels and building limits; he warned turtle habitat and wetlands will constrain where development can occur. On the access road, councilors repeatedly urged near-term repairs and better lighting to make the facility more attractive to tenants and passengers; Service said Airport Road is airport‑owned but not an accepted city street and that current budget limits regular full reconstruction.

Councilors discussed related economic development connections: proximity to the Hathaway Road advanced manufacturing campus, the incoming SouthCoast Rail and a nearby foreign-trade zone. Committee members said those projects could strengthen the airport's pitch to businesses and corporate operators. Service cited Harvey Industries’ corporate arrival as an example of a company noting the airport’s proximity when deciding to invest in the city.

After the presentation and questions, the committee voted to table further action on the item and re-examine it in three months. The committee also recorded routine motions to receive a letter from Counsel Lopes and to adjourn.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to receive and place on file a letter from Counsel Lopes: approved (voice vote). - Written motion (Councilor Choquette) requesting the airport manager appear to discuss FY24–FY25 continuing upgrades: approved (voice vote). - Motion to table the item and re-examine in three months (moved by Councilor Leo Choquette): approved (voice vote). - Motion to adjourn: approved (voice vote).

The committee did not take a binding vote to accept project funding or obligate the city to the local match during the meeting; Service said further actions will include requests before the full city council and coordination with state and federal grant programs.