Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
Commission members tentatively approve Boston RC Jet Club use of airport with $3,500 provisional fee
Loading...
Summary
At a special meeting, commission members agreed in principle to allow the Boston RC Jet Club to operate at the airport and place an on-site storage container, subject to insurance verification, solicitor review and a probationary monitoring period; a $3,500 fee for the first year was proposed as a compromise.
At a special meeting that began at 10:09, commission members tentatively agreed to permit the Boston RC Jet Club to operate at the airport and to place an on-site equipment container, contingent on receiving the club’s insurance certificate, legal review of contract language and a short probationary period.
The substance of the agreement included requirements for safe fuel handling and fire response: club representatives said they will use approved canisters for Jet A/kerosene, provide spill kits and supply CO2 fire extinguishers to avoid corrosion of model engines. “The airport manager is the only one authorized to post NOTAMs,” the Airport manager said, noting MassDOT guidance and recommending 24-hour advance notices when possible so visiting pilots see event notices before flight.
The discussion covered where to site a 20-foot container, whether flammable storage must be separated, and emergency access and snow-plowing concerns. Commissioners repeatedly said the container should be inside the airport fence but positioned so emergency responders could reach it; staff and club representatives agreed to pick a final spot after a site walk. Club representatives said the container would primarily store tables, cones and small equipment and that flammable liquids would be kept in sealed lockers outside the main container if on-site storage was allowed.
Safety and community impact were central to the debate. One commissioner questioned whether repeated weekend operations during the roughly 180-day flying season might create risk for full-size aircraft using the field, saying, “That is not a toy runway out there.” Club representatives responded that they planned primarily weekend flights, would coordinate NOTAMs and maintain a visual lookout to keep operations segregated from full-size traffic and that past events had accommodated both types of operations.
Club size and fees were negotiated. The club said it currently has five members and expects to cap membership initially at about 10. Commissioners discussed charging a per-member fee (one proposal was $1,000 per member) versus a flat club fee; members ultimately signaled support for a compromise figure of $3,500 for the first year as a provisional arrangement. Commissioners indicated they would revisit the amount with the yearly lease cycle.
The commission’s agreement was conditional: members asked that the final contract be reviewed by the city solicitor and by purchasing, that the club provide a copy of its insurance certificate listing required additional insured language, and that the commission retain the right to revisit the arrangement after a short probationary monitoring period. The Chair said minutes and a revised contract would be circulated, and that the group would schedule final sign-off once the solicitor’s review and the insurance verification were complete.
The meeting concluded with a direction to staff to draft the revised agreement, request the club’s insurance documentation, and return with a finalized contract for approval once legal review is finished.
