10/04/2008
In some communities, public wetlands have been protected as community parks, riverfront areas, or other natural areas for enjoyment by everyone. These areas often become regional or even national attractions. Boston, Baltimore, and even Manhattan have all benefited by setting aside their natural waterfronts and wetlands for the public. In the matter of the expansion of the Pittsfield airport, the City of Pittsfield seems to be expressing a different concept; wetlands are “development opportunities” for a privileged few.
More than $4,850,000 has been spent on an expansion of Pittsfield Municipal Airport. So far, the local contribution has been about 2 million dollars. You might be surprised to hear this, since there is no sign of construction. But this money has been spent on the purchase of land around the airport. Of this amount, $4,760,500 was paid to take land from members of our community by eminent domain. Not only does this represent a large outlay, but these properties are no longer on the tax rolls, and represent a loss of income every year.
In addition to the monetary cost and the human cost to landowners who did not want to sell their property, there is an environmental cost. A recent site visit by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) was attended by DEP officials, members of the Airport Commission, representatives of the engineering firm contracted for the project, and members of the community, including the executive director of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team. Those attending walked the site where a number of wetlands are slated to be filled in.
Most of the wetlands being filled are part of Wild Acres; land under the “protection” of the Pittsfield “Conservation” Commission. This land was given to the City of Pittsfield by the Izaak Walton League. The deed presented to the city stated that the land was to be held for conservation and the protection of wildlife. The city accepted the land with this restriction. So much for conservation promises made by the city. At one end of the runway, Mud Pond Brook will be put through 50 more feet of culvert. At the other end of the runway, Wild Acres Brook will be channeled through 937 feet of culvert and then buried to a depth of 30 feet. Associated wetlands, which include rare plant species, will be filled. As part of a deal, the City will be given another parcel of land in return for the destroyed wetland. The replacement parcel is mostly upland, not wetland.
According to a recent Berkshire Eagle story (9/05/08), the city has agreed as part of a compromise to “add” 60.5 acres of wetland while filling in 3.75 acres of wetland. In fact, nobody has suggested adding 60.5 acres of wetland. The proposal is to preserve 60.5 acres of nearby wetland. Under this deal, the airport commission would turn the land over to the city, which would promise to protect this land. However, it would already be a violation of wetland regulations to alter those 60.5 acres, so this is really an empty gesture. And furthermore, the protection the city is offering is the same kind of “protection” promised by the city to the Izaak Walton league and that is now being ignored at Wild Acres.
So why are we doing this? Why are we putting our neighbors out of their homes, spending large sums of money, decreasing the city’s income, and destroying a beautiful and biologically productive wetland?
The proponents of the airport expansion offer a number of reasons. First is safety. They say that the FAA has mandated upgrades that extend runways to create margins of safety for planes that would otherwise overshoot or fall short of the runway. The land takings have been primarily to create these buffers. However, although the FAA has mandated these runway overruns, it has also said that where this was not practical, they would entertain requests for waivers. Pittsfield has not requested this type of waiver. This hardly seems fair to the taxpayers of Pittsfield, to the environment, or to the displaced homeowners, one of whom was forced to give up part of a farm that had been in the family for generations.
Here’s an explanation that has been offered for a different part of the project: the lengthening of the runways. The lengthened runways will increase the efficiency of flights out of the airport. According to the Airport Commission, planes are currently taking off with “less than adequate fuel.” Translation: Because we haven’t improved our runways to accommodate heavier loads, private and corporate jets taking off from Pittsfield on cross-country trips have to stop part way to refuel. It does not seem fair to ask Pittsfield taxpayers to pick up the tab for the inconvenienced owners of private jets, even if it does mean that the local airport operation can sell a lot more fuel.
The loudest claim is that this is good for businesses. Which businesses? It will undoubtedly benefit the airport. It may also help Tanglewood and Canyon Ranch. A few of their patrons fly in and out on private and corporate jets. It just doesn’t seem right that we should all pay for this. Do we have some information that leads us to believe that businesses are just waiting for a larger airport before moving into Pittsfield. No, we do not. The Pittsfield Airport doesn’t keep track of who flies in and out, or even of how many aircraft use the runways. To quote the airport commission itself, “This project is not based on an economic cost/benefit analysis.” (Notice of Intent, p. 2.23) If we’re just hypothesizing, couldn’t we just as well hypothesize that a better educated workforce would attract businesses and therefore our money should be going to the schools? At least then our tax money would be going to people from Pittsfield rather than to people who fly in and fly out. We’ve also heard that an expanded airport will attract more people, and maybe even new businesses to the area. A recent survey asked people why they came to the Berkshires. The number one response was that visitors come to the Berkshires for the area’s scenic beauty. Paving over our wetlands to get a few people here faster may not be our best long-term strategy.
Return to main page for BEAT’s Pittsfield Airport Expansion information