WESTFIELD – The Planning Board voted unanimously last night to issue a special permit to Whip City Aviation LLC for construction of a new hangar at Barnes Regional Airport.
The board also approved a site plan and stormwater management permit for construction of a new 7,350-square-foot hangar which will house general aviation six aircraft.
Rob Levesque of R. Levesque & Associates said Whip City Aviation will construct the new hangar on 16 acres of land it is leasing from the Airport Commission.
The City Council, at the Jan. 6th meeting, unanimously approved a 50-year-lease and a financial package as part of an agreement with Whip City Aviation as part of a plan to make a substantial investment at Barnes Regional Airport. The City Council is required to approve all leases longer than 20 years in duration. Most of the airport leases are for terms longer than the 20-year limit.
Whip City Aviation is leasing five existing hangars, which need extensive repairs, and plans to build new hangar facilities for either general or corporate aviation clients in the future.
The lease is part of a package which also includes creation of an economic opportunity area and a special tax assessment to allow Whip City Aviation to recoup funding immediately used to rehabilitate five existing “T” hangars, a cost estimated at more than $300,000.
Levesque and the board discussed one issue of contention raised by the Barnes Aquifer Protection Advisory Committee concerning the plan. The BAPAC requested the Planning Board to require a connection to city sewers.
Levesque said that sewers are not accessible and that the plan is to install a tight tank for the flood drains with oil/water separators which will be maintained under the special permit.
“There are no city sewers anywhere near the building site,” Levesque.
The board attached several conditions to address the BAPAC concerns, including requirements to conduct annual tight tank inspection and procedures to be used for spill clean-up, and regular testing of shut-off valve.
Other conditions require posting signage for the Emergency Spill Shut-off Valve at the drainage gate valve and that apparatus to operate the valve be readily accessible and stored proximate to the valve. No hazardous materials may be stored on site.
