CONGRESSMAN RICHARD NEAL
WESTFIELD – Congressman Richard E. Neal announced Friday that Federal Aviation Administration funding for the $21 million Barnes Regional Airport runway rehabilitation project was secured.
Neal is slated to speak at Barnes today with Airport Manager Brian Barnes about the $8.7 million grant, funding raised through a tax on the sale of aviation-grade fuel at airports.
The FAA also notified local officials this spring that the traffic-control tower at the facility, initially slated for closing, will remain open.
The FAA grant is one of four funding sources needed for reconstruction of the main runway (2/20) of the airport, the second longest in the state. The city’s share is set at 2 1/2 percent of the FAA grant, in this case $250,000.
The other primary funding source is the Department of Defense, about $11 million, because of the wear and tear on the facility caused by the F-15 air superiority jets now stationed at the Air National Guard 104th Fighter Wing.
Airport Manager Brian Barnes said earlier this year that the FAA is paying for only 7,000 feet of the runway project and that the military and state, which needs a 9,000-foot-long runway for the F-15 fighters stationed at the ANG base, is paying about $11 million for the additional work.
The goal of city officials is to complete the rehabilitation project within the current calendar year. The final engineering work began in March, with the actual construction start programmed for late this summer, pending receipt of FAA, DOD and state funding. Neal is delivering the FAA funding today.
The runway rehabilitation contract has been awarded to Lane Construction of East Mountain Road, replacing the main runway which is nearly 30 years old and well beyond its design life.
City Advancement Officer Jeff Daley said the runway rehabilitation is an important tool to market the facility to corporate and general aviation which represents more than 80 percent of the air traffic at Barnes.
“The average life span of these runways is 20 years. The current runway has been in use of 28 years, so it’s a very important project for the airport,” Daley said.
Daley, who is helping secure federal and state funding, said recently that the runway reconstruction will not close the airport to civilian aircraft traffic.
“There will be no interruption to civilian aircraft operations,” Daley said. “Corporate and private aircraft will be able to use runway 15/30 during the reconstruction.”
Daley said that the actual runway rehabilitation price tag is about $14 million, with other facility improvements, such as runway and taxiway lighting accounting for the remaining $6.6 million.
The F-15 are being repositioned to Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee and to the Otis Air Base, now operated by the US Coast Guard, at Camp Edwards on Cape Cod.
Daley said that Barnes has a significant local economic impact and accounts for more than 2,000 jobs with a $60 million payroll.
“The new runway will be a top of the line, a first-call facility that will attract aircraft to Barnes,” Daley said. “We hope that the new runway and all of the other improvements being made at Barnes will attract new tenants.”
