Neighborhood laments loss of trees for airport

Where is Williasmtown defending its land? Is this tiny airport worth the project? Who is going to benefit?

Did they have to cut any trees down in residents yards? Anyone know?

The residents are being paid some big money for their easements and loss of trees. Notice that nobody was really complaining in the story, only saying "It's so sad to see the trees go." Nobody hugging trees here! There's money to be made!

The writer missed the boat on the financial details.

retired farmer wrote:

The residents are being paid some big money for their easements and loss of trees. Notice that nobody was really complaining in the story, only saying "It's so sad to see the trees go." Nobody hugging trees here! There's money to be made!
The writer missed the boat on the financial details.

Thank you kindly for the reality check.

Timber? and enjoy the cash.

Cutting the trees for the airport? For the good of the town?
Please. Spare us the propaganda.
The residents should have gone to court and stopped the folly, which will soon enough spread it's pollution and regret.

I'm really surprised that people are still complaining about this so many years after it was announced. It's not really an option, it has to be done to meet safety standards. People need to stop whining.

retired farmer wrote:

The residents are being paid some big money for their easements and loss of trees. Notice that nobody was really complaining in the story, only saying "It's so sad to see the trees go." Nobody hugging trees here! There's money to be made!
The writer missed the boat on the financial details.

So who is paying? Williamstown? North Adams? WHO?

villager wrote:

<quoted text>
So who is paying? Williamstown? North Adams? WHO?

Most of the money is coming from the Feds in the form a FAA grants to bring the airport up to modern safety requirements.

If a plane had clipped a tree and crashed on one of these houses, I am sure that these same folks would be up in arms that something wasn't done sooner.

You are paying. If my memory serves correctly, the federal government is paying something like 85% of the cost, the state of Mass is paying 10% and the City of North Adams is paying 5%.

Homeowners were given money for the easements because they were taken by eminent domain and in this country, as of now, when your property is taken by the government they must offer you fair value. Fair value, it should be noted, as assessed by a 3rd party. Not what YOU think is fair. So, some owners may think of it as a windfall while others, I am sure, think of it as a substantial personal, and financial, loss.

The City of North Adams, acting through its agent the Harriman and West Airport Commission, notified the landowners that their properties would be subject to an avigation easement. "Taking [the City] to court" would have cost more than most homeowners could afford.

The issue here is not whether this "had" to be done for safety. If you look at this only in a narrow sense, then yes, it "had" to be done because the FAA said so. The broader issue is what defines a "public good", how "public" does that "good" have to be to deserve our tax dollars (dollars that could be spent on many competing things), and at what private cost should we, as a compassionate public, allow our public goods to come?

AFAR wrote:

<quoted text>Most of the money is coming from the Feds in the form a FAA grants to bring the airport up to modern safety requirements.
If a plane had clipped a tree and crashed on one of these houses, I am sure that these same folks would be up in arms that something wasn't done sooner.

A plane did clip a tree 30 years ago and the resulting crash killed two people,the pilot and one passenger.A second passenger survived and the occupants of the house who were home at the time were uninjured.Also the Transcript should realize thatthis airport is not a private airport as stated in the article.

so tired of reading about the airport, it's been around long before these people purchased the homes they live in. Has anyone looked at the size of the planes coming in and out of there. Or the multiple businesses on the airport. The expansion will help Businesses at the airport that operate 9-5 while these whiners are at work.(wich is probably why they believe no planes fly in or out) The airport is not just a couple of Cessna's many large twin engine planes and jets fly in and out for maintenace at the 2 repair facilities on the airport, have one of theses planes crash, and it will take out the neighborhood not just a tree.

"It's kind of sad. It's just a shame for such a small airport they have to do this,"

Its an expansion project right?

The runway IS NOT EXPANDING in length it is being relocated so the aircraft have a safer approach to land and take off. todays business at the airport has much larger aircraft than it did 30 years ago. In order to grow it must "expand" wich will be an asset to the area, businesses are few and far between in this area. lets keep them at the airport paying North Adams taxes!

Acually there were three planes that hit trees and crashed and all were fatal.Two on approach to 29 and one trying to get back to the airport on 11 with ice and engine failure.

tired wrote:

so tired of reading about the airport, it's been around long before these people purchased the homes they live in. Has anyone looked at the size of the planes coming in and out of there. Or the multiple businesses on the airport. The expansion will help Businesses at the airport that operate 9-5 while these whiners are at work.(wich is probably why they believe no planes fly in or out) The airport is not just a couple of Cessna's many large twin engine planes and jets fly in and out for maintenace at the 2 repair facilities on the airport, have one of theses planes crash, and it will take out the neighborhood not just a tree.

Thanks for the voice of reason. If people granted easements to the town/city/municipality/county, they have to abide by them. Get over it! If you don't like it, buy a farm in some outlying area.

Whining, you say. Yes, to those of you not affected by the tree felling, it may seem like whining, just as our leaders think we are whining about the economic situation.
lI do not understand the mentality that equates cutting trees to safety. If you have to cut a tree down so a plane can land . how long will it be before you have to remove houses.
Keep the planes at a height that is safe for those who live below, was my thought. But who listens to little people like me. As it is, I often think the pilots are going to drop in to join me for dinner.,

The fact is that the airport was never meant to be anything than a strip for company planes for Sprague - back in the days before jets.

It's completely stupid for it to be anything else, in the little bowl of steep hills.

Anyone remember the accident a few years back, when the Blue Angels were here? I was at Stop & Shop.

THAT'S where it started.

The rest is history.

tess wrote:

Whining, you say. Yes, to those of you not affected by the tree felling, it may seem like whining, just as our leaders think we are whining about the economic situation.
lI do not understand the mentality that equates cutting trees to safety. If you have to cut a tree down so a plane can land . how long will it be before you have to remove houses.
Keep the planes at a height that is safe for those who live below, was my thought. But who listens to little people like me. As it is, I often think the pilots are going to drop in to join me for dinner.,

Move to South Carolina . The airport was there when you bought your house and sprages was doing a lot more flying in those days The unions moved him out and now you only have a few landings a day by the Williams Alum which you can't drive out

Bored last night so I googled and researched the little old airport and found 3 businesses that have been there and are still operating today from the "Sprague" era, so it's not just Williams Alumni using the airport, it's businesses that keep locals employed, and "Tess" planes need to take off and land, so there is an approach, to let them do this safely. while at Stop & Shop this morning I saw 2 large multi engine planes land, and no cars heading towards Williams, could this be a customer for these businesses???? Also take a look at the FAA website at the number of aircrafts registered in the area.