NAC discusses ending bow hunting

On Wednesday Sept. 23, the Norwood Airport Commission (NAC) met for the first time since May for a session that ran about 25 minutes and was highlighted by two discussions.

The first concerned the recently completed wildlife fence that now secures the Airport’s aeronautical operations area from potentially dangerous incursions by wildlife – primarily deer – coming onto its runways and taxiways from the woodland area that borders them.

The fence had been in disrepair for years and, as a stopgap measure, bow hunters had been allowed onto the Airport’s conservation land during hunting season to cull its deer population.

During his report, Airport Manager Mark Raymond noted that the fence has been working very well since its installation – with no reports of deer on the runways – and he suggested that the Commission consider whether to continue to allow bow hunting on the property.

Chairman Michael Sheehan opened by stating that he thought it was no longer necessary, and Commissioner Patrick Moloney agreed. However, Vice Chairman John Corcoran put forward that hunting should not be completely abandoned, in the event of any future breaches.

As the discussion opened up, Sheehan cited the increase in licensed bow hunters allowed by the Commission onto the land over the last 10 years. “That wasn’t the intent – to make this a hunting ground,” he said. “The intent was to have one or two persons out there because of the breaches in the fence.” He also raised his concern regarding the Trails Advisory Committee doing work in the area.

“We don’t need seven or eight hunters out there with bows and arrows, in my opinion.”

Corcoran then clarified his position. “I think that maybe we don’t need as many, but we need a couple of guys, for sure.” He also recommended reviewing the Airport’s approved wildlife plan.

Raymond followed by explaining that the Airport has special permits to deal with the wildlife, and hunters. “If we feel the need, we can reactivate that at any time,” he said. “It’s pretty much the Airport’s call of whether or not they have people in here or not.”

He continued by building on Sheehan’s earlier comments. “It is somewhat of a liability if we have Trails Committee people out there and we have hunters out there at the same time.”

The matter will be on the October meeting agenda, with a vote anticipated.

The other discussion concerned the auto storage lot (AKA the Verizon Lot) near the Route 1 end of Access Road. Its 20-year lease is scheduled to expire in July of 2027, and last September the Commission voted to begin the Request For Proposals (RFP) process. The lot is FAA-authorized for non-aeronautical use, but it is restricted due to its proximity to aircraft flight paths.

As Sheehan explained it, an appraiser has been selected to determine the land’s value for sales and rental purposes. Raymond added that once the appraisal has been completed, it will be submitted to the Purchasing Department, an RFP will be prepared, and it will go out to bid.

When Corcoran asked what sort of RFP would be going out, in terms of selling the lot or leasing it, Sheehan replied that he did not think that the intention is to sell the land. Rather, he submitted that the market sale valuation was being done since the appraisal was already slated to happen.

He also emphasized that there would be a stipulation in any new lease that any sublease rental income greater than the amount agreed upon between the Town and the winning bidder would be split evenly between the two. “Right now, the lease there is very low, it’s being rented to Verizon for very high, and we’re getting nothing,” he explained. “That’s not going to happen this time.”

Project Manager Mark Goodrich of DuBois & King – the Airport’s engineering firm – also brought up some of the difficulties in building on the lot or in effectively using it as is, despite its non-Airport use. “It’s under the Runway Protection Zone, or RPZ, so you can’t really have a lot of businesses there. You can park cars, but you don’t want to have the public there.”

The motion to contract the appraiser was unanimously approved.

During his Airport Improvement Program (AIP) report, Goodrich also announced that the paved safety extension of Runway 17/35 has been indefinitely shelved, due to a dispute with the FAA regarding how much funding it would provide for the project. “At this time, I think we’re going to hold off on that for a few more years,” he said at the tail end of his appointment. “We’ll just combine it, eventually, with the runway reconstruction project several years down the road.”

This past spring, an RFP had gone out to pave a 300-foot-long safety/overrun area at either end of the runway, and a low bid had been accepted. The project had been slated to begin in 2027.

The Airport Commission should be meeting next month on a middle Wednesday at 4 p.m. in the Mark C. Welch Administration Building (111 Access Rd.). To check on the date and the agenda, visit the Town website (www.norwoodma.gov) or call Town Hall (781-762-1240).