This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
01/16/2019 07:00 AMEvidently Tweed Airport Authority Executive Director Tim Larson thinks people are forgetful. Well, we are not. We, or at least I, can see through his deceptions regarding Tweed. I will refer to important dates and what happened on those dates.
On Feb. 20, 2002, Tweed adopted a new 20-year Master Plan detailing its future development. This plan consisted of four phases, three of which are now complete. It’s the fourth phase Larson doesn’t want you to know they wanted all along.
Phase Four calls for an actual runway extension of 600 feet to the south of Runway 2-20 and construction of a new 1,000-foot safety area for Runway 2. This will result in a 7,200-foot runway for take-offs and 6,200 feet for landings.
The airport all along wanted this increase in length. Its promoters tried to appease the people around the airport with that memorandum of agreement (MOA) between East Haven, New Haven, and the airport authority signed on March 16, 2009. They knew down the road they would attack Connecticut statute Section 15-120j(c), which limits the runway to 5,600 feet. They figured they had the power in the legislature to get that repealed whenever they desired to do so. Evidently Mr. Larson feels just because a statute is old, it is useless.
Five state elected officials signed that MOA, as did both mayors and the airport authority director at that time. Did they believe in this MOA as a true test to trust Tweed? Did they know about the Master Plan, knowing down the road Tweed will try an end run to repeal?
I give State Representative James Albis (D-99) and State Senator Len Fasano (R-34), an MOA signer, credit for backing the people who live around the airport.
Richard Poulton
East Haven