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Fitchburg Pride
June 5, 2009
Airport improvements take flight
In this time of economic uncertainty, the Fitchburg Municipal Airport is feeling the pressure to find new ways to make money and remain operational.
"We are mandated by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) to be as self sufficient as possible," said Airport Manager Fred Guertin.
Given this effort, Guertin jumped on a recent offer from Ansar Energy LLC, a company out of Scituate. The airport has agreed to Ansar installing solar panels on 35 to 40 acres around the perimeter of the airport.
Ansar, in turn, will pay the airport $10,000 to $15,000 per acre every year, amounting to about $300,000 to $400,000 annually.
The offer is a no-brainer, according to Guertin.
"What they are willing to pay is a lot more than I can get from renting hanger space," said Guertin.
Many hope that the money generated from this lease will allow the airport to complete many projects that they want to start.
One such project is the construction of a new runway, which is slated to cost between $12 million and $15 million, leaving the airport to cover between $600,000 and $750,000. Airport officials have designs in place, and hope to have construction underway as early as 2012.
The prospect of paying for the runway could have been daunting if the panel project had not come along.
"We would have to float a bond for it," said Guertin.
They also hope to eventually build a new administrative building and add to their hanger space, which is currently limited.
"We have a waiting list in the winter for hanger space," said Guertin.
More space to store planes means more revenue for the airport, adding to the $650,000 they earned in fuel sales during 2008, 78 percent of which came from commercial clients.
Officials at the airport know that all of the effort that is spent trying to find ways to raise funds, is not in vein.
"For every dollar spent being put into an airport, $6 and some change comes back to the community," said Guertin.
The project will immediately have a benefit to other local companies.
After the installation, Ansar will distribute the energy generated by the panels to National Grid for them to use.
The project will help National Grid meet requirements of the Green Communities Act, which mandates that 15 percent of utility energy production come from renewable sources by the year 2020.
Many hope that this will usher in a new era in Fitchburg.
"My hope is that Fitchburg can embrace green energy and technology. We want to build a workforce around it," said Mayor Lisa Wong.
Although the letter of intent has been signed, the FAA still must review and approve the application before construction can begin.
"They want to see us get fair market value for what we are doing," said Guertin.
They hope to have the installation completed sometime in 2010.
The ability of the Fitchburg Airport to remain operational when the Ice Storm of 2008 hit shows the potential of the airport to evolve.
"I was excited to see what we could actually do in an emergency," said Debbie Silvar, airport assistant manager.
Guertin and other officials at the airport remain hopeful that the addition of the solar panel will further that vision.
"It's a godsend if we can work it out," said Guertin. |
