Claims He Learned About Restricted Plan From Newspaper
Scott Avedisian, mayor of Warwick, RI has accused the Federal
Aviation Administration of failing to notify the city about its
reduced plan for runway expansion at T.F. Green Airport.
The FAA will conduct a meeting Thursday night where it is
expected to outline PVD runway expansion scenarios, including one
that scales back the length by 650 feet from the original proposal.
Avedisian is upset because he only learned of the new proposal
through newspaper reports a couple of weeks ago.
Avedisian has been at odds with the FAA on this issue since
at least 2004, as ANN reported.
"Warwick residents and city officials deserve the common
courtesy of a formal notification and hard copies for review prior
to a press release introducing the latest proposal for a 8,700
[foot] runway," Avedisian said in a letter to the FAA. "The City of
Warwick relies on the FAA to provide pertinent information in a
timely manner in a form that rises above a press release."
The FAA has investigated the various elements associated with
expanding the currently 7,166 foot runway expansion since 2005. The
agency-recommended length of 9,350 is necessary to accommodate
larger aircraft for non-stop service to the West Coast.
Then, in an unexpected move, the agency abruptly changed its
mind and announced that it would consider an 8,700-foot plan. The
revised plan would affect fewer homes, cost much less, and still
allow for the nonstop coast-to-coast service critical to growth,
according to the Providence Journal.
Avedisian complained the city and its residents didn't have
enough time to process this new information in time for Thursdays
meeting, which was scheduled prior to the FAA's announcement.
Avedisian said he has yet to receive any related informational
materials from the FAA.
Jim Peters, FAA regional spokesman, said Thursday's meeting is
not the formal hearing required by federal law as part of all
expansion projects. This particular meeting is for the FAA to
outline its proposed plans to the public and provide a question and
answer period.
The formal public hearing will be scheduled sometime early next
year, after the FAA selects a final recommendation, he said.
Opponents of the expansion say they will attend the meeting but
fear they won't get the answers they are looking for.
"The FAA keeps switching the absolute minimum length of the
expanded runway. I think that shows that their credibility is shot
as far as their ability to predict the need for expanded facilities
at the airport," said resident and airport watchdog Michelle
Komar.