PITTSFIELD — Mayor Thomas Bernard thinks of North Adams' airport as a "gem."
The federal government just delivered some polish, both to the Harriman-and-West Airport in his city and to Pittsfield Municipal Airport.
Both cities won grants they sought from the federal Department of Transportation — $315,000 for Pittsfield and $90,000 for North Adams.
While the money will underwrite updates to airport master plans, the mayors of both cities say far more than paperwork is at stake.
By charting the best possible uses of the airports, the mayors said Friday, they set the stage for ongoing physical improvements able to make the airfields more appealing to the business community, and give the county a competitive edge.
Mayor Linda Tyer of Pittsfield conceded that not everyone sees the point.
"The airport for almost all of our citizens is just this vague place up on a hill," she said, standing with Bernard and U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield.
"Many of our residents haven't been here," Tyer said. "Making the case to residents about why we should be investing in this airport is all about the economic development and the advantages that it gives us. Not only for Pittsfield, but for the county."
Besides, she added, if these two Berkshires airports didn't secure the federal money in a competitive grant process, other airports would have.
"All these transportation investments — they might not be as interesting as some of the other things we do in government, but they're key, really ..." Tyer said.
Bernard said the federal investment comes as Berkshire County continues to be deprived its fair share in state transportation funding, raising issues of regional equity that, he says, bear watching.
"It is about expanding potential, and we have a gem of an airport in North Adams," Bernard said of the funding. "So that we've got stability and sustainability moving forward. It's a huge piece, and I think we've got a good team to work on that."
Fresh approach
Neal stopped in Pittsfield to formally announce the grants, speaking a little before noon in the airport's modest brick terminal building as heavy equipment lumbered along a runway, a repair mostly covered by an earlier $6.6 million federal grant.
Neal said the master plans will help the county airports think anew about how they serve the public.
"When you reach your potential, your potential expands," Neal said. "You're never locked in to what you were."
Both airports are used by charter operators and private pilots, with no scheduled commercial passenger service.
Though that kind of transportation isn't yet imagined, the Pittsfield airport has hit limits on how much business it can do.
Kristopher Keane, the airport's assistant manager, said the field is poised for a new era, given growing interest from the aviation community.
"We are receiving a lot more calls from aircraft owners who want to be based out here. More than we actually have space for," Keane said.
In the seventeen years since the airport last produced a master plan, the business has evolved, putting the airport at the risk of not keeping up.
"The times are definitely changing, and we want to be sure we're ahead of the curve and not falling behind it," he said.
Both airports will invite people in their communities to take part in master plan sessions.
Bernard said the work will come even as Harriman-and-West moves ahead with plans for a new administration building. Updating what he termed a "dusty" master plan will help ensure that the airport is on the right trajectory.
The point, he said, will be to gauge "where we are now and where we see ourselves being."
Similarly, Tyer said renewal of Pittsfield's master plan will keep attention focused on improvements able to make the most of the city-owned facility.
"This is going to be an important next step for the airport commission, for the city and for the staff here at [Lyon Aviation, the fixed-base operator] so that our airport continues to grow and thrive," Tyer said.
"It is a key component to our economic development strategies. We know this airport contributes greatly to our economy," she said. "We've got to move quickly and make these investments so that we can take advantage of this growing market that exists in the city. How we support and grow that market is going to be critical."
Keane said work on the Pittsfield plan will begin soon.
The grant announcement comes days after the airport completed a full reconstruction of its main runway. Work on a shorter second runway will continue into September, but the airport reopened to aircraft as of Tuesday.
Meantime, the Pittsfield Airport Commission is soon to start recruitment efforts for a new airport manager to replace Gloria Bouillon, who left June 26 to take a position as manager of the Beverly Regional Airport after running the Pittsfield airport for 16 months.
