By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
NEWPORT- The town of Newport and management of Parlin Field will be looking for community input soon as they pursue a new Master Plan for the airport.
In 2021, the town received congressional funding for the primary runway. As a funding condition, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) required the town to provide the new 20-year Master Plan.
“Public engagement is so important for this plan,” Senior Aviation Planner Jenn Ricciardi said at a March 28 public meeting. “We want to hear what your thoughts are moving forward for the airport. This should be a community, town, airport-user plan and all public comments will be considered when moving forward.”
Newport will work with the consulting firm Dubois & King, Randolph, VT, on the project. The company has roughly 60 years of experience working with municipal airports to create Master Plans.
Guy Rouelle, director of aviation for Dubois & King, said the company intends to have a finished plan in six months. He said that is a particularly short time frame for such a document. The aggressive timetable is doable, he said, because volunteers have followed FAA regulations since the airport’s inception.
“Not only is the field an asset for the people that use the airport, but it’s the place for the community to gather,” Ricciardi said. “It’s also, importantly, a place of revenue, with people flying in and coming into town and spending their money at local businesses.”
Parlin Airfield was built in 1929 as turf runaways and a hangar that still stands at the site today. As early as 1930, the Curtiss Wright Flying Service began operating. The firm transported people from places like New York and Connecticut.
In 1932, the New England Air Circus Association began holding performances at the field. In 1939, the town of Newport purchased the airport, considering it an asset. Since that time, significant infrastructure improvements have been made to the facility, including paved runways, additional hangars and buildings.
One public comment at the March 28 meeting asked about what weather systems would be installed at the airport as part of an update.
Rouelle said that while he was very familiar with the ASOS/AWOS system the resident was asking about, he couldn’t be sure if that would be part of the proposed plan.
Representatives of Dubois & King will hold more public meetings in June and September to continue to gather community and user input. Topics such as safety concerns, whether to reconstruct or rehabilitate assets, the sustainability of the airport, and other issues will be open for discussion.
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