North Adams Airport Looking For New Manager
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams Airport Commission announced the resignation of Airport Manager Bruce Goff.
"We no longer have an airport manager, so we are going to be on the market for one. The job description is available, and if you know anyone that might be interested let them know," Chairman James Haskins said Monday during the Airport Commission's meeting.
Goff resigned, according to Haskins, who declined to provide further details.
"The airport manager decided to resign and that is all I want to say about that," he said. "But we are going to deal with it."
The city began experimenting with different airport management structures in 2018 when it rehired Willard "Bill" Greenwald, a former longtime manager. During this period, Greenwald shared airport responsibilities with a city administrator, dividing them into aeronautical and operational functions.
Greenwald resigned in 2022, and the city's administrative officer at the time assumed all airport management duties with the commission's assistance.
Goff was appointed as an interim manager in 2022, and the commission appointed him as the permanent manager later that year.
Goff was present at Monday's meeting and provided input during general discussion. However, he did not deliver his usual report or address his resignation.
The position is part time, although past iterations of the commission did express interest in raising it to full time.
In other business, the commission approved a letter of recommendation supporting the Mohawk Soaring Club's initiative to apply for a Soaring Society of America matching grant to hold an event at the airport.
Commissioner Doug Herrick, who is also a member of the Mohawk Soaring Club, said the club held a similar event in 2022 for its 70th anniversary.
"We had some high performance glider folks come by, we did some free rides for folks, some general publicity," he said. "We thought this might be a good idea to kind of have a party."
But this time around he hopes to get the airport more involved. He said the event could be an open house and community forum.
"I know with the input and ideas from the community and from you guys, hopefully we can pull something together by early September," he said.
Herrick abstained from the vote. He added that the club hopes to send the letter to the Soaring Society of America in early March
The commission rescinded fines related to a derelict airplane after receiving a letter from the owner expressing willingness to comply.
The commission requested that the owner send a letter indicating a plan for the aircraft and willingness to comply with the commission's wishes. The commission believed that this letter was never received.
In September, the commission voted to declare that the airplane was derelict and started fining the owner $100 a day.
However, the commission recently discovered that they had received a letter in September explaining the owner's situation and indicating that parts had been sent out for repair.
"I think we had been led to believe that he had not responded, that he was being defiant," Herrick said. "Essentially, we're negotiating an opportunity for him to essentially move the plane off the line and deal with the maintenance."
The plane must be moved within 45 days. The commission also requested monthly updates and the removal of the plane's fuel.
Earlier in the meeting, Stantec engineer Cody Miller provided an update on various airport projects.
Miller said the airport did receive an RFP for inspection services from the state for pavement maintenance.
"That just means that project is moving forward, and it is 100 percent state funded," he said. "So, I can't guarantee that North Adams is on there, but it's been a number of years since that program has been through here. So, it's probably high on the list."
The T Hangar project, the current Airport Improvement Project, is still in development of scope with the FAA and MassDOT. The city is currently undergoing an independent fee estimate for Statec services, per state requirement. After this, the city can apply through the formal grant process. All of this needs to be in place by April 28.
Tags: airport, airport commission, resignation,
