North Adams Seeks to Keep Airport Manager as Hewison Contract Ends
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Airport Commission agreed to let its contract with Hewison Aviation expire at the end of September, but members still want to keep the airport manager supplied by the flight school.
With the contract running down in a matter of weeks, the Airport Commission voted Tuesday to ask the city to post the manager position as quickly as possible so current manager Skyler Friedman can apply.
"The commission would like to be asking the city to immediately post the position for airport manager on a part-time basis, and that this happens with all necessary speed to get this to happen," Commissioner William Hooper said. "That it is our desire to be able to have as little gaps in continuity as possible."
Hewison Aviation, a New York-based operation, entered into a contract with the city about a year ago to open a flight school and provide management services. The commission voted to hire Friedman in June upon Hewison's recommendation.
However, the contract ends at the end of September, and neither the city nor Hewison wants to renew it.
"As far as I know, Hewison has not contacted me to renew the contract or anyone else, so I am in favor of just letting it expire," Chairman James Haskins said. "And not having that level of management. We have Skyler, which is great, but they haven't done anything else. They were going to do scenic flights, and they have one student and one instructor, but I never see them."
There is no renewal clause in the contract.
Hooper said that while he valued what Hewison brought to the airport, he saw no reason to extend the relationship. Still, he expressed concern about continuity: once Hewison leaves, Friedman leaves too, leaving the airport without a manager once again.
"I can easily see four weeks of interruption of service that I don't think anyone wants," Hooper said.
Although the relationship with Hewison appears to be at a dead end, commissioners felt differently about Friedman. Both commissioners and airport users praised his brief tenure and voiced support for keeping him on.
The feeling is mutual, with Friedman expressing a desire to remain in the role.
Hooper initially suggested extending the contract by a few weeks to give the commission more runway to make Friedman a permanent fixture. It was initially assumed that the lack of a renewal clause would require a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) process. However, Grant Coordinator Thomas Peterson noted that because it involves an aeronautical matter, the city has flexibility and does not need to follow a rigid RFP process. He said if both parties wished to sit down and draft an extension, they could.
Ultimately, commissioners saw no need to bring Hewison back into the fold and voted down a motion by Rita Sporbert to reach out to the company.
Peterson noted that the situation remains complicated, adding that to ensure a fair process, the position should be publicly posted.
Commissioner Dean Bullett raised questions about Friedman's relationship with Hewison and whether he could continue working for North Adams as a Hewison employee.
Airport user Mike Milazzo also raised concerns about continuing the arrangement, calling any effort to make Friedman a true city employee unethical.
"I agree Skyler has been doing a great job; I like Skyler," Milazzo said. "But from a small business perspective, what you guys seem to be on the verge of doing is unethical to me. You let a company come in with a contract, figure out all of their problems, and then take their employee. It just seems wrong."
Hooper countered that he saw no ethical conflict, emphasizing that the city is simply trying to maintain operational continuity.
"We are willing to let this contract lapse. It served its purpose. It's done. All we want to do is simply make sure for everyone in here that there is a continuity of daily leadership," Hooper said. "That is all we want to solve. This could simply die under its own weight, but this is completely ethical, and we want to make sure our best interests are maintained with someone who has the knowledge."
Friedman clarified that he works with Hewison as an independent contractor rather than a traditional employee.
Hooper asked if another company working with the airport, such as Stantec, could bring Friedman on in the interim, allowing the city time to complete the proper hiring process without losing coverage.
"I am just looking for any other contractual mechanism where Skyler can be paid, and we can maintain continuity," Hooper said. "I am just concerned about day-to-day operations."
Bullett warned that such an arrangement would present a clear conflict of interest.
The commission acknowledged that no formal action or contracts could be signed that night, but waiting until the October meeting would push decision-making past the contract's expiration date. As a result, members decided to post the position immediately for two weeks.
A subcommittee will review applications and present final candidate recommendations to the full commission during a special meeting.
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