To say that Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian is ticked off about plans to extend the main runway at T.F. Green Airport is an understatement.
The only thing that seems to get him more upset about the runway extension plans is what he considers to be a deliberate decision on the part of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation to cut him out of any discussions regarding the airport.
“Their attitude is that they don’t want to talk to us,” said Avedisian. “We were discussing things for years … and then it all stopped.”
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That’s unfortunate.
I recently visited with Mayor Avedisian in his Warwick City Hall office. It had all the makings of an awkward encounter.
This newspaper has run editorials supporting the extension of the main runway at T.F. Green to 9,500 feet. Our stance has been – and remains – that an extended runway is a necessary step if the airport is to remain competitive with Logan International in Boston and Manchester Airport, less than two hours away in New Hampshire.
The opinion reflected on our editorial pages is that the state and its taxpayers are deeply vested in T.F. Green – that the airport may well be the most important economic generator Rhode Island has.
Countless businesspeople tell us that.
Time and time again they cite T.F. Green – and in particular, the ease with which one can get in and out of it – as a critical factor in their deciding to remain in Rhode Island or to expand existing operations here.
An extended runway would allow for international flights and direct flights to the West Coast – flights now taking off from Boston and Manchester. That’s more business for the airport itself, the businesses that operate within it – and the businesses located nearby.
It should be noted that the business community, in large part, endorses the idea of a longer runway.
The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, the Commodores – a group of 300 business and civic leaders – and the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation are all at the forefront of a publicity campaign pushing for the runway extension. These are folks closely tied to business leaders who see firsthand of improving conditions at the airport.
But Mayor Avedisian and the city of Warwick have a side to this story and he is ticked off because he believes that airport officials are not willing to listen to it. In addition, the mayor believes he and his city are being labeled as anti-business for opposing the runway extension. That, he says, couldn’t be further from the truth.
On that front, the mayor can make a strong case. Warwick has always embraced economic development efforts, whether it be commercial properties along Route 2, the hotels that have sprung up near the airport or the array of businesses that have found homes in the city’s many industrial parks.
To suggest that Warwick is anti-business because city officials and residents living near the airport question the runway extension is simply off base.
Mayor Avedisian, in opposing the runway extension, raises legitimate points.
He raises questions about air quality – legitimate health concerns. There are also questions about further congesting city roads and what impact eliminating certain roads would have on the city. He would like to see letters from airlines stating that a longer runway will in fact cause them to add flights.
The mayor also points to a direct fiscal hit that that city must sustain when it loses homes – and the property taxes they produce.
“Any expansion will result in the loss of hundreds of homes and businesses from the city’s tax rolls,” said Avedisian. “At best, expansion would cost us $3.4 million a year in lost property tax revenues … at the worst, it means a loss of more than $4 million each year.”
Warwick residents should be heartened to know that their mayor isn’t rolling over – that he plans to fight.
“We understand that it is here,” said Avedisian. “We want to work with it. Give us a chance to make it better.”
It would not seem all that difficult for the parties involved in this debate to find common ground. Everyone, after all, has a stake in seeing T.F. Green Airport thrive. If the airport doesn’t keep up with its competitors, business there will drop off. That’s not good for Rhode Island – and it’s not good for Warwick.
Warwick residents have a right to be concerned – but so do taxpayers throughout the state who continue to see their tax dollars invested in the airport.
It would make things easier if Mayor Avedisian, Gov. Don Carcieri and James Rosati, chairman of RIAC, could get together on this. The freeze on communication needs to thaw.
I’m not suggesting it’s easy. But it’s what leaders – whether they are elected or appointed – are expected to do.
