NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Airport Commission will seek city funds to repair a downed fence.

 

Airport Manager Bill Greenwald told the commission Tuesday that a portion of the northern fence is in bad shape and partially knocked down.  

 

"The fence has been ragged over the years because the plowing has been done and they keep pushing the snow on it so about half of it is just really obliterated," Greenwald said. "The top rails are gone, the posts are bent over and there are still a lot of brush woven through the fencing."

 

Greenwald said previously the fence was not a huge concern because the ramp did not extend that far, however, with the recent renovations, the ramp now reaches the compromised area. 

 

The fence gate also does not work and is a security issue.

 

"There is an indication that there was some action through that gate that involved some theft of avgas [aviation gas] over the past couple of years," he said. "I bet that is where the access came from because that gate is unusable the way it is and it would be great to get that fixed from a security perspective." 

 

Greenwald it would be nice to have a more aesthetically pleasing fence for the newly renovated airport and the planned bike path going through it.

 

He said he reached out to Berkshire Fence, which currently handle all of the airports fencing needs. The best option would be to replace the whole run of fence but this would cost $8,800.

 

The second option would be to repair and replace the stretch that is in disrepair. This would cost $2,450.

 

The commissioners voted for the cheaper option because they felt it was more reasonable.

 

Chairman Jeff Naughton said he will ask the city if there are funds for the project.