NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Airport Commission plans to make a decision on hiring a new airport manager at its next meeting.

 

After interviewing finalist candidate Bruce Goff on Tuesday, the commissioners decided to delay their decision giving them time to review his resume and to consider changing the job description.  

 

"I am just thinking that this is a lot for people to absorb," Commissioner Mark Morandi said. "This will give us time to think about it, and we can come back feeling a little more ready rather than rush into something."

 

Longtime manager Willard "Bill" Greenwald decided to step down earlier this year. In the interim, the city's Administrative Officer Angie Ellison held the position while a subcommittee of the commission solicited applications.

 

Morandi said Goff was chosen as the finalist after a few rounds of interviews. 

 

Goff, a pilot and owner of the Williams Shop, said he wants to help continue to improve Harriman & West Airport.

 

"I love to fly, and I love the North Adams airport. As a private pilot I have flown into many airports, and the North Adams airport is a fantastic facility," Goff said. 

 

He said one of his main goals would be to get a restaurant in the newly renovated administrative building. He said he wants to proactively interview different restaurant owners.

 

"Most importantly right now is to get a restaurant in the terminal building," he said. "I would hate to see that space go to offices or a nonaviation use."

 

When asked if he had the time to give to the airport, he said has shifted many of the duties at his Spring Street store to his daughter. He added that he is always "hanging out" at the airport anyway so it seemed like a good fit.

 

"I am scaling back," he said. 

 

He added that he did not apply for the job because of the money but his love for flying and the airport. 

 

The position pays a $12,000 stipend. Previously it was only $6,000.

 

Goff said he wants to see a flight school up and running at the airport and wants to improve security. He said two kids were recently reported sitting on an airplane wing. He said this could have caused a costly repair or even issues in the sky if left unreported.

 

He said public access for nonaviation use needs to be limited in the actual airport and the security card system needs to be better monitored.

 

Goff wants to better sort out tie-downs for transient airplanes and address derelict planes that have been parked at the airport.

 

He said he hopes to work in tandem with the commissioners and help execute their vision at the airport.

 

"I am going to be the eyes and ears of the commission and the boots on the ground so to speak," he said. "So my job will be to communicate any issues at the airport with and you and to take your input."

 

Before the interview, pilot Sue Mead spoke during public comment and asked that the commission delay the decision and repost the position with a larger salary. She felt more applicants would apply if the salary was higher.

 

Former airport commissioner and pilot Trevor Gilman asked that the decision be delayed until the new administration steps in. 

 

"So many projects have just stopped and I would like to see them continue," he said. "But it is October and we are a few months away from a new administration ... I don't think two months will make any drastic changes."

 

He said a lot of projects have stalled in the past few years and he wanted to see a return to productivity 

 

He then noted that he had volunteered much of his adult life to improve the airport and has offered to help in any way during this time. He said he offered to return the commission, consult, or serve as interim manager.

 

"I have been there a long time since basically there was just grass growing through the pavement and now it is a brand-new facility," Gilman said. "I have been volunteering my time to make it as good as a facility as I can for the people that have been there all of those years." 

 

Without naming names, he acknowledged tension at the airport.

 

"There are a handful of people at the airport who have caused a lot of drama and problems and I don't want to get into the specifics," Gilman said. "I am not here to dredge it all back up, but it has caused a huge rift in the airport community and when I stepped down from the Airport Commission I did so thinking it would resolve that rift ... that didn't happen."

 

The past few years at the airport have been turbulent.

 

In 2018, convicted rapist Alex Kelly began operating a sky diving business there that created turmoil among airport users and the commission.

 

Kelly was eventually given permission to operate but left the airport later that year.

 

At the same time, Gilman was asked to leave the commission after an investigation involving him with irregularities in the fuel account at Harriman-West Airport. 

 

Although Gilman's name was cleared, he did not return to the commission.

 

Over the next few years, there was a complete turnover on the commission, and all members who had served prior 2018 had left.

 

Goff first said the airport is what it is today because of Gilman.

 

"I want to say publicly that there is no denying that Trevor Gilman is the one primarily responsible for improving the North Adams airport into the wonderful facility it is now," he said.

 

He also thanked Greenwald for his efforts and said he had "big shoes to fill." 

 

Goff, too, acknowledged the fracture within the airport community and said he is ready to mend the relationships that he can.

 

"I would like to return that sense of community among airport users and this means I will have to have some difficult conversations. In the end, I hope to reestablish those friendships. I want to get back to where it used to be," he said. "... I don't think all of those relationships can be mended; I think that hurt goes deep. But I want to at least rebuild cordial relationships with folks that have not been happy in the recent past."  

 

He said this starts with meeting with the Greylock Soaring Club, a group spearheaded by Mead and Gilman that started up soon after Kelly become involved with the airport.

 

The commissioners asked questions but were split on whether or not they were ready to take action on the appointment.

 

Ellison encouraged the commission to vote Tuesday night, noting the search had gone on about five months and she would like to return to her administrative duties. Goff agreed that delaying the appointment any longer would not be proactive.

 

Chairman Dan Caplinger was split and saw the need to make the appointment sooner rather than later but also felt the airport needed more than a stipend manager. He said although the current position would keep things ticking along at the airport, he was just as cognizant of future planning, long-term vision, and the stability a full-time manager would offer.

 

"I am rethinking this and what the ideal situation would be," Caplinger said. "That stipend position does a lot of those ground tasks but at the same time we need to think about the big picture, not just short-term fixes."

 

He said many airports smaller than North Adams have full-time managers.

 

Ellison said the commission could advocate to alter the job description and bump the position up to full time whenever they wanted. She said they could make the change during the next budget cycle, but Goff would have to reapply.

 

Caplinger was concerned about the instability in the position that this could cause. He also didn't want to hire Goff and in a few months have him reapply.

 

With no vote on the table, Marc Morandi motioned to table the decision until their meeting next month.