http://www.newstimes.com/latestnews/ci_10281510 Airport improvements back on track By Dirk Perrefort Staff Writer Article Last Updated: 08/23/2008 08:45:52 AM EDT DANBURY -- Nearly two decades of stalled safety improvements at Danbury Airport can now move forward with the federal government paying the bill, officials said Friday. Paul Estefan, airport administrator, said the completion of the removal and trimming of trees on former Grenier property, which the city purchased earlier this year, completes requirements by the Federal Aviation Administration. "We are back in the good graces of the FAA," he said. Estefan said federal funding has been withheld from the airport for nearly two decades until trees that could obstruct landing aircraft approaching the airport were removed. "The trees were a serious safety issue," he said. "There was a possibility that aircraft coming in at night could strike the top of the trees." Mayor Mark Boughton said that when he first took office, FAA officials were requiring miles of clearcutting to improve the approach area. City officials negotiated with federal authorities on a more reasonable plan. "It's vastly improved over what was originally required and we can provide a level of safety the airport hasn't seen since the early 1990s," Boughton said. Estefan said the approach zone could be certified by federal officials as early as next week, which opens the door to millions in funding for repairs to the facility. The airport administrator estimated that at least $3 million in projects could be completed in the next five years, starting with the reconstruction of the intersection between the two runways at the facility. "The last time that was done was about 22 years ago," he said. Estefan said the federal government will cover 95 percent of the cost of the projects, while the state will be picking up much of the rest, leaving only a small portion to be paid for by the city. Other projects that can now be put back on the drawing board, he said, include rebuilding taxiways that haven't been renovated since the 1960s. Estefan said he is also hoping to purchase more than $1 million in equipment including a new payloader and snow removal equipment. The airport administrator credited Boughton for working on the issue of improving the approach zone, a situation he said was ignored by previous administrations. "He worked hard to make sure the impact on the community was as minimal as possible and he freed us up to receive federal dollars," Estefan said. Common Council member Paul Rotello said he is happy the long and complicated process of addressing the approach zone is nearly over. "It's unbelievable how long this has taken," he said. While some residents in the area have voiced concerns about cutting trees on the former Grenier property, which is near the intersection of Backus Avenue and Miry Brook Road, Rotello said the property will be left as open space and look much like the rolling meadows it contained in years past. "That whole area was a farm about 100 years ago," he said. "Most of the trees on the property are all new growth. We are going to put a lot of plantings on the property and it's going to look beautiful when it's done." The city purchased the former Grenier property earlier this year -- after years of court battles and negotiating with the owner -- with about $1.1 million in federal funding. City officials stressed that while safety improvements for the airport are now in the works, nobody is considering increasing the operations there -- or the length of the runways. "This is not about increasing the operations but increasing the safety," Boughton said. Contact Dirk Perrefort at dperrefort@xxxxxxxxxxxxx or at (203) 731-3358 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".