Business View Magazine | September 2020

194 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2020 Bradley. Those are some of the advantages that we feel give us a competitive opportunity to attract new tenants as well as transient users to the Airport.” As is the case with all airports, there are always some construction projects going on, or scheduled, at Westfield-Barnes. “We’re in the final stages of reconstructing Runway 15/33,” says Willenborg. “It was nearly an $8 million project. Also, the Governor’s military task force has provided $4.7 million for the re-hab of the Taxiway Sierra and construction of a large aircraft parking area. That’s set to go to construction next spring. Two years from then, we have about a $12 million taxiway project where we’re widening our parallel taxiway to runway 2/20, which is taxiway Bravo South. The north section is 75 feet wide, with 25-foot shoulders; the south section is currently only 50 feet wide with no paved shoulders. We’re looking to match that up with taxiway Bravo North. That project will be a military, FAA, Mass. DOT, and City of Westfield partnership. So, there will be four funding sources on that.” While there is also a need for additional box hangars, and a waiting list for T-hangars, the Airport has no plans to construct them on its own. “Our method here is to utilize private developers to build hangars,” Willenborg explains. “We definitely have some interested parties here at Westfield, and we try to leverage state funding for some of those development costs, when possible. At times, we work with the Mass. DOT’s Aeronautic Division – they have worked private/public partnerships here in the past. Right now, we’re working with them on trying to get funding assistance for a new aircraft parking apron. Then the developer would open up two sites for two box hangars, 12-14 thousand square feet, apiece.” At over 1,200 acres, Westfield-Barnes has a very large footprint, with land both inside and outside its current perimeter available for both aeronautical and non-aeronautical development.