Warwick officials want price tag of airport master plan
WARWICK, R.I. (AP) _ City and legislative leaders are trying to figure out how Rhode Island Airport Corp. has spent its money on plans to extend the main runway at T.F. Green Airport.
Many public officials are riled by the corporationÔŅĹs decision last week to reintroduce the possibility of extending the runway from 7,200 feet to 9,500 feet within five years.
The idea, rejected earlier this year, would require more money to continue the investigation.
State Rep. Joseph McNamara, D-Warwick, asked the airport how much has been spent on the master plan so far, and much it has paid Cincinnati-based consultants Landrum and Brown.
"Here we have a quasi-public agency that spends millions of dollars on consultants. There is little to no oversight," McNamara said.
He argues that the airportÔŅĹs renewed look at the runway is "an insult" to the work done by officials and private citizens thus far in drafting the master plan.
Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian said he wants the airport corporation and the Federal Aviation Administration to reimburse the city for time its staff spent working on the 20-year master plan, the accompanying five-year plan, and the environmental impact statement, The Providence Journal reported.
"It would only be fitting for RIAC and the FAA to now reimburse this community for the approximately $75,000 in staff time expended while participating in these processes," Avedisian wrote in a letter to the airport corporation and the FAA Thursday.
Airport heads had not yet received AvedisianÔŅĹs letter, and could not comment on his request for reimbursement. But Jim Jarry, the airportÔŅĹs chief financial officer, said drafting the master plan has cost $2.7 million so far, a figure that could rise to $4.3 million soon if the airport corporation gains access to federal grant money, allowing additional work.
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