Hartford State Senator John Fonfara wouldn't say outright that he disagreed with the bipartisan findings of a report regarding the future of Brainard Airport, but his actions were pretty loud and clear.
Fonfara moved to basically block the approval of a report that detailed the positives and negatives of the Hartford airport, because it didn't answer key questions he had regarding nearby structures.
“The report did not provide that as an alternative that if some of those obstacles were to be removed or minimized, what would then be the value of the property be to the city of Hartford, to the region, and to the state," said Fonfara, referring to a waste to energy plant adjacent to Brainard.
Those who work and operate businesses at Brainard saw the move os political posturing, because Fonfara has, in the past, supported a proposed development for the site that Brainard sits on that included shuttering the airport.
“For Senator Fonfara to come out and say I want to shelve it, that tells me a whole lot," said Bob Morande, one of the owners of the Hartford Jet Center. "What does that tell you? That tells me that he and some individuals are trying to take over the airport and take care of themselves.”
The report detailed that there are myriad obstacles to developing the site where Brainard sits. There are environmental issues stemming from decades of use as an airport, the federal government has numerous barriers to closing an airport, and the airport has a more than $40 million annual economic impact to the region and state.
One of the biggest issues with the facility, however, is that it provides very little economic benefit to the City of Hartford. Just by being in Hartford, the city loses out on at least a half a million dollars in tax revenues by housing the airport.
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Critics of that logic argue the airport provides a key resource for the the insurance industry by providing a venue for helicopters and private planes to fly in and out of.
Morande says with the report being scrapped, any recommendations to improve the facilities, increase hangar space, and the like, have to be put on hold.
“There’s a lot of things we can do at the airport to help grow it, and grow the economy for the city of Hartford and the region,” Morande said, "But we can't bring anyone in here because they're afraid."
Fonfara said a new report could come in as soon as three months, and made a veiled commentary that he hopes the next report provides avenues for some kind of development, supported in the document.
“I believe that area has great potential far beyond what anyone has envisioned to this point but the study did not go far enough in examining that and that’s why we’ve asked the auditors to consider that going forward.”
