Airport Hazards Committee

Was that the Airport Hazards Committee at Tuesday’s Council meeting, or a gathering of Winthrop’s chapter of the Hall of Fame of public servants who have given so many hours of their time to the betterment of our town? The Winthrop Air Pollution, Noise and Airport Hazards Committee — as the committee is officially known — led by Chairman Anthony Majahad, appeared before the Council to update it on its ongoing work and its continuing dialogue with Massport/Logan Airport. It was great to see members such as Robert Driscoll Sr., Attorney Jerome Falbo, Richard Bangs, and David Phipps at the meeting, and if you add up their combined years of service to our town, it extends well beyond the century (100 years) mark. These men are still protecting our residents’ best interests in regard to noise, pollutions, and other hazards associated with being so close to a major international airport.

And when you add the fact that Speaker of the House Robert A. DeLeo is an ex officio member of the committee and John Vitagliano, whose efforts as the liaison to various projects such as the Belle Isle Bridge have been outstanding, this is one committee that certainly has experience, teamwork, and a love of this town on its side working for all of us.

The committee brought up the issue of the long-awaited Department of Public Health (DPH) study from which residents have been expecting to see results for more than a year. Town Councilor Rich Boyajian seemed particularly concerned about the lengthy delay in the release of the study which surveyed 6,000 residents within a five-mile radius of the airport.