CONCORD, Mass. – Hermitage Inn Real Estate Holding Company, LLC is seeking a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District to conduct work in waters of the U.S. in conjunction with construction improvements to Deerfield Valley Airport, off of Airport Road in Dover, Vermont. The basic purpose of the project is to construct improvements to allow Deerfield Valley Airport to play a regional role in the Vermont Airport System and serve the businesses and general aircraft needs of Southern Vermont.
The airport was constructed in the 1960s. The 2,650-foot long, 250-foot wide runway was constructed leaving some areas to the south to accommodate future expansion of the runway. The width of the runway surrounding areas was constructed to be 250 feet and designated as an FAA object free area for B-category planes. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, local and state permits were obtained for extending the runway to the south. The land on the south was cleared to approximately 4,000 feet and fill was added for an additional 1,000 feet. The project was stopped due to lack of funds.
Several years ago, the airport was purchased by the applicant. In the summer of 2013, the runway was repaved, the object free area was cleared of trees and the existing lights were repaired. This maintenance work has greatly improved the safety of the airport, but the runway is still deficient in many of the fundamental FAA standards. The permit applicant proposes to place fill in 2.33 acres of waters of the U.S. in conjunction with the construction of improvements to the existing Deerfield Valley Airport. An additional 1.53 acres of forested wetland will be cleared for the Runway Safety Area (RSA).
The application for the federal permit was filed with the Corps in compliance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which regulates the discharge or fill of material in U.S. waters, including wetlands. The public notice, with more detailed information, can be viewed on the Corps website at www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/PublicNotices.aspx. To compensate for unavoidable impacts to waters of the U.S. of the proposed project, the applicant proposes to make a payment to the Ducks Unlimited – Vermont In-Lieu Fee Program.
Public comments on this work proposed by Hermitage Inn Real Estate Holding Company, LLC (File # NAE-2015-1225) should be forwarded no later than Feb. 26, 2016 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Vermont Project Office (ATTN: Michael Adams), 11 Lincoln Street, Room 210, Essex Junction, Vermont 05452. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager Michael Adams at 802-872-2893 or by email to michael.s.adams@usace.army.mil.