Seek to keep planes away from Sharon School
By: Mark Moffa
WASHINGTON — The Township Committee’s airport subcommittee will explore the possibility of designing a flight pattern that would direct pilots approaching the Trenton-Robbinsville Airport not to fly over the nearby Sharon School.
“Between the local operator and the township you can work out a flight pattern,” Joseph Mikulewicz, a pilot on the subcommittee, said during a June 8 meeting of the subcommittee.
The flight plans would then be published with the FAA.
“We could laminate a copy … and put in the flight plan ‘Do not fly over school,’” said Paul Porgorzelski, who is also a pilot.
The subcommittee met to discuss what could be done to address issues raised last year by concerned residents. The subcommittee displayed an overhead photograph of the airport area, which included a superimposed flight pattern designed to illustrate that planes approaching and departing the airport, located on Sharon Road, do not have to fly over Sharon School.
Residents expressed concerns last year about planes flying over the school. Information circulating among residents at the time detailed an expansion of the facility that included lengthening the runway, increasing the number of hangars, and accepting landings from aircraft such as cargo jets.
Airport officials said that the runway would not be lengthened and that the facility would not be housing cargo planes. They then gave in to public opposition and scratched a plan to increase the number of hangars from 18 to 36.
Questions arose as to exactly what the Township Committee could do about the airport’s proposed master plan.
“Each individual component of this plan … may or may not require approval from the Township Committee,” said Rich Anderson, a member of the subcommittee.
Mr. Porgorzelski said he would go though the plan to figure out which components would need township approval. He will report his findings at the subcommittee’s next meeting on Aug. 17.
Deputy Mayor Vince Calcagno suggested that he, Mr. Porgorzelski, and Mr. Mikulewicz meet with the airport manager and owner in July to see, among other things, what could be done as far the flight pattern is concerned. Mr. Calcagno is the chairman of the subcommittee.
Josephine Parr, a member of the subcommittee who lives near the airport, expressed concern about the posted flight pattern presented at the meeting being “unrealistic” and still was worried about Sharon School.
She said that the proposed plan would mean increased air traffic. She was also unhappy about not being included in the meeting with the airport’s personnel.
“Meetings are taking place without me being present,” Ms. Parr said.
Mr. Calcagno mentioned at the subcommittee meeting that he wanted Mr. Porgorzelski and Mr. Mikulewicz to attend because of their knowledge on airplanes.
He said that he was well aware of the community’s opposition to the airport’s hopes to expand on the types of planes that could land there, and he was unsure what the committee could do about the proposal to increase air traffic.
“I don’t know what the township would or could do with increased traffic,” Mr. Calcagno said.