Boston's Public Helipad Hearings Start Next Week

BOSTON, MA – A state-assembled Task Force is seeking public input as it explores plans for a potential public heliport in Boston.

The idea took off in 2016 when it was floated as part of a $145 million, city-state incentive package used to lure General Electric's headquarters to the city. Early version of the plans from the Mass. Department of Transportation suggested the creation of a helipad on a pier or a kind of floating helipad in the Seaport.

Officials ballparked the cost at no more than $100 million, according to The Boston Herald.

The Helipad Task Force is eyeing up logistical challenges, infrastructure questions and operational issues, and it's seeking the public's input, starting next week. The Task Force will be hosting public meetings on Monday, January 30, at 7 p.m., in the Amphitheatre on the mezzanine level of the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, and on Monday, February 6, from 2-4 p.m., in Room 428 of the State House.

The potential inclusion of the helipad raised eyebrows among many in Boston who were already critical of GE's lucrative incentives package. It saw renewed interest recently with the announcement of City Councilor Tito Jackson's candidacy.

He lambasted Mayor Marty Walsh's administration in during his first public announcement, saying, "At a time when members of Mayor Walsh’s administration say that our educational system is costing too much, they are preparing to write checks for a publicly funded helipad for millionaire executives of GE — on our dime.”

Writes MassDOT in a press release on the public meetings, "Although there are private heliports located in Boston, there is currently not a publicly owned/public access heliport within the city center. MassDOT’s research and outreach suggest an interest in a public helicopter landing area from medical entities, emergency services, law enforcement and private companies."

The Task Force includes State Senator Linda Dorcena-Forry, State Representative Nick Collins, District City Councilor Bill Linehan, and at-large Councilor Michael Flaherty appointed by Council President Michelle Wu, MassDOT Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack, Massachusetts Secretary of Economic Development Jay Ash, Massport Executive Director Tom Glynn, Boston Director of Economic Development John Barros, and Boston Planning and Development Agency representative Sonal Gandhi.

Photo by Michael Coghlan, Flickr/Creative Commons