The rejection by the state of Norwood’, request for matching funds for paving the Access load to the Metropolitan Airport was discussed by the Selectmen at Tuesday’s meeting. A request for reconsideration will be presented at the next meeting of the Massachusetts Airport Commission, by Town Engineer Albert W Thompson.
Norwood which has SG200 available for the project is asking matching funds from the state and federal government which will bring the total funds available to $24,800, with twenty-five percent supplied by the town an additional twenty-five percent matched by the slate, and fifty percent of the total appropriated by the federal government.
Fred Tobey publicity director! for Wiggins Airways, stated this I week that improvement of the Access road is important chiefly because the road to the airport is next to impassable. Two cars have been disabled driving from Neponset street into the airport a stretch of about a half mile.
Although a local well has been built at the airport no supply of town water is available, and fire protection is non-existent. The water supply Mr Tobey said is adequate for drinking and washing purposes only and although another well could be constructed it would still be insufficient in case of fire Funds are needed to mend both situations at the local airport.
Massachusetts, which received a 1947-1948 allocation of $940.017 plus a discretionary fund of $418,933, totalled a percentage of 1 78 of total allocations throughout the United States a high figure for 1948 alone, Massachusetts was granted an allocation of $388.897 according to Civil Aeronautics authorities in Boston Explaining that all requests by local airports are listed on a priority basis and allocations are made to the projects in order of their priority, the Boston Office of the CAA said that Norwood had been placed on the priority list, but allocations were completed before Norwood s turn came up on the list. Thus other airports with higher priority were granted the funds for 1947.
The original CAA request for the whole country was for 85 million dollars, CAA stated, and Congress granted about 32 and a half million From this, roughly 1,800,-000 is deducted for carrying out administrative duties, and about 1.600.000 is put aside for the use of United States territories such as Hawaii and Alaska The remainder of $21,700,000 is allocated to the 48 states on a basis of area and population. Discretionary funds of $7.200.000 were also granted among the 48 states. Although Massachusetts’s share in the discretionary funds was $418.933. States such as Maine and Connecticut were not alloted any discretionary funds to supplement the regular allocation.
Explaining that the discretionary funds are twenty-five percent of the total allocation made by Congress for use of the United States, local CAA authorities said that these funds are used for projects throughout the country Although the regular state allocation remains within the state during the life of the act granting these funds, discretionary funds may revert to a kind of national pool if they are not used and may be again apportioned to other projects in other states. For example, if Massachusetts’ request for funds exceeds the allocation, the administrator can draw on the discretionary funds for use in local projects. If the project fails to materialize, the fund reverts to become available for projects in any other part of the country.
(All articles originally appeared in the Norwood Messenger unless otherwise noted