NORTH ANDOVER — Saying even a small airport could become a terrorist target, Lawrence Municipal Airport officials are finalizing a security plan that they say will rival plans of even larger airports.
A security subcommittee of the airport commissioners is finishing up its plan and will present it to the airport's board of commissioners at the end of the month. The plan will then go before the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission.
Highlights of the plan include:
r More restricted access to runways. A pin number would have to be punched in to allow gates to open.
r Collaboration with local police, including an integrated computer system so they can monitor access points.
r Fencing around the entire perimeter of the airport.
The plan would not only spell out the rules and regulations of the airport, but airport commissioner Dan Foley said the plan also would give airport commissioners and employees power if someone does not follow the rules on airport property.
The trouble, said members of the subcommittee, is anticipating what the next threat will be and what the airport will have to prepare for. It could be drugs coming in on a small plane or a plane being used in a terrorist plot. Jeff Dubois, of Stantec Consulting Services, said what was once thought of as a hobby is now viewed as something that can be more threatening.
"Sept. 11 changed America's view on flight," Dubois said. "We saw flight as a weapon."
Anyone is allowed in the airport building, which houses administrative offices, Joe's Landing Cafe and the office of Angel Flight. To go past the gate to the planes, a photo identification badge from the airport is required. The badge has to be swiped to open the gate, leaving a trace of someone entering or leaving the airport. The airport does not run scheduled flights, but is open 24 hours for use by pilots.
The airport commission would like to update this security by also adding a pin code people have to type in for gate access and by hooking the computer tracking system up to the Police Department so officers can see who, where and when someone entered the gate. The updated system also would alert the Police Department if a gate is left open for too long and needs to be checked.
Dubois said the security plan recommends enclosing the entire airport with fencing and adding security cameras. About 65 percent of the 532-acre property is surrounded by fencing, and airport manager Michael Miller said he is working to fill in the gaps, a project that could take another five to 10 years.
Miller said getting enough money from the state for the project is one obstacle. Another is that most of the airport property is in wetlands, meaning special permits are needed from the Conservation Commission to erect fencing.
Safety-wise, the runways can be a dangerous place for people unfamiliar with them. Planes always have the right of way. Dubois said for someone driving in a car or even walking who is not used to looking up for planes, that can be a safety issue.
Security at the airport was put to the test Nov. 14 when Robert Hassam ran onto airport property after shooting a man at the nearby Independent Tire. He was pursued by police.
The shooter was caught and no one at the airport was harmed, but the day highlighted how security can be heightened at the airport.
The airport manager is the only one who can close the airport, although he has also given permission to whomever is in the control tower. When police were chasing Hassam in December, a police car went speeding down the runway while four planes were in the landing pattern. The person in the control tower saw what was happening and shut down the airport.
Dubois said airport officials will do more drills with the Police Department, so they will know where to go and whom to communicate with if they are responding to an emergency. The Fire Department had done drills in case of an airline crash, but Dubois said the November incident showed the need to also know how to treat the airport as a crime scene.
