Danvers Forwards Top Choice For Beverly Airport Commission

DANVERS, MA — William Kossowan, a longtime Danvers resident with three decades of experience working with the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Defense, was the Danvers Select Board's pick to represent the town on the Beverly Airport Commission on Tuesday amid ongoing tensions among neighbors about flight traffic and airport noise.

The Select Board voted 3-2 to forward Kossowan as the town's choice to the Beverly mayor's office for a recommendation to the Beverly City Council for approval.

Kossowan was chosen out of five candidates who spoke to the Select Board over two sessions this spring with Kossowan using his time to lay out his 30-year history in airport operations and aviation safety, as well as concrete steps he would push for on the commission to reduce noise on the Danvers side of the runways.

Kossowan said on June 6 that he would advocate for the immediate installation of jet blast deflectors, which redirect exhaust from jet engines up and away from abutters, as well as add sound buffers to the airport fence and provide soundproofing to the adjacent neighborhoods.

He also advocated instituting a $30 fee per landing for all flight schools not based out of Beverly — which he said is the practice at Hanscom, Lawrence and Nantucket.

"This could conceivably ramp down the touch-and-go traffic off-base flight schools and individuals," he said.

He added that Beverly Airport also currently has the least expensive fuel in Eastern Mass., which lures extra traffic from jet owners who can save thousands of dollars by filling up in Beverly over Hanscom or Nantucket. He said he would move to increase municipal fees to help even that out and potentially earn revenue for the airport and surrounding communities.

Kossowan also said he would work to revamp the website so that it provides real-time information and contacts, as well as hire a wildlife officer to help control animals that can cause dangerous airline collisions.

"What I talk about is all pretty commonsense," he told the Select Board on June 6.

In debating the endorsed candidate, Select Board members expressed a desire to put forward someone who was sensitive to the residents' concerns, while still having extensive experience, and not someone who would advocate for the airport's interests over those of the Danvers neighbors.

Kossowan told the Select Board on June 6 that he owns two properties in Danvers, where his family has lived for five generations.

Among the credentials he cited was being named a 2013 FAA Distinguished Aviator for his contributions to aviation safety.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)