Mass. Airport Mediation over Secret Service Damage

Marlboro Airport in Massachusetts is suing the United States Secret Service for just under $700,000 in property damage allegedly caused by an April Fool’s Day visit a couple of years ago by the President. The owners of the public facility and the government have agreed to sit down and will try to work things out in order to avoid a trial set for the end of this summer. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman of Worcester sent the case to mediation. The lawsuit claims Marine helicopters and an armored convoy, including a twenty ton fire-suppression truck and other security vehicles, tore up the 1,682-foot runway and grass apron. This happened during the Commander-in-Chief’s April 1, 2010 surprise visit to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency bunker in Framingham, around the time of record rainfall and flooding there. According to court filings, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division reported finding widespread damage to Marlboro Airport it attributed to the visit. The report cites moderate to serious cracks and ruts along the entire length of the runway with pavement breakup, which “was further damaged by the heavy vehicles and helicopters of the presidential security details.” See stories here- http://bit.ly/1a6CLGH and http://bo.st/9foi9Y