Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger announced Thursday he is looking to extend the Vermont Air National Guard’s lease at the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport by 25 years.
The City Council is expected to vote on the matter at its next regular meeting on Oct. 23, according to a press release from the mayor’s office.
Home of the 158th Fighter Wing, the Vermont Air National Guard leases more than 281 acres at the Burlington airport, according to the release, and its current agreement extends another 25 years, until June 30, 2048. But Department of Defense regulations require that military installations have more than 25 years remaining on their lease to secure military construction funding, which prompted the Guard to seek an extension, according to the release.
The Guard has about $50 million worth of federally funded projects planned at the airport in the next five years, including $7.7 million worth of clean energy projects and $32 million for new net zero buildings. Without the lease extension, funding for these projects would be in jeopardy, according to the release.
In a statement in the release, Gov. Phil Scott called the extension “critical to ensure continued investment and support for those who serve all of us.”
Along with the lease extension, Weinberger said he hopes to execute a memorandum of understanding between the city and the Air National Guard of a joint commitment to reduce and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and airport noise — an issue that has long concerned residents in the city and surrounding communities.
The lease request is likely to reignite opposition from residents who have protested the Guard’s fleet of F-35 fighter jets.
