MARLBORO — The owner of Marlboro Airport filed a federal lawsuit today against the U.S. Secret Service seeking $700,000 to recover the cost of runway damages after a surprise visit last year by President Obama.
The complaint comes after a claim by the small airport off Route 20 was denied by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to the airport's lawyer, Evans J. Carter of Framingham. The complaint was filed today in U.S. District Court in Worcester.
On April 1, 2010, President Obama landed in a helicopter at the airport, one of a handful of privately owned airports in the state. The president was on his way to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Framingham.
In previous interviews, G. Robert Stetson Jr., who owns the airport at 685 Farm Road, said he received a surprise phone call from the presidential entourage's frontman. The president had been in Maine and wanted to visit while Massachusetts worked on recovery efforts after devastating floods ripped through the state.
The president landed in a Marine helicopter and hopped into one of his limousines.
“In supporting the visit, the airport suffered significant damage to its property and particularly to the paved areas of the airport runway and taxiways and also significantly damaged the airport turf or grassed in areas,” the complaint states.
Officials allegedly assured the airport that the helicopters would not damage the runway, which has a 9,000-pound clearance. The six Marine helicopters did not damage the runway, the complaint states.
“However, ground vehicles brought onto the airport by or under the Secret Service, such as, but not limited to, a ‘foam truck,' which weighs approximately 44,000 pounds, was negligently driven onto the airport…,” the complaint said.
The damage is listed as $676,048.13. Through his lawyer, Mr. Stetson said no one cleared the use of the ground vehicles on the airport or checked the limitations of the airport.
The claim is that the Secret Service failed to verify the airport's load limit and brought equipment that was too heavy onto the paved area.
Mr. Carter said his client's claim could have been higher because the ability to fully operate the airport has been affected. They opted to ask just for the damage amount and hope a federal magistrate judge can quickly mediate the claim.
He was surprised the government denied their claim. A bad winter could worsen the conditions of the pavement damaged during the visit, Mr. Evans said.
“The client is anxious to keep it open and going,” Mr. Carter said. “There aren't too many small airports in the area. It would be a shame to do anything that would have an adverse effect on its operations.”
A Secret Service spokesman said the agency cannot comment on pending litigation.
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Lawsuit: Obama Visit Caused $676K In Airport Damage – Boston Business Journal
President Barack Obama’s entourage for a 2010 visit to Massachusetts caused $676,048 in damage to Marlborough Airport – and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has refused to compensate the company that runs the field, a suit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court alleges.
Obama landed at the field on April 1, 2010, so Obama could visit an emergency bunker in the state.
Marlborough Airport Properties Inc. states in its complaint that prior to the visit, the squadron that runs the Marine One helicopter – the designation given to any helicopter carrying the president – established that the aircraft would not damage the tarmac. Indeed, the suit states, the helicopter “did not cause any property damage to the runway.”
“However,” the suit continues, “ground vehicles brought onto the airport by or under the Secret Service, such as, but not limited to, a ‘foam truck,’ which weighs approximately 44,000 pounds, (were) negligently driven onto the airport and proximately caused property damage in an amount of $676,048.13.”
“Turf or grassed-in areas” also were “significantly damaged,” the suit states.
“As to ground vehicles, there was no clearance in advance,” the suit states.
The suit says the company asked the government for compensation and was denied.
“They stated we haven’t shown or proven any negligence,” Evans J. Carter, the lawyer for the airport operator, said in a telephone interview.
Marlborough Airport Properties is seeking a jury trial.
Obama has returned to the state several times since then.
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