With an extension of the comment period on the proposal to extend the main runway at Green Airport, Mayor Scott Avedisian’s cool stance to the Federal Aviation Administration has warmed…somewhat.

On Tuesday the FAA responded to the mayor’s request that the city and others be afforded more time to analyze and comment on the recently released 5,000-page draft environmental impact statement of plans that, among several projects, includes extending the main runway to the south by about 1,600 feet and moving the shorter crosswind runway to the north by 100 feet so as to comply with runway safety zone requirements. Pointing out the extensive nature of the study and the fact it has taken six years to get to this juncture, Avedisian asked that the deadline for comments be extended from Aug. 30 to Oct. 17.

In a letter to the FAA, Avedisian wrote the limited period for comment “is not only unreasonable but appears to be an attempt to suppress legitimate public participation.”

The FAA met the mayor half way and moved the deadline to Sept. 15.

“We are very happy that the FAA has agreed to an extension of the public comment period. Although not as long an extension as we had hoped, it will give the city the necessary time to prepare a detailed response,” Avedisian said.

Referencing a meeting he had last week with FAA regional chief LaVerne Reid, Avedisian said, “We have had some discussions about the public hearing and the format that will be used. They have been very accommodating of suggestions that we have made that will allow residents to receive information that is helpful and detailed. We have also scheduled a follow-up meeting with the FAA to take place after the public hearing so that we can continue to address issues that arise.”

The comments are in contrast with Avedisian’s terse reaction to the release of the draft EIS on July 9. He was critical of the FAA for failing to brief the administration, although such a briefing was conducted for the news media, and for reneging on its promise to keep the city apprized of developments.

A FAA spokeswoman said the extended comment period would not alter the public hearing set for Aug. 17 at 6 p.m. at the Knight Campus of CCRI. A brief overview of the $455 million project will be presented at the start of the meeting with public comments to follow.