As a busy summer of air traffic reaches its peak, the Martha’s Vineyard Airport is taking steps to better manage congestion on surrounding roadways, airport director Geoffrey Freeman said this week.

“With the success of a busy summer comes issues and headaches for the airport and the community surrounding us,” Mr. Freeman told the airport commission at its regular meeting Thursday afternoon. “We are trying our hardest to adjust and work through these problems.”

To help with the backlog of vehicle traffic on the West Tisbury Road when flights are landing, Mr. Freeman said a police officer is now stationed at the intersection of the airport and West Tisbury roads around midday.

“It has been working during those periods of time, again it’s not covering every single flight,” Mr. Freeman said. “It’s not a perfect solution but it’s something that we’re trying,” he said.

The airport has also fielded many complaints from neighbors who live in the flight paths over air traffic and aircraft noise this year due to the increase in jet activity, Mr. Freeman said.

“We can’t levy fines we can’t restrict flight patterns, the airport is very tied in what it can actually do to alleviate noise,” he said. “But what the FAA does require us to do is to educate the public.”

To do that end, he said a committee will be formed of both residents and airport staff to meet with the FAA and discuss the issues.

Mr. Freeman also said Jet Blue will likely be dropping back to five flights per day from the current seven. Logistics, staffing and available space at the airport are all factors in the decision, he said.

In other business Thursday, commissioners voted 4-3 to raise wastewater rates by two cents per gallon, effective Jan. 1, 2022.

The airport has its own watewater treatment plant that services the surrounding business park as well as the terminal. About four years ago, an analysis determined that the break-even cost of treating wastewater at the airport plant was eight cents per gallon. The rate was increased to eight cents all at once, which was met with resistance from some tenants in the business park. As a result, the fee was lowered to three cents, where it has stayed.

Commisioners debated the pros and cons of the rate hike.

Richard Knabel, chairman of the finance committee, advocated for the rate increase and said it was warranted due to future construction costs at the plant, which is set to undergo upgrades at some point.

“Of course, we don’t know how much the total cost is going to be, we don’t know what the financing actually is going to be,” Mr. Knabel said.

But commission chairman Robert Rosenbaum had concerns.

“That is a 66 per cent increase of the rate and that’s a significant jump,” he said. “My thinking was nothing to do with the renovation of wastewater because we don’t know really how much it’s going to be . . . I’m just really concerned about . . . the message it’s going to send out there.”

Finally, Mr. Freeman gave special recognition to wastewater plant manager Mike Elderidge, who is retiring.

“I’d just like to say that Mike has been instrumental in so many ways to this airport for a very long period of time,” Mr. Freeman said. “Up until recently single handedly, literally single handedly, managed the wastewater facility for us 24 hours a day seven days a week for years.” He continued:

“It’s quite an accomplishment, given the fact that the plant is of the age that it is and the things that we’re in the process of moving forward with. Mike has been a personal inspiration to me and a mentor — he’s always been there to help us up on the operation side of things.”

The commission voted to name the plant after Mr. Elderidge for his work.