Airports receive federal grants
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Maine airports in Bangor, Frenchville, Norridgewock and Presque Isle will share over $2.6 million, awarded recently by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Sens. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins joined in congratulating the Maine facilities.
“It is important that we continually invest in and improve Maine’s airports, both big and small, so that we may enhance and maintain critical infrastructure to ensure uninterrupted operations at all of these airports,” said Sens. Snowe and Collins, in a joint statement.
Of the $2,641,846 awarded, in Aroostook, funding will be distributed as follows:
• $285,000 to the Northern Aroostook Regional Airport Authority, with funding used to construct a taxiway and rehabilitate a runway; and
• $35,031 to the city of Presque Isle, with the money used to help purchase snow removal equipment and runway rehabilitation.
“About $21,000 will go toward crack sealing, with the remainder going to buy a 19-foot snowplow blade to replace a blade we’ve had since 1989,” said NMRA Manager Scott Wardwell.
Wardwell said typically the Federal Aviation Administration requires equipment be replaced every 10 years, noting that anything older than that is considered to have zero value.
“Our maintenance foreman does such a nice job keeping things up, we were able to use our old equipment far beyond its expected replacement date. Equipment at the airport doesn’t see road salt, so therefore it lasts longer,” said Wardwell.
The remainder of the money — just over $14,000 — will be used for crack sealing maintenance.
Congressman Mike Michaud stressed the importance of such grants to airports and the communities they serve.
“These grants will make improvements to Maine’s smaller airports, which is critical for increasing travel and creating new economic opportunities in the more rural parts of our state,” said Michaud, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
“I am pleased to see the FAA recognizing the importance of Maine’s rural airports. Infrastructure investments like these create jobs and help to boost Maine’s economy over the long term,” Michaud said.
