The 73-year old Biddeford City Airport is threatened to be shut down for good at a heft cost of $3 million by voters in June's upcoming general election.
The 126-acre property is the base of 47 planes, half of which are corporate-owned. The property is worth $1.6 million and the airport takes in about $56,000 annually from sales of gas, property taxes, and land leases, according to Biddeford City Manager John Bubier.
The 126-acre property is the base of 47 planes, half of which are corporate-owned. The property is worth $1.6 million and the airport takes in about $56,000 annually from sales of gas, property taxes, and land leases, according to Biddeford City Manager John Bubier.
Records from the city manager's office indicate the expensive costs to maintain the aiport. In recent years, running the aiport including maintenance, utilities and improvements came to a total of $47,000 in 2006, $72,000 in 2007 and $60,000 just last year.
"Once we started looking at the airport, we came to the conclusion that there is no financial benefit at its existing size and capacity," said Paul Archambault, Chairman of Save Our Little Aiport (SOLA). "It continues to be a tax burden."
Phyllis Landry who keeps a single-engine Cessna sky Pilot 180 at Biddeford City Airport and has been flying out of the airport for 25 years, supports its saving, "I love this airport. If I couldn't fly out of here I'd have to go to Sanford or Portland."
The airport stirred up some controversy a few years ago when it began enforcing federal safety regulations because it was at risk of losing funding from the Federal Aviation Afdministration. In compliance with these regulations, the airport began cutting down trees and blocking public access to the popular space. "We have pedestrians, motorcycles, four-wheelers (and) ATVs all using it," said Airport Manager, Tom Bryand. "They just use it as a backyard and that's against regulations."
This issue has gone on unresolved and left a tension between airport officials and surrounding Biddeford residents.
"Once we started looking at the airport, we came to the conclusion that there is no financial benefit at its existing size and capacity," said Paul Archambault, Chairman of Save Our Little Aiport (SOLA). "It continues to be a tax burden."
Phyllis Landry who keeps a single-engine Cessna sky Pilot 180 at Biddeford City Airport and has been flying out of the airport for 25 years, supports its saving, "I love this airport. If I couldn't fly out of here I'd have to go to Sanford or Portland."
The airport stirred up some controversy a few years ago when it began enforcing federal safety regulations because it was at risk of losing funding from the Federal Aviation Afdministration. In compliance with these regulations, the airport began cutting down trees and blocking public access to the popular space. "We have pedestrians, motorcycles, four-wheelers (and) ATVs all using it," said Airport Manager, Tom Bryand. "They just use it as a backyard and that's against regulations."
This issue has gone on unresolved and left a tension between airport officials and surrounding Biddeford residents.
Biddeford resident, Roland Pelletier who has lived next to the runway for 24 years, commented on an online poll regarding the issue, "Noise does not bother me, these planes, except for the WWII toys, do not both me. Taking my money bothers me, airplanes right over the schools where my grandchildren go bothers me. NTSB has a report of a pilot, who was also an instructor pilot, hit the trees at the end of the runway because he did not do a correct pre-flight check and at take off speed could not pull back on his controls because he forgot to take off his control lock. Some residents no longer have trees to protect them, this bothers me. I still have a good tree barrier to stop a plane and reduce noise."
"Sure this started out as a fight between trees and public access," said Archambault. "But its just not about that any more. Now its about money, too."
"Sure this started out as a fight between trees and public access," said Archambault. "But its just not about that any more. Now its about money, too."
The City Council really hasn't come down on one side of the issue or the other," said Bubier. "I think they'd prefer to have the voters settle this one."
Voters will be able to decide the fate of the Biddeford City Airport for the June 4 general election in Biddeford, Maine on the referendum question, "Shall the city authorize the Airport Authority to close the Biddeford City Airport at a cost of about $3 million, to be taken from general operating funds?"
No comments:
Post a Comment