Mainebiz

V O L . X X I N O. X X V N OV E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5 26 A t least twice a week, employees of and visitors to MMG Insurance Co. — a Presque Isle fi rm with locations in fi ve states — can be found at the nearby Northern Maine Regional Airport. ey can take advantage of the airport's general aviation facilities to house the company plane, as well as commercial fl ights to Boston on PenAir, as part of a busy schedule of travel and meetings among staff , business partners and vendors. "As it relates to northeast, rural Maine, the airport is critical, both in terms of access to this area and being able to reach out," says Matthew McHatten, chief operating offi cer at MMG. "It's been a big component in keeping northern Maine connected to the rest of the United States and, on some occasions, the world. Given our expan- sion to other states, it's important for a company headquartered here to be able to have commercial air service and general aviation. It allows us to be eff ective and connected." Northern Maine Regional is one of 35 public use airports in Maine that are eligible to receive federal, state and local funding — and throughout Maine upgrades are in the works. e smaller airports are essential to connect rural areas to business centers elsewhere. e small airports provide a slew of general aviation services such as facilities for corporate travel, pilot train- ing, agricultural spraying, recreational fl ying and just-in-time shipping. ey serve as a gateway for visitors, law enforcement, environmental patrol, emergency medical evacuation, forest fi refi ghting, aerial photography, traffi c-and-news reporting, air shows and aviation clubs. e small airports fi ll in the gaps for commercial passengers that might more regularly rely on larger airports in Portland, Bangor or Augusta. 'The airport allows us to be competitive' Northern Maine Regional is unique because there's no other regional airport for quite a distance: e nearest is Bangor International, a 2 ½-hour drive. e airport is also diff erent for being located in an indus- trial park, whose businesses rely on it not only for business travel but to ship materials and products. "Just because we're located this far north, it doesn't mean we operate in a bubble," says Martin Puckett, Presque Isle's city manager. " e airport allows us to be competitive. We're seeing busi- nesses in the industrial park expanding because of their proximity to the airport. A lot of businesses shipping throughout the Northeast have told me it doesn't make sense to be in northern Maine. What makes sense is to be near the airport." According to the Maine Department of Trans- portation's latest aviation report, published in 2006, Maine's airports generated $1.5 billion in economic activity, comprising 3.3% of Maine's estimated gross state product. at fi gure represents direct impacts, such as airport employees and the sale of fuel and other services, and secondary impacts, such as taxi service and lodgings patronized by people fl ying in, says Scott Rol- lins, assistant director of MDOT's Bureau of Planning. Maine's most highly used airports tend to be those that are near higher concentrations of popula- tion and areas characterized by business and com- mercial development. But they are just as important in Maine's remote areas, many serving businesses that fl y personnel, equipment and products. Services and facilities — such as fuel, maintenance and repair, fl ight training, medical evacuation, search and rescue, rental and charter, long runways and precise approach capabilities — are keys to attracting locally based and transient aviation demand. Sometime, employers consider the existence and effi ciency of air transpor- tation facilities when expanding or developing. $6M in improvements in Waterville At the Robert LaFleur Airport in Waterville, air- port manager Randy Marshall Jr. hopes that about $6 million in recent investment will stimulate an increase in traffi c. "When I took over operations as manager in 2011, I didn't feel comfortable or ready to market the airport until we addressed certain problems," he says. " e runways were in poor condition. Our services weren't capable of accommodating many aircraft, especially during the winter. We weren't able to drain lavatories" or off er de-icing. "So people would go to Bangor or Portland." Infrastructure improvements were made, largely funded by Federal Aviation Administration grants, and the airport and the city of Waterville paid another approximately $300,000 for equipment such as de-icers, ground power apparatus, aircraft tugs, mowers and a fuel truck. "Previously, the condition of the airfi eld and lack of services, coupled with the lack of businesses available to service aircraft and pilots, basically crippled the airport in terms of being capable of fulfi lling its role in the community as an economic engine for central Maine. Our primary goal is to position ourselves to attract businesses to Waterville and central Maine." at leaves LaFleur and its adjacent business park, leveraged by their status as a free-trade zone, poised to enhance services to existing customers, attract new business, and eventually re-establish commercial passenger service, last off ered in the 1970s, Marshall says. "We have room for development," he says. "We want to see corporations come in, set up shop and know they'll be able to get the services they need. e projects we're doing to secure business and traffi c coincide with that long-term goal to secure commer- cial traffi c. We won't be landing 747s, but it would be a good, regional hub. One of the things the airport needs in order to achieve that is private investment. I'm hoping people will see that the city, state and fed- eral government have been wiling to invest, and that will set the precedent for private investment in the facility and therefore in the community." Airport improvement grants Maine's 35 airports that are part of the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems are eligible to receive FAA Airport Improvement Program grants — money that comes from taxes on airline tickets, aviation fuel, aircraft registrations, and other aviation-related fees — that help airports with infrastructure needs, which in turn directly benefi ts local economies by providing work to local contractors. FAA pays 90% of the cost of a project and the rest is split between the MDOT and the airport's operations budget. anks to FAA fund- ing, the condition of Maine's airports is on par with those in other states, says Rollins. Knox County Regional Airport, in Owls Head, has received about $7 million from the FAA, combined with 5% matches from the state and county, over the past fi ve years, for improvements such as terminal construction; pavement, runway and road projects; and obstruction and wildlife mitigation. Further runway and apron improvements are projected into 2018. P H O T O / DAV E C L O U G H F O C U S Airports equal commerce Small airports a lifeline for rural companies B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r Jeff Northgraves, manager of the Knox County Regional Airport in Owls Head. The airport, which offers commercial service through CapeAir, is undergoing $7 million in upgrades.

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