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V O L . X X I I N O. X X V O C T O B E R 3 1 , 2 0 1 6 26 T R A N S P O R TAT I O N / I N F R A S T R U C T U R E F O C U S "It doesn't give us more or less fund- ing than we're entitled to receive, but it gives us extra consideration if we're seeking discretionary funds," she says of Sanford's status as a reliever airport. Rogers says FAA's AIP is the pri- mary funding source for infrastructure needs at Sanford and the state's other public airports. " at's a government program that actually works very well," she says. " e AIP has its own trust fund, which receives 100% of its funding from aviation-generated user fees. A portion of each purchased air ticket goes into this fund. So if you don't fl y, you don't pay into this program." As a "non-primary general aviation airport," Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport is able to receive up to $150,000 each year to complete AIP-eligible projects under cur- rent FAA and Maine Department of Transportation funding formulas. e annual sum can also be carried for- ward for up to four years to accumu- late funding for more costly projects. AIP funding typically covers up to 90% of eligible costs. Larger, primary airports — which must have at least 10,000 yearly passengers to qualify — are entitled to at least $1 million annually. An airport's master plan, outlining its capital improvement and infrastruc- ture needs in fi ve-year increments for up to 20 years, provides the essential documentation needed to qualify for those federal AIP funds. at's why, soon after becoming Sanford's airport manager in June 2013, Rogers made it a top priority to update the airport's 2003 master plan, a project she says was paid for using AIP funds. Completed in October 2015, the updated master plan already is advanc- ing two of the Sanford airport's top goals: 1), improving its safety and secu- rity and, 2), achieving and maintaining fi nancial self-suffi ciency. Rogers says the FAA and MDOT's acceptance of the updated plan's designation of specifi c areas of the airport's footprint as suitable for "non-aeronautical" uses is what paved the way for the city to approve in mid- October a long-term lease with Ranger Solar of Yarmouth for a utility-scale, 50-megawatt solar project that would be built on 390 acres of city-owned at the airport. When completed it would be one of the largest in Maine, providing enough electricity to power up to 20,000 homes, adding up to $80 » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E WWW.NEPREQUAL.COM Construction Prequalification Services INFORMATION ASSURANCE TRUST 103 Park Street Lewiston, ME 04243 Tel: (844)NEP-QUAL (637-7825) PREQUAL builds a BETTER project. WWW.NEPREQUAL.COM Construction Prequalification Services INFORMATION ASSURANCE TRUST 103 Park Street Lewiston, ME 04243 Tel: (844)NEP-QUAL (637-7825) PREQUAL builds a BETTER project. We don't just fly people out of Augusta. We don't just fly people out of Augusta. We don't just fly people out of Augusta. We don't just fly people out of Augusta. We don't just fly people out of Augusta. We don't just fly people out of Augusta. We don't just fly people out of Augusta. We don't just fly people out of Augusta. We don't just fly people out of Augusta. We don't just fly people out of Augusta. We don't just fly people out of Augusta. We don't just fly people out of Augusta. We don't just fly people out of Augusta. We don't just fly people out of Augusta. We serve a lot of airports in Maine. We serve a lot of airports in Maine. We serve a lot of airports in Maine. We serve a lot of airports in Maine. We serve a lot of airports in Maine. We serve a lot of airports in Maine. We serve a lot of airports in Maine. We serve a lot of airports in Maine. We serve a lot of airports in Maine. We serve a lot of airports in Maine. We serve a lot of airports in Maine. We serve a lot of airports in Maine. We serve a lot of airports in Maine. It's on-demand travel. — William Perry, president of Maine Instrument Flight million in new taxable property and creating approximately 94 construction jobs and up to 10 full-time positions. " ey've agreed to fence the airport for us, which at $150,000 a year [in AIP funding] would take 10 years," Rogers says. " e fence will keep wildlife out and improve the safety of the airport." e lease payments, she adds, are expected to more than cover the air- port's $200,000-plus annual oper- ating expenses. " is will make us fi nancially self-supporting," she says, fi guratively checking off the second of the airport's top goals. A pilot since high school and a 2008 graduate of the Florida Institute of Technology's bachelor's degree program in aviation management, Rogers credits her fi ve years working at the Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport with honing her strategic planning skills for identifying capital projects and business initiatives that help sustain an airport over the long term. Although the Sanford airport only has a little more than 100 aircraft based there, as a former Navy air base it's blessed with ample room for future growth. It has two runways — 6,389 feet and 5,000 feet respectively — which can accommodate the larg- est of corporate jets. Its geographic footprint covers 1,100 acres. Portland International Jetport, by comparison, encompasses 725 acres and has runways that are 7,200 feet and 6,100 feet long. "We could easily add 100 more han- gars here if we had to," she says, adding that keeping the Sanford airport's infrastructure in top shape is the key to its future growth and success. J M C , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r writer, can be reached at @ . and @ J M

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