P.I. Airport Looks to Attract Military Missions

Military aircraft missions may be on the horizon for the local airport, but city officials want a little time to think about it.

Airport Manager Scott Wardwell submitted a proposal about attracting military activity to the Northern Maine Regional Airport during the Presque Isle City Council's Monday night meeting.

Wardwell proposed that the city spend about $48,300 to hire consulting firm HNTB Corp., which would spend several months trying to attract a military mission to the Presque Isle airport.

He said the investment could result in one of three possibilities:

. Two to four trans-Atlantic flights, where planes would stop in Presque Isle for refueling on a regular basis.

. Four to eight plane deployments for as much as 10 days, which would mean about 12 to 24 aircraft per day at the airport.

. The location of a military unit at the airport.

Wardwell said any of the options would mean a lot more noise, but would also mean higher fuel sales and more airport activity.

The original price HNTB put on the table was almost $80,000, but Wardwell pointed out that the firm had never attempted this scope of work before. On top of the reduced price, officials tentatively negotiated an incentive package that would allow the company - if successful - to get 50 percent of the net revenues received, after expenses.

Wardwell proposed that the city pay the company by using funding from several airport reserve accounts. He reasoned that if officials are successful in bringing a military mission to the airport, it would mean a lot of more revenue for the city.

Councilors tabled the item until their next regular meeting, saying they wanted some time to think about it. They said they could see the potential benefits to the city, but had some concerns about the feasibility of the proposal. They will revisit the matter on June 4.

In other news, the council voted to submit a loan application for up to $6.3 million to the United States Department of Agriculture - Rural Development to fund an expansion and upgrade at the Presque Isle landfill. Dana Fowler, solid waste director, told councilors that the city likely will not need to borrow that much but wanted to ensure that enough funds were made available.

The project is expected to cost the city about $10.8 million over the course of 36 years. Fowler said about $5 million in project costs are expected to be covered by dedicated city reserve accounts.

He said the project is needed because the system that collects liquid from the 15-acre, 40-foot-deep pile of trash at the landfill is clogged. The city's three options are to close the landfill and build a new transfer station, to close it and truck waste to a neighboring landfill, or to cap the existing landfill and expand it.

Fowler said the last option would cost half as much as each of the other two options and would make the landfill operational for 36 years.

"This is the most cost-effective, long-term solution we could find," Fowler said.

He added that other communities affected by the decision - Mapleton, Castle Hill, Chapman, Perham, Wade and Washburn - have verbally "bought in" to the concept.

Fowler said the loan ultimately would require an increase in the solid waste department's budget, which will have to be passed on to the taxpayers, but he wasn't sure yet of the exact figures. Officials roughly estimated that the loan would cost the city about $200,000 per year.

Councilors noted, however, that the city really doesn't have a choice in the matter because it has to fix the problem or find another way to pay to get rid of its trash.

The council will hold its next meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, June 4, in council chambers.

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