Security plans squeeze small Maine airports

OWLS HEAD – The stricter security measures ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration will be costly to all Maine commercial airports, no matter their size. The security measures were instituted in the aftermath of Tuesday’s terrorist hijacking and suicide crashes of four commercial airliners in New York City, Washington, D.C., and rural Pennsylvania.

Because the airports all are municipally owned, the cost of implementing those security measures will likely be borne by taxpayers.

That was the observation of managers of three of the state’s regional airports on Friday. Along with their larger counterparts in Bangor, Portland and Augusta, the regional airports in Owls Head, Bar Harbor and Presque Isle already have heightened their security measures and are ready to resume flights.

The managers stressed that the measures the airports have put in place were temporary at this point and that major investments would be necessary to implement the measures over the long term.

“The immediate costs to initially get the airport in compliance have been minimal,” said general manager Greg Grotton of the Knox County Regional Airport. “But, if we want to put them in place permanently, there will be a major increase in the cost of operating the airport.

“We do have everything under control and cleared at this point, but we do not have things permanently in place.”

The security measures apply only to airports that provide commercial flights or offer connecting flights through larger airports, such as Portland or Boston. Knox County Airport, Bar Harbor Airport and Northern Maine Regional Airport in Presque Isle offer connector flights from US Air Express through Colgan Air.

General aviation airports, which offer facilities for private planes, are not required to meet federal security measures.

The key ingredients in the new measures require that vehicles be parked no closer than 300 feet to terminal buildings and that uniformed security officers be present in the building during flight periods. The regional airports already have metal detectors and X-ray machines in operation.

Grotton said the Knox County Sheriff’s Department had agreed to station deputies at the airport during flight periods for the time being. He said that at some point, the county would have to decide whether to assign deputies to the airport full time or deal with it internally.

“Either way, I do expect to have some type of separate security operation in place in the future,” said Grotton.

Bob Cossette, general manager of the Bar Harbor Airport in Trenton, said the new security measures brought a halt to the airport’s plans for a new parking area. He said the project would need to be entirely redesigned because about half of the new lot fell within the 300-foot perimeter. The airport already had been forced close its existing parking area because of that requirement.

“Our 100-unit terminal area parking lot is within 175 feet of the terminal building and has been closed,” Cossette said. “Right now we’re parking cars in fields.”

The general manager said the measures in place were satisfactory for the time being but the facility would need a major infusion of capital to implement them over the long term. Cossette said he was scheduled to meet with the Hancock County commissioners Monday to discuss the matter of airport security.

“We are looking at incurring substantial costs for security personnel and new parking facilities,” he said.

Northern Maine Regional Airport is owned by the city of Presque Isle, and the Police Department already has agreed to provide security coverage with uniformed officers, airport manager Greg Willard said Friday. Willard said the airport was able to extend its perimeter around the terminal by installing temporary barriers. Some parking was lost by extending the perimeter.

Willard said the airport was set for the short term but that an evaluation would be needed in the event the outer perimeter and other security issues need to be a permanent.

“We’ve been very well supported by our local community,” Willard said. “Our Police Department is close enough that they are going to give us the support we need, at least initially. Right now, this is not a long-term cure. In the event we find law enforcement officers are needed on a long-term basis, we will have to address that.

“I think we all assume the measures will be long-term and if they are, we will have to work up a redesign in the capital improvement program,” he said.