Councilors question BIA practice of bidding on outside projects

BANGOR – City councilors here will review Bangor International Airport’s little-known practice of bidding against private sector businesses for runway projects at other airports.

The issue came to light this week when the Houlton Town Council awarded the city-owned BIA a $12,798 contract over three private companies to paint the runway at Houlton International Airport.

Blaine Jackett, the owner of Jackett Enterprises, a Houlton-based property maintenance company, said he didn’t blame the Houlton council for accepting the bid, which was about $4,000 less than the next lowest bidder and less than half of his price.

But he did find fault with a large, publicly owned airport competing against private companies in a weak economy.

“I don’t think it’s right using public money to put small business at a disadvantage,” Jackett said Thursday. “I think the people of Bangor would be saying, ‘Let’s just mind our own business instead of causing a ruckus among other contractors in other places.”‘

Jackett was not the only one to question the BIA bid, with some Bangor city councilors calling for a review of the airport’s practice of competing against private business.

“If we have employees to send out to other airports in Aroostook County, maybe we have too many employees out at the airport,” said City Councilor Dan Tremble, who, like other councilors reached Thursday, was unaware of BIA’s role in the Houlton project.

BIA Director Rebecca Hupp said the airport has completed four similar painting projects at airports in Augusta, Auburn, Princeton and Old Town.

BIA is owned by the city, but the airport’s budget is separate from the city’s general fund. City officials stressed that the airport is funded through airport revenues, not taxpayer dollars.

The absence of Bangor taxpayer dollars prompted Houlton officials to accept BIA’s low bid, according to Houlton Town Councilor Dorothy Donahue.

“We discussed it and we found nothing wrong with it,” she said. “Plus it was a lot, lot less.”

Bangor City Councilor Joe Baldacci also approved of the BIA pursuit of the project as well as the added revenue.

“The bottom line is that if it helps [BIA’s] financial position, it helps the taxpayer of Bangor,” Baldacci said. “In an economic sense, it helps Houlton as well as Bangor.”

But Bangor Mayor Michael Crowley was less enthusiastic.

“I do appreciate that BIA is taking measures to assist regional airports,” said Crowley. “But I’m not a fan of municipalities competing with the private sector in any circumstance.

“If anything, it’s politically incorrect and we will further investigate this to understand the scope of the city of Bangor’s gain at the expense of local businesses,” he continued.

City Solicitor Norman Heitmann said the city does provide surrounding towns with certain services, including maintenance of traffic lights and billing for ambulance services.

But those services differ from the BIA situation, Heitmann believed, because not all of them are awarded in a competitive bidding process against private companies.

Jonathan Daniels, the city’s business and economic development director, who oversees airport operations, was made aware of the situation Thursday evening.

“We’ll be looking into this immediately,” Daniels said.