New airport manager hired Colorado man to take leadership post at Presque Isle facility

PRESQUE ISLE – A new airport manager has been hired for Northern Maine Regional Airport.

Bert VerHaar of Steamboat Springs, Colo., was approved for the position Monday by the City Council. He will begin his duties March 31.

VerHaar replaces Greg Willard, who left the post last December to become assistant federal security director for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration in Bangor.

VerHaar holds a master’s degree in aeronautical science with a concentration in aviation and aerospace management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla.

He also holds a bachelor’s degree in professional aeronautics from Embry-Riddle, as well as an associate degree in aviation operations from Troy State University in Troy, Ala.

VerHaar is employed as a projects manager for the Spectrum Air Center at Yampa Valley Regional Airport in Hayden, Colo. He also has served as airport manager and superintendent of operations at Yampa Valley, as well as capital projects manager for Juneau International Airport in Juneau, Alaska.

A helicopter pilot and former air traffic controller for the U.S. Army, VerHaar was airport manager from 1989 to 1998 at Illesheim Army Airfield in Illesheim, Germany.

“He brings a lot to the table here,” Tom Stevens, Presque Isle city manager, said Tuesday, adding that VerHaar was chosen from more than 45 applicants from across the country.

“He’ll be a good addition to the well-qualified airport staff,” Stevens said.

The council also decided Monday to apply for a federal Fire Act grant to help cover the cost of replacing the Fire Department’s 23-year-old aerial ladder truck.

The cost to replace the truck has been estimated at $650,000.

A local match of at least 10 percent is required to apply for the grant, according to Stevens. However, the larger the local match, the better the chances of success in receiving federal funding, he said.

After considerable discussion, the council settled on a 25 percent match, Stevens said.