6 sites studied for Down East airport

MACHIAS – Consulting engineers soon will zero in on one of six suggested sites for a new regional airport with a runway long enough for corporate jets.

The town commissioned an airport study last summer that may lead to the building of a replacement airport in six to 10 years.

With no tower and just a 2,900-foot-long runway, the Machias Valley Airport can accommodate only single-engine aircraft. A larger airport serving the Machias area could lead to economic development Down East, says Christine Therrien, the Machias town manager who doubles as airport manager.

A planning advisory committee, headed by Therrien, will reconvene in November or December to hear consulting engineers specify a likely location within 15 miles of Machias. A public meeting will be held on the same day, according to the study’s work plan.

Funded by a $160,000 federal grant, the study was sponsored by Machias, the state Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The six sites under consideration fall within the towns of Jonesboro, Whitneyville (two locations), Northfield, Meddybemps and East Machias.

Therrien declined to be more specific about the sites, some of which are now forested and undeveloped. Revealing the recommended sites could escalate the price tags of the properties, she said.

“The discussion of a full-service airport has been on the radar screen for some time,” said Christopher Spruce, a planner with the Sunrise County Economic Council. “But it’s coming together now because of the confluence of the update of the Machias airport’s master plan, plus the increasing belief among many people associated with economic and community development that a full-service airport is an integral part of your infrastructure.

“We are an awfully car-dependent county down here,” Spruce said. “We have two great roads in Route 9 and Route 1, but that’s really our sole way to get out here.”

The potential site needs to be as close to Route 1 as possible, with a clear approach and minimal environmental effect, Spruce said.

The Machias Valley Airport is off Route 1, one mile southwest of the town center. Its relatively short, single runway was constructed in 1987. Any extension would be curtailed by the physical limitations of both the Machias River and Route 1.

From a regional perspective, DOT’s Office of Passenger Transportation supports enhancing the area’s aviation infrastructure with a so-called Level 1 facility.

A Level 1 facility would have a runway of 5,000 feet or longer and provide facilities and services for all aircraft types, including jets.

The nearest airport with a 5,000-foot runway to Machias is the Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport in Trenton – approximately 90 minutes away by car.

Machias Valley Airport has no hangars or fuel service.

Jennifer O’Bryon, an aviation planner with the Office of Passenger Transportation, is following the Machias developments.

“A few years ago, Machias was up to spend a lot of money on rehabbing its runway, lights, apron and terminal area, as well as taking care of obstruction approaches,” O’Bryon said. “Basically, they would be rebuilding its airport.

“When we looked at that, we thought it might be a good idea to re-evaluate whether the current airport was meeting the needs of the community, before we poured more money in,” she said.

That led to an airport master-plan update that considered how reasonable it was to build new infrastructure when a new location might better serve the community in the long run, O’Bryon said.

There are no numbers that track the use of the Machias Valley Airport. But O’Bryon said the airport is used by Down East Community Hospital, the University of Maine at Machias and the blueberry industry.

“The Civil Air Patrol has a training facility there, and other people fly in for sporting camps or second homes. And banks also fly people in and out,” O’Bryon said.

Corporate or charter aircraft are not allowed to use the airport because of its limitations.