Houlton panel to decide on roof repair funding

HOULTON – A public hearing is all that stands in the way of an effort to stop the leaky hangar roof at the Houlton International Airport.

Town councilors will decide Monday evening whether to take money from the town’s surplus account to pay for the repairs. Last month, panelists voted to accept the $71,111 bid from Caribou-based Powers Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc., to replace the rubber membrane of the hangar roof.

Town Manager Douglas Hazlett said Friday he had not heard from anyone who disagreed with using surplus funds to make the repairs.

“The council has already voted to do it, so unless someone steps forward from the public and changes their minds, it is likely going to happen,” he noted.

There has been some concern among councilors about taking the money from the surplus coffers – the board already took $500,000 from the account in June to offset taxation and lower the mill rate.

Both time and heavy rain have taken their toll on the canopy of the 20,000-square-foot hangar, which has been leaking badly for years. The hangar, which houses approximately 24 planes, would cost an estimated $6 million to replace and is considered a valuable asset to the town.

Last month, Hazlett told councilors that he did not think that the town could delay repairs to the 30-year-old roof any longer.

“It is not going to make it through another winter without being a liability,” he stressed.

Town officials had sought other sources of funding to pay for the repairs, including grants and money from the Federal Aviation Administration, but were unsuccessful.

The manager explained last month that the town could treat the roof repair as if it were a budgeted item that they just had to complete earlier than expected. That way, officials could make up the expense in next year’s budget so that residents would not see a tax increase.