Panel tables computer upgrade at BIA

BANGOR – City councilors meeting Monday as the finance committee tabled action on an upgrade to the aging computer system at Bangor International Airport.

The matter was among several the panel discussed at length during a more than two-hour meeting at City Hall.

Despite a staff recommendation to move forward on the deal, city councilors deferred a recommendation on new computer hardware and software because they wanted more details and time to consider them.

Under the proposal being considered, the city and its fuel provider, ExxonMobil Aviation, would split the roughly $150,000 cost for upgrades.

As it stands, BIA owns and operates the fuel hydrant system and ExxonMobil provides the fuel. In 2004, councilors extended BIA’s agreement with the fuel company through 2018, with an option to renew through 2023.

Councilor Peter D’Errico, who served as airport director for many years before his retirement, questioned whether the city should be contributing to the upgrades’ cost at all.

“The bottom line is I’m not very happy with reimbursing Exxon for half the cost,” he said before asking that the deal be tabled so that the council could take a closer look.

A company called Cornerstone Logic would provide the airport management software, while software developed by a company called Varec would monitor the airport’s fuel farm operations.

D’Errico said he was not opposing the staff recommendation and that his motion to table the matter was “no reflection on ExxonMobil” and recent negative publicity about its record profits in the face of the nation’s oil crisis.

BIA Director Rebecca Hupp and Airport Finance Manager Penelope Olson, however, said the airport actually would realize more benefit from the upgrade than ExxonMobil.

Besides fuel sales, the system would track landing fees, passenger handling fees and other services for which BIA charges, they said.

Councilor Frank Farrington wanted to know how long the new system would last.

Olson said that the service agreement with the software providers provided automatic regular upgrades, and that BIA likely wouldn’t need to pay for a major upgrade for at least seven years. Electronic meters being eyed for the fuel trucks likely would last 120 years.

Farrington asked if a delay until the next finance committee meeting would create any problems. Hupp said it wouldn’t.

“We felt it was more important to get the right system,” she said. “I don’t think that two weeks is going to be detrimental.”