WATERVILLE — Robert LaFleur Municipal Airport will get some spiffing up this summer, both inside and outside the terminal, if all goes according to plan.
The work with help from federal funding is part of a plan by the city to attract more jets and other aircraft to the city-owned airport, according to Council Chairman Fred Stubbert, D-Ward 1.
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Now is a prime time for the work, because part of the Augusta airport’s main runway is closed for construction and some jets are unable to land there, he said.
“We’ve got, probably, the third best airport in the state, behind Bangor and Portland,” Stubbert said.
The city is trying to spiff up the airport as a way of attracting customers and making it welcoming in the hopes that they return, he said.
The airport has already seen some increase in traffic because of the work in Augusta, according to Roy and Stubbert.
City officials expect to hear soon if Waterville will be awarded an $800,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to rebuild and pave the cross wind runway, according to City Manager Michael Roy. The city and state would pitch in matches of five percent each for the project.
“I think that we’ll certainly hear within a month,” Roy said Thursday.
City councilors will review bids for painting the airport terminal building exterior on June 5. The project is expected to cost $20,000, according to Roy.
Improvements also are expected inside the terminal, according to Public Works Director Mark Turner, who oversees the airport. Those improvements will include painting and new floors.
Funding in the upcoming city budget will also allow part-time assistant airport manager Randy Marshall to become the full-time manager starting July 1, Turner said.
“He will be the day-to-day manager there,” Turner said. “He’ll handle personnel, and every detail of the airport will be handled by him, and he’s very good at it.”
Marshall said Friday that the terminal’s blue exterior will be painted green with tan accents to coordinate with hangars at the airport.
“We’re working on more of a Maine theme outside the terminal and we’re going to try to bring that inside,” he said.
Marshall helped create a website and Facebook page for the airport, as well as a new logo. Photos are posted regularly on Facebook, he said.
Marshall previously worked at Telford Aviation, which handled daily operations at the airport. He is excited about the regional airport’s role, saying it plays an essential role in the economy.
He’s also hopeful for more improvements and activity there.
“It’s very exciting — and a lot more to come,” he said. “It’s going to be a very busy next couple of years.”
Amy Calder — 861-9247
acalder@centralmaine.com
Nugget:
Robert LaFleur Municipal Airport
Where: Airport Road, off Kennedy Memorial Drive
For information : 861-8013 or watervilleairport.org or Facebook.com/lafleurairport
For information on airport flight school, Airlink, LLC: airlinkconnection.com
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