Staff Writer
HOULTON — Houlton’s International Airport is getting ready for some major upgrades thanks to a grant agreement between the town and the Federal Aviation Administration. Houlton town councilors approved the agreement to allow funding for the final rehabilitation of runway 5-23 during Monday night’s council meeting. Approximately $223,000 is going toward the project, along with an estimated $5,600 match from the airport improvement account. Both the state and the town had to make a 2.5 percent match.
“This grant is actually for the design and engineering of a project that will occur in 2009,” explained Town Manager Doug Hazlett. “The FAA has us programmed to rehabilitate the new runway at the airport and in order to that this year, they’ve given us a grant to do the engineering.”
The FAA had outlined a number of safety concerns and the airport’s runway and apron were highlighted. The existing runway faces age-related deterioration and the new design will result in the development of final plans for the runway rehabilitation.
The Houlton International Airport was erected to service the community during World War II. Since that time, it has begun to serve several key purposes for the border town such as service for corporate aircraft for LP, Smith and Wesson, Canadian firms as well as the Border Patrol. It is also used as a pitstop for flights needing to refuel.
According to FAA regulation, the matching funds for this grant must be used from the airport fund balance account, which currently contains $75,000.
“We’re certainly going to need every penny of that in 2009,” said Hazlett. “It is appropriate to accept this. Work is getting started any day now.”
The next council meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 23 at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers.
