Press Releases

Federal grants will help Portland and Rockland airports keep runways open during storms

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said this morning that two airports in Maine will be getting a total of $2.2 million in federal investment to buy snow removal equipment at the Portland International Jetport and Knox County Regional Airport in Owls Head, as well as to install a perimeter fence around the Knox County Airport to keep wildlife off the runways.

"Maine airports are used to dealing with snow and ice storms and they do a good job keeping runways open during winter storms, but snow removal equipment is expensive and this federal funding will help these twoairports acquire up-to-date equipment," Pingree said.

Jetport Manager Paul Bradbury said two of the sweepers the airport currently has are nearly twenty years old.

"These are massive pieces of equipment that are in near-continuous operation from the time the first snowflake falls," Bradbury said. "Replacing these sweepers will allow us to be more efficient and maintain our reputation forstaying open even during severe winter storms."

The grants from the Federal Aviation Administration will provide approximately $1.4 million to the Portland International Jetport to buy two front-end loaders, two snowplows and a snow sweeper vehicle. Grants to the Owls Head Airport total about $850,000 and will fund the purchase of a new plow truck; however, the majority of that grant will pay for a perimeter fence around the airport to keep wildlife off runways.

The airport has needed a fence for sometime, said Jeff Northgraves, manager of the Knox County Regional Airport, but recently wildlife activity has increased.

"In the last few years, we've had more instances of animal versus aircraft. There hasn't between any serious damage to aircraft but this is clearly something that will improve safety at the airport," Northgraves said.