City Debates Closing of Local Airport

In light of the struggling economy, the Biddeford community is faced with a controversial decision of whether the Biddeford City Airport should remain open, or close down due to financial reasons.

The Biddeford City Airport, open since 1951, is seen by many to be a financial burden for the town, costing between $47,000 and $72,000 in the past three years to run, according to records in the city manager’s office. Compared to the annual $56,000 the airport takes in, the profit is not enough.

“Money is the biggest thing,” said Roland Pelletier, who has lived next to the airport for 25 years. “If it was self-supporting, fine. Let it go on.” Roland continued to express his hope that the referendum will educate people. “We can’t afford to support operations that don’t support themselves.”

According to Tom Bryand, the airport manager, there are 47 planes based at the airport, about half owned by corporations. The airport makes its money from mostly sales of gas, property taxes, and land leases.

In the recent years, the airport has become some form of a playground, with pedestrians, motorcycles, four-wheelers and ATV’s all using it as a recreational area.

“They just use it as a backyard, and that’s against regulations,” said Bryand.

Bryand is not the only one who has been affected by people who do not see the airport as what it is. Phillis Landry, a private pilot, had to abort a takeoff five years ago because of neighborhood kids running out in front of his plane.

Biddeford City Airport has attempted to combat these violations by enforcing no-trespassing rules. This, and the issue of safety have been controversial issues with the town for years now. When the airport began enforcing federal safety regulations in fear of losing Federal Aviation Administration funding, the airport began cutting down trees for safety reasons.

“Sure this started out as a fight about trees and public access,” said Paul Archambault, the chairman of Shut Our Little Airport (SOLA) . “But it’s not just about that anymore. Now it’s about money too.”

The property, which is worth $1.6 million, according to the City Assessor’s office, has the potential to provide other important services to the town.

“What would we really like to do?” said Archambault. “We’d like to see it shut down for good. Maybe put an industrial park in there.” Archambault also thought that the property would do well as a wind farm. “That’s the kind of progress we’d like to see.”

However, according to Landry, the Biddeford airport is still a great resource for pilots like himself and business people who fly into the airport.

“I’ve been flying out of this airport for 25 years” said Landry, whose plane, the Cessna Sky Pilot 180, is kept at the Biddeford Airport. “If I couldn’t fly out of here, I’d have to go to Sanford or Portland.”

Critics of the closing also argue that the airport has historical significance as well. Charles Lindbergh is rumored to have once stopped there looking for directions to Old Orchard Beach.

When asked to comment, John Bubier, the Biddeford City Manger said, “The City Council really hasn’t come down on one side of the issue or the other. I think they’d prefer to have the voters settle this one.”

This decision is to be put to a vote on June 4.