With all the recent talk about the proposed runway extension at Stephen A. Bean Municipal Airport, it has sparked an excitement for me for the Rangeley Lakes Region. We have been presented a once in a lifetime opportunity to extend our runway to provide crucial medical services to our remote town and, at the same time, expand the transportation capability as well. For those that have not been following the proposed project, here is a glimpse what has been proposed and my personal take on it.
Essentially, in short, LifeFlight of Maine is seeking to extend our local runway in order to land their King Air 200 to offer a more reliable emergency air service to our community. Last year alone they were called 40 times to our region and could only access our region via helicopter in just 26 of those times due to weather, and that is not even taking into account the times EMS knew the weather was too severe to fly.
The extension options were presented at the last meeting, the one that was favored was relocating Loon Lake Road further out into the adjacent field and splitting the extension between extending runway 32(loon lake rd end) and then extending runway 14 (spotted mountain end) to get the additional 1,099 feet desired based upon their runway analysis. There has been opposition regarding the project as a whole, and also the extension on the runway 32 side, but economically and construction wise, it is much more feasible to split the extension on both ends as the 32 side is a much shallower fill. This project will be funded 90 percent by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 5 percent by MaineDOT and for the remaining 5 percent they are seeking additional grant funding so the tax payers will not have to pay at all for this project. Even with the small possibility of a 5 percent stake in this project, I would still be totally onboard as I see the benefits that we would receive in return to be of much greater value.
The project is on a time sensitive schedule in order to meet the FAA grant application timeline’s. Some have expressed concern with the speed of the project, and it could just be me personally having dealt with much shorter project timelines, but I don’t see a 9-month deliberation and planning timeline as being a rushed process myself, maybe in terms of government time, but not in the private sector. Dubois & King and LifeFlight have both done a very professional job with this project. Their presentations have been flawless, and they have always showed up prepared for any questions that might be asked. The project manager for this particular project has extensive experience in aviation and has completed many diverse airport projects in the past.
Some have also expressed concern with the size of the project, and if it is really feasible to do it at all. Having worked on a few larger-scale projects in the past, there is no doubt this 1.1 million cubic yard project is more than doable based on the construction timeline that Dubois & King has mentioned. They have mentioned relocating that short section of Loon Lake Rd and extending the runway 32 portion during the Fall of 18′ and doing the deeper, larger fill on the 14 side during the Spring/Summer of 19′. Breaking it up like this is a great choice construction wise, assuring ample time is spent on more quality over quantity of the project.
Medically, this project can bring a much more reliable service to our region. The Western Mountains contain the harshest climate conditions in our great state. Weather is a constant factor as it changes so rapidly here in our high elevation region, even when not predicted. Our community has a much higher median age in comparison to the state median (51.4 compared to 43 respectively). That, coupled with our region being a major tourist destination makes this project a no-brainer. LifeFlight’s King Air 200 can fly in much more severe conditions in comparison to their helicopter’s, which is what this region needs for more reliable service to our community.
There was also skepticism regarding LifeFlight’s need for a longer runway at all at the last meeting, a resident mentioned that online, the King Air 200 could take off in a much shorter distance, to which LifeFlight answered perfectly. Those performance numbers are listed at sea level in perfect conditions, not at 1,825 feet in elevation like our airport (one of, if not the highest airports in the state). Air density changes dramatically when moving up to 1,825 feet coupled with our rapidly changing weather. Those numbers also do not take into account LifeFlight’s plane is essentially a mobile ICU packed with advanced medical equipment that mimics most ICU capable hospitals. They also stress conservative numbers as safety is a huge priority for them while flying patients.
Secondly, I would like to mention the economic side of this project as there is a benefit to our community there as well. I’ve seen this town change from the housing boom, to the bursting of the bubble in 2008, to the Saddleback closure in 2015. This town has been through the ringer economically and has taken the punches and gotten back up time and time again. I’ve researched many cases with smaller towns and airports around the country and how they have witnessed great growth through their extension projects, both business wise and tax wise for the municipality.
One particular case I recall in North Carolina, where a small community extended their runway through a similar grant opportunity and experienced these very same concepts. Miles Gregory of Macon County, North Carolina claimed “Those people pay property tax on their second homes or they rent hotels and pay the occupancy tax, they buy groceries and they pay sales tax when they shop in Franklin and Highlands. Gregory also pointed out that plane owners pay a hefty personal property tax to the county, which goes into the county budget every year”. Another resident of the county chimed in and mentioned their communities high percentage of second home owners (just like Rangeley) and how they used the new extension periodically to access their community.
In closing, I would encourage you all to look into this great opportunity if you have not done so already. I’ve watched many cycles of the up’s and down’s in this great place that I’ve been able to call home my entire life. I’ve watched many people, whether it be family, friends, neighbors, or acquaintances move away because of a lack of jobs or opportunity here. Critics of the project mention that it could bring unneeded growth, but without security(medical and economic) and growth(economic), two essential human needs, there is no chance for a future with opportunity and prosperity in our community. As a younger citizen of the town, I look towards a future that contains much more opportunity so that living here can become much more feasible for the next generation. We have a missing generation in our town, and it is time to regain that. As a promoter of our great scenic beauty, I understand the importance of protecting that as well, I have reviewed this project thoroughly over the past couple of months, and I do not foresee any negative implications to that aspect of our region from this project. I also recognize the other sides concerns, that is always part of the process with projects like these. I have not made much public comment at the meetings because I have been taking in the information from both sides so that I could have a better scope of the project going forward. I praise all the effort that so many have already put into this project.
Finally, I believe we owe this not only to the current residents of this town, but also the future as well. We owe it to the local businesses that have been grinding it out through a recession and the Saddleback closure(and hopefully reopening). But most importantly of all, we owe it to our family, friends, neighbors, and visitors to faster and more reliable medical care to this great community. Let’s get behind this project and improve our great community! I thank you for your time in reading this and look forward to the process going forward!
Kyle Haley
Rangeley
