Hangar lease issue may be settled as vision for airport debated

While the dispute over the eviction notices sent to six owners of aircraft hangars at the Eastport Municipal Airport appears to be headed toward a resolution, the issue reflects a larger disagreement over differing visions for the airport's future. The answer to whether three of the hangars need to be moved depends on if a proposed expansion of the apron and terminal taxiway is needed to serve the needs of those who use the airport and the community as a whole.

The dispute was threatening to cause some hangar leaseholders to leave the airport, but at a June 2 meeting of the Eastport Airport Advisory Committee at which the issue was discussed, Chris Krohn, the chair of the committee, addressed the legacy leaseholders by stating, "I'm not against you, and I don't believe this committee is against you. We don't want to run you guys off and see you leave. We should be able to work this out."

The dustup had flared last month after City Manager Brian Schuth sent six letters to owners of hangars whose leases had expired or who had not paid their lease fees for three or four years. They were told they had to remove their hangars within 30 or 60 days, but he also invited them to contact him if they would like a new land lease. At meetings of the advisory committee and the city council, it appears as though an agreement can be reached over the leases.

At the June 2 advisory committee meeting, Schuth said he is looking to prepare new leases, but the length of the leases is in question because of the potential need to move some hangars with a planned taxiway expansion. He asked that the committee make a recommendation on the leases to the city council.

Steve Trieber, who spoke for the legacy leaseholders and is a former airport manager, had forwarded a draft lease that addresses Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) compliance concerns and includes language from the FAA concerning hangar relocation. He said some specific lease terms could be designated to not apply to legacy leaseholders and some to not apply to owners of new hangars.

Asked by Krohn what the legacy leaseholders want, Trieber said that all of the owners of the hangars should be handled in a similar manner, with the same lease terms. "We need to be treated fairly," he said. "We're not apples and oranges." He also said the legacy leaseholders want to pay the amount that is past due.

"I'm happy to go along with Steve's plan," said Schuth. "It seems like a good faith effort, and I'm willing to work with it."

However, Krohn said that long-term leases need to be appropriate for plans for a new taxiway. "If legacy leaseholders want 40-year leases, we can't grow if they're not moved," he said. "If we make long-term leases, then we need to modify the development plan or we have to move the hangars." When the airport advisory committee asked three years ago what the community wanted, the committee was told they want airplane commuter and medevac services, which require appropriate ramp space for larger aircraft, Krohn stated. "The airport plan reflects what the community wants," he said. "We can change our vision" for airport development, though.

However, committee member Ron Rosenfeld, speaking about the legacy leaseholders, said, "They just want to be treated fairly." He felt the duration of the lease is irrelevant, since a clause in the leases allows for relocation of hangars if needed for airport expansion.

The committee decided to table any action, review the lease language provided by Trieber and revisit the issue next month.

Expansion plan debated

While the current airport layout plan includes both a new apron area and a new taxiway parellel to the runway, whether those projects are needed is being debated, and the advisory committee is planning to continue its discussions over the layout plan. Recent estimates have pegged the costs at $31.6 million and $6.5 million, respectively, with the city's share at 5% of the cost, which would be nearly $2 million.

For the apron project, three hangars would need to be moved, and the hangar owners believe they should not have to pay for the relocation. Some have indicated they would move their planes to the Machias or Princeton airports if the lease issue is not resolved, and that could lead to the loss of FAA funding. Trieber says that commuter services like Cape Air and medevac flights like LifeFlight of Maine can use the existing apron and taxiway.

Zan Currier of Perry, who has more than 32 years of professional flying experience in aircraft ranging from small piston airplanes to large business jets, agrees with Trieber, stating, "Cape Air could certainly operate here with the amount of room," adding that is true for LifeFlight's King Air. She notes that the limiting factor for the size of planes that can use the airport is the length of the runway at 4,000 feet, which cannot be extended.

As for the cost for apron and taxiway expansion, she says, "That's a lot of money for people when something's already functional."

In a letter she wrote to the city, Currier noted, "The airport currently functions well for the flying it was designed to support, but it also has hard physical limits." She notes that airports in rural Maine are used by utilitarian planes, not corporate jets. Small jets can use the Eastport airport, but their operation requires careful planning and favorable conditions. She writes, "In the last two years alone, my family has personally experienced more than six humanitarian medical flights canceled because the wet or snowy runway was too short to safely use."

Of the proposed expansion, she writes, "The glaring question is why such major and expensive changes are being proposed to enlarge turning space that has already been proven adequate for the aircraft currently using the airport. If those changes result in the loss of more than 60% of the airport's based aircraft, the loss of local mechanics and aircraft inspectors and impacts to future federal funding tied to based aircraft numbers, the long‑term effect on the airport deserves careful consideration."

She argues that local taxpayers "simply want reasonable access to a safe and functional airport that serves the community's needs."

Whether the expansion should proceed and the hangars moved is a point also raised by Sean Collins, eastern regional manager for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, in a May 20 letter to the city. He wrote that, under the airport layout plan that is approved by the FAA, there "is no development‑based need to remove existing hangars with immediacy." If the city's actions should "lead to the loss of tenants, it could also render the airport ineligible" for future airport improvement program (AIP) grants from the FAA. "AIP eligibility generally requires municipally owned airports to maintain a minimum of 10 based aircraft and a minimum of 1,000 aircraft operations annually," he notes. Since the Eastport airport is close to the minimum threshold, "the forced eviction of tenants could result in the loss of eligibility of the very project that necessitates relocation of existing hangars in the first place."

Collins points to the benefits provided to the community by the airport. According to 2024 Maine Department of Transportation data, the airport generates $2.2 million in annual economic impact while supporting 14 jobs, earning $580,800 in income. He writes that the airport "is a vital transportation asset that provides access to national and international networks and the ability to connect people and businesses with goods and services, including healthcare."

Rural airports like the one in Eastport often depend "on the goodwill and volunteerism of the aviation community, whether it be clearing snow, cutting grass or engaging the broader community with youth education and pancake breakfasts," Collins writes. "It is this connection to their airport that serves as the lifeblood of the aviation community, and it is the presence of your aeronautical tenants who help to keep the lights on when fuel sales alone cannot."

Collins encouraged the city to create a timeline for those tenants who may require relocation and to assist those who might struggle with the expense of relocation. He also urged the hiring of a dedicated airport manager "to provide coordination and consistency in managing leases and development."