Details emerge on BNAS aircraft plans
More details on an aircraft manufacturer's plans to open at the Brunswick Naval Air Station have been released, while other aspects of the base's redevelopment make progress as well.
Last week, Kestrel Aircraft Co. signed a 10-year lease for a 170,000-square-foot hangar at the base, where it plans to develop and build a high-end, carbon-composite aircraft. The company, headed by the former founder of Cirrus Design, Alan Klapmeier, plans to contribute $90 million of the $100 million project through equity investment and debt, while the state will seek $10 million in bonds through the Finance Authority of Maine and CEI Capital Management, according to reports from The Forecaster and The Times Record. Another $1.5 million must be raised to upgrade the hangar. This week, the Brunswick Town Council initiated a $400,000 Community Development Block Grant application to help fund the purchase of a paint booth, estimated to cost a total of $800,000, according to The Times Record. Kestrel plans to eventually hire 300 people.
In related news, Sen. Susan Collins announced $750,000 to establish a small business incubator at BNAS received initial approval from a Senate appropriations subcommittee, according to a press release. The Navy also awarded an $8 million contract to build a new Marine Corps Reserve Center on land once part of the base, according to the Portland Press Herald. The facility will house a reserves company and a weapons storage area, and will allow the company to remain in Maine and partner with the Maine Army National Guard for drills.
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