Courtesy / Machias Valley Airport
The Machias Valley Airport, owned and operated by the town of Machias, received a $50,000 commitment from Machias Savings Bank toward airport improvements.
May 24, 2019
Machias Savings Bank commits $50,000 to Machias airport capital campaign
Courtesy / Machias Valley Airport
From left, Machias Savings Bank President and CEO Larry Barker, Melissa Denbow of Machias Savings Bank, Machias Airport Committee Chairman Mike Radeka, Machias Town Manager Christina Therrien, Machias Selectman William Kitchen, Machias Selectman Joshua Rolfe,and Bold Coast Smoke Shop owner Jason Prescott.
By Staff
Machias Savings Bank kicked off the Machias Valley Airport Capital Campaign with a commitment of $50,000. The campaign is part of an effort by the town to raise $200,000 to put toward more than $5 million in airport improvements.
Another Machias business, Bold Coast Smoke Shop, gave $12,500 to the campaign.
Critical infrastructure
Machias airport is a critical asset to Down East Maine, Larry Barker, Machias Savings Bank’s president and CEO, said in a May 23 release.
“In order for our region to compete, investments in our roads, bridges and airport continue to be important, alongside investments in quality high-speed internet and broadband connectivity,” Barker said. “In this day and age, people can live and work anywhere, and it’s up to us to make the smart choices about our infrastructure that will allow our economy to grow. Our community’s investment in our airport will absolutely move our economy in the right direction.”
The bank’s investment is a five-year pledge that will contribute to a share of project costs that must be used as a match in order for 95% of the overall project cost to be covered by state and federal funds through the Federal Aviation Administration and the Maine Department of Transportation. The fundraising is taking place in an effort to use as little money as possible from town funds, which would also allow the investments to be made without increasing the local tax rate on residents.
Runway reconstruction
Airport projects over the next five years include a new access road, reconstruction of a runway and aircraft apron, construction of a self-serve fuel area, a hangar and a storage building, and the purchase of a new plow truck.
Estimated project costs total about $5.2 million. The share of funding from the town will be about $250,000. The town aims to fund raise 80% of that figure, or about $200,000.
“The town recognizes the economic growth potential associated with an improved airport in our region, the critical medical services provided in emergency operations by Lifeflight, and the vital transportation link it could provide to the outside world with continued expansion efforts,” Town Manager Christina Therrien said in the release.
Machias Savings has been a supporter of the municipal airport since first giving $200 in 1975 to improve facilities.
At that time, “The airport on outer Dublin Street was beginning to bring the towns in the general vicinity of Machias into closer contact with areas in Canada and continental United States,” wrote Ruth Leubecker in “The Test of Time (A History of a Bank and a Town).”
In June 2018, Machias Valley Airport was awarded $2.5 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to reconstruct its runway.
A month later, the airport was awarded roughly $3.1 million as part of the Federal Aviation Administration overall award of $14 million toward infrastructure improvements at 19 Maine airports.
The airport is a public-use facility — meaning it does not require permission to take off or land there. It has one 2,900-by-60-foot runway that can only accommodate single-engine aircraft.
The town is seeking further support toward its capital campaign. Interested businesses and individuals can contact the Machias Town Office at 207-255-6621 and speak with Therrien.
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