![]() ![]() The project and what pilots say was poor communication over how it would unfold remains a sore point. LaBonte said the project still has not been closed out, with some final work expected to be completed in the coming months. In 2019, the project was projected to have a total cost of $660,000 with a $33,000 local share split between Lewiston and Auburn, which oversee joint operation of the municipal airport.Īs of late winter, the cost of the project had swelled to $2.1 million with an estimated local cost of $500,000 to be split between both cities and the airport. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journalįriction between pilots and airport leadership surfaced publicly during last year’s construction project to resurface the airport’s east ramp. Jonathan LaBonte, chairman of the airport board and de facto manager of the airport since March, looks around Tuesday morning at Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport in Auburn. The stated purpose of the inspection was to determine if the airport sponsor, the cities of Auburn and Lewiston, is in compliance with federal obligations dealing with property use, lease agreements and property releases. Next year’s budget has a big deficit that we need to figure out how we tackle that, so that we have a balanced budget.”Īdding to the airport’s challenges, a letter dated April 21 from the Federal Aviation Administration gave the airport 30 days to respond to specific items that it found needed correcting from a site inspection last summer. We’re going to have to make some decisions to keep this year’s budget balanced. Jonathan LaBonte, former mayor of Auburn and the current chairman of the board and Auburn’s transportation systems director, described it this way: “Obviously we have some financial challenges. ![]() People connected with the airport and others no longer connected with the airport recently described it as “dysfunctional” and “a mess,” while others call that characterization too harsh. ![]() At least three open positions on the airport staff of 13 will go unfilled for the foreseeable future and the chairman of the board of directors suddenly resigned in February, following the resignation of another board member in January. Furthermore, the airport’s manager, James Scheller, resigned March 30 after one year of a four-year contract, and there’s no money budgeted for the position through June 30, 2025. ![]()
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