New Regulations Put Brakes on Knox County Regional Airport Terminal

February 24, 2004

New Regulations Put Brakes on Airport Terminal
VillageSoup, U.S.


Impending changes in federal safety regulations for
commercial airports have slowed Knox County's planned
new terminal in Owls Head, and county officials admit
it could be 2006 or beyond before the project is
finished.

"This is the worst possible timing," said Anne
Beebe-Center, chairman of the county commissioners,
during a brief public hearing on the new terminal held
Thursday.

At issue are revised "Part 139" safety mandates, which
are scheduled to come into effect on June 9 for all
airports servicing commercial passenger traffic. 

 
U.S. Airways, through its subsidiary Colgan Air,
offers several passenger flights to Boston from Owls
Head. 

Part 139 also divides the nation's airports into four
classes, dependent on the size of the airliner used by
the carrier. Colgan primarily uses Beechcraft
airplanes that seat 19 passengers, which makes Knox
County Regional a "Class 3" airport, according to the
FAA.

In June, Part 139 certification will require airports
like Knox County Regional to have, among other things,
firefighting and rescue personnel on standby for all
landings and takeoffs of commercial flights.

A three-minute response time is what the FAA is going
to require, according to Beebe-Center, under this new
"ARFF" (aircraft rescue and firefighting) mandate,
which would likely require firefighters and emergency
medical technicians to be located at the airport.

Whether to include space for these employees in the
new $2.7 million terminal must be considered,
according to the county, further complicating
construction of the long-awaited facility.

Beebe-Center said the county could also receive an
exemption to the new regulations, but she is unsure of
what is necessary to get one. She added that the FAA
is also unclear on exemption requirements, given the
"newness" of the regulations.

It's an expensive gambit for the county. Though the
FAA is willing to fund the infrastructure of providing
"ARFF" service at the airport, Beebe-Center estimated
an annual cost of $150,000 to the county for personnel
training and salaries.

 
Jay Wood, one of the county's airport consultants from
the Presque Isle firm of Dufresne-Henry, said Knox
should try and tell the FAA why they require an
exemption, instead of letting the agency set the rules
and make Knox bend to fit.

Also complicating the new terminal was the recent
resignation of airport manager Greg Grotton, who has
been instrumental in managing the airport's
three-pronged "master plan," of which the terminal is
the last project.

Evergreen concerns also exist about the future of
passenger service in Owls Head, due to consistent
attempts by federal legislators to cut subsidies for
commercial airlines to rural airports.

The subsidies are part of the FAA's "Essential Air
Service" program, which gives more than $1 million
annually to Colgan Air to provide commercial service
to Knox County.

An attempt last year to cut the subsidies was
squashed, but Beebe-Center is fearful of its imminent
return. "They want to push it through this time," she
said.

Rocky Stenger, station manager for Colgan Air at Knox
County Regional Airport, said commercial service from
Owls Head is going to remain, in some form or another,
even perhaps with a new carrier.

Colgan, with its 19-seat aircraft, propels Knox to
comply with the FAA's requirement for "Class 3"
airports. If a carrier with smaller planes, seating
less than nine passengers, assumed operation, the
airport's mandates from the FAA would lessen. 

"You're not going to lose passenger service," he said.
"You may lose Colgan or U.S. Airways, but there are
two or three other (smaller) carriers willing to serve
Knox County Regional Airport." 

As for the terminal, the county is backing away from
pressing ahead with construction of the building until
these Part 139, subsidy and management concerns are
resolved.

The consultants, Dufresne-Henry, agree with slowing
down. "Part 139 has lessened the immediate need to
pursue design or construction of the terminal," said
Wood.

Beebe-Center said the county is committed to a new
terminal, but its timetable, like the planes it would
eventually serve, is up in the air.

"When it will happen, I don't know," she said.


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