Biddeford Airport Story

It used to be a nice place for the people of Biddeford, Maine to enjoy a nice day, eat at the restaurant and maybe catch a plane out of town. Now, it’s turned into a dividing line that has citizens choosing sides in a city-wide debate.
The Biddeford City Airport, which is the home of 47 planes and a 126-acre property, could be closed down due to elevated taxes and the unwillingness of the citizens to meet the increasing financial burden.
Residents of Biddeford say that their taxes could be put to much better use than supporting an airport that brings in about $56,000 annually from sales of gas, property taxes and land leases. The project would potentially cost $3 million to shut down and demolish, which would be taken from general operating funds.
However, opposing arguments state that the airport serves a very useful purpose, because the closest facility besides in Biddeford is located in either Sanford or Portland. Phyllis Landry, an independent pilot who has been flying out of this airport for 25 years, said that there is too much history and value here for the airport to be shut down.
“Maybe it’s expensive to run, but it’s a great resource,” Landry said. “I know business people who fly in here all the time. I’ve been flying out of this airport for 25 years. I love this airport.”
What many of the taxpayers in Biddeford would like to see is something much more resourceful as a substitute for the airport after it has, potentially, been shut down and demolished.
“We’d really like to see it shut down for good, and maybe put an industrial park in there,” Paul Archambault, Chairman of Save Our Little Airport (SOLA) said. “Or how about a wind farm? We could provide power to the nearby schools. That’s the kind of progress we’d like to see.”
Archambault added that when they started looking at the airport, they came to the conclusion that there is no financial benefit at its existing size and capacity, and that it continues to be a tax burden.
Airport manager Tim Bryand said that the runways and facilities are being used for purposes that aren’t authorized, like for four-wheeling and snowmobiling.
“We have pedestrians, motorcycles, four-wheelers (and) ATV’s all using it,” Bryand said. “They just use it as a backyard and that’s against regulations.”
Landry said that one time about five years ago she was forced to abort takeoff because there were neighborhood children playing in the runway right in front of her plane.
It’s a surprise that someone living next to the airport wouldn’t be frequently bothered by the constant noise and roar of plane engines. But Roland Pelletier has lived next to the airport for 25 years, and said that the noise doesn’t bother him, but the monetary situation does.
“The money is the biggest thing,” Pelletier said. “If it was self-supporting, fine. Let it go. But times are tough in the economy, and we can’t afford to support operations that don’t support themselves.”
The referendum will be on the ballot for the June 4 general election in Biddeford. City manager John Bubier said that he thinks the voters are going to be the ones to settle the issue, which is what he believes City Council really wants.