Nov. 2—The Portland International Jetport plans to spend nearly $5 million on upgrades to the passenger terminal building, parking garage and flight path over residential neighborhoods.
Jetport officials are seeking City Council approval to use $4.75 million in cash reserves for several maintenance and repair projects at Maine's largest airport. They include a new terminal roof ($600,000), security camera system ($800,000), gate concourse carpet ($300,000) and outbound baggage handling system ($1.6 million).
In the parking garage, they plan to paint and fireproof structural steel on the lower level ($850,000) and upgrade elevator equipment ($600,000).
The appropriation would come from the jetport's unrestricted cash fund, which currently holds $39.1 million, said Paul Bradbury, airport director. It would have no impact on the city's general fund budget or the tax rate.
"During the pandemic we held off on several projects because travel was down," Bradbury said. "This will allow us to catch up."
The funding request is on the council's agenda Monday for a first reading. It requires a second reading at a future meeting.
The passenger terminal was constructed over decades, with the oldest section built in 1967 and the newest in 2012, Bradbury said.
"Several sections of the terminal building roof have reached (the end of) their useful life and require replacement," Bradbury said in a memo to the council. "The CCTV camera network and outbound baggage handling system are now over 12 years old and require significant software, hardware and controls updates."
The oldest parking structure at the jetport is now more than 20 years old, he said.
"The lower level structural steel requires removal and replacement of the existing fireproofing and application of a corrosion inhibiting paint," he said. "This project will also address water infiltration that has caused corrosion of the structural steel and damage to the existing fireproofing."
ADDRESSING AIRCRAFT NOISE
Also at Monday's 5 p.m. council meeting, Bradbury is seeking $75,000 in unrestricted funds to develop a new over-the-water approach to the airport that would address flight noise complaints from residential neighborhoods.
The jetport's Noise Advisory Committee, a standing committee of the council, has been developing a new approach procedure since 2022. It voted to request funding to formalize the procedure at its Oct. 10 meeting.
The new special instrument approach procedure would allow aircraft to stay over Casco Bay and the Fore River when low-visibility, wind or traffic conditions require an approach from the east, Bradbury said. The new procedure would be available day and night, and follow a very tight pattern of less than 0.3 nautical miles.
"This procedure will reduce aircraft noise impacts over residential areas in South Portland and Peaks Island," he said.
Instrument approach procedures show approved flight paths, navigation aids and other details necessary to land safely at an airport when pilots must rely on their instrument panels, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Pilots access these procedures through aeronautical charts available electronically via flight management systems.
The proposed new approach procedure for the jetport would replace an existing one that is only available during daytime and clear conditions with at least 4-mile visibility, Bradbury said.
Moreover, no currently available procedure meets the advisory committee's goal to have an entirely over-water approach that is available at all hours, he said.
Bradbury said the proposed procedure fully complies with the committee's stated objective to "maximize overflight of compatible areas such as non-residential areas, commercial/industrial areas, the Fore River and waters of Casco Bay."
The new procedure would be developed by Flight Tech Engineering of Englewood, Colorado, in coordination with Vianair aviation software, according to Bradbury's proposal.
It would be available within one year and initially owned and maintained by the jetport, Bradbury said. It likely would become a public procedure maintained by the FAA in the future.
The funding request for the new approach procedure also requires a second reading at a future meeting.
Copy the Story Link
___
(c)2024 the Portland Press Herald (Portland, Maine)
Visit the Portland Press Herald (Portland, Maine) at www.pressherald.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
