CALL TO ACTION — MAINE AIRFIELD THREATENED WITH CLOSURE
Your action can make a difference!
Maine pilots learned that the town of Dover-Foxcroft is considering closing Charles A. Chase Jr. Memorial Airfield (44B) to install a four megawatt solar generating plant. RAF Maine Liaison Andy Rowe, Steve Mason and RAF New Hampshire Liaison John Meade are rallying pilots to protect the 2,926-ft scenic airfield. Camping is encouraged on the field, and it’s within a mile from town that lines the Piscataquis River.
A public meeting is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 12 at the Morton Avenue Municipal Building in Dover-Foxcroft.
If you cannot attend the meeting, you are asked to send emails of support to the Board of Selectmen.
Here are some relevant points:
• There are other suitable locations to site a solar plant, that would not close this historic airfield.
• Closing the airfield disregards the honor of the Charles A. Chase family, who dedicated the land for a public airport in the 1950s. The family supports its continued operation.
• Acreage exists surrounding the runway. The city could explore shared land use. Decommissioning the airfield is a permanent closure that simply is unnecessary.
• Open land is available close to a substation, near three-phase power.
• Solar arrays have been installed on landfill properties. Dover-Foxcroft’s is approximately 30 acres and would be an ideal location for solar panels.
• Recreational airfields have economic value to a community.
• There are pilot organizations such as the Recreational Aviation Foundation with willing volunteers that assist with maintaining airfields.
Please send your comments before Tuesday, November 12 to members of the Board of Selectmen:
Town Manager, Jack Clukey, 207-564-3318, jclukey@dover-foxcroft.org
Elwood E. Edgerly, Chairman, 207-564-8559 (no email listed)
Cindy Freeman Cyr, Vice Chairman, cynthia.cyr@gmail.com
Jane Conroy, jconroy@maine.edu
Gail D’Agostino, gdag2421@gmail.com
Stephen Grammont, islander307@gmail.com
Scott A. Taylor, staylor@pridesports.com
Ernie Thomas, ernie.thomas@foxcroftacademy.org
Submitted on October 31, 2019
Recently there was a move to close the Morgan County Airport 42U My good friends father donated the land for the airport when is was established. When he did the land was dedicate as an airport, there was a clause in the dedication that if the filed was closed the land would go back to his family, that the property was not to be used for any-other purpose. You may have all ready checked into this, we did and it saved the air field. Even with all the houses around it. Good luck wish I could help more
Dave
There is raffle to raise funds to save the field, I have included it as the website for this link.
We are also organizing a raffle fundraiser and would appreciate your support!
Check out MaineFlying.com, or look for “Maine Flying” on Facebook. Lots of great aviation raffle items up for grabs!
I will send a letter from the FPA
we need runways for future generations
Please do not close this airfield
Do not close the airport. There’s plenty of alternatives.