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  

Submitted on October 31, 2019

Posted in News

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