Airport Master Plan 2012 - City of Waterville

Private Ownership/Private Management
The pro’s of private ownership/private management include:
The City is no longer financially responsible for the Airport.
A private enterprise is not required to adhere to a fiscal cycle in order to start maintenance and
development projects, and therefore streamline these efforts.
The City will no longer be required to resolve complaints from citizens or users unhappy with the
Airport. It is possible that the City may still receive the occasional complaint; however these
concerns can be forwarded to the private enterprise to deal with directly.
The con’s of private ownership/private management include:
Eligibility to receive funds under the AIP is contingent upon the owner being a qualified public
agency or a private entity if the Airport is a commercial service Airport or a general aviation
Airport that relieves general aviation traffic from a hub Airport of the national aviation system.
Since Waterville does not meet either of these criteria, it would not maintain its ability to receive
AIP funds.
The City would no longer retain its decision making ability regarding development and
maintenance at the Airport. Therefore, the City cannot preclude most things that they see as
disagreeable or poor judgment from happening.
Comparison of Potential Joint Venture Partners
This section provides a comparison of potential joint venture partners for WVL. Joint venture partner
options include a joint ownership/management structure with another public entity such as municipalities,
counties, or the State; a sole ownership/agency management structure with the creation of a quasiindependent
agency; or a sole ownership/private management structure, such as a municipality/FBO
arrangement.
In the case of WVL, potential joint venture partners would include:
The Cities of Oakland, Winslow, Fairfield, and/or Sydney;
Kennebec County;
An Airport Authority (with sole City or multiple City representation); or
A private management company, such as AvPorts or Fixed Base Operator, such as Million Air.
Generally a joint venture between public agencies is established in order to defray the costs of operating
the Airport; improve the ability to maintain and operate the Airport at an equitable or higher level of
safety and customer service; and increase the economic benefit experienced by each public agency within
the Region.
State and Local Statute Requirements
As previously stated in Section 10.1, the State of Maine recently revised Title 6 of the Maine state statutes
regarding the creation of Airport authorities (Public Law 563, MRSA c.10). Therefore, the
recommendations contained herein will be applied according to the requirements set forth in the
regulations.
The City of Waterville Maine
Airport Management Structure Assessment – Page 7-21
Airport Solutions Group, LLC & The Louis Berger Group, Inc. December 2011