Auburn: Feds help pay for airport lane

A $190,000 federal grant will pay for an engineering and environmental impact study for a new taxi lane at the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport.

Airport Manager John McGonagill said he hopes to have the study completed this year and begin work on the lane in 2007.

The lane would run alongside the airport’s main runway and provide space for airplanes to line up while preparing for takeoff. Currently, they share the same runway as landing aircraft and that’s led to conflicts.

The money was part of $5.5 million worth of U.S. Department of Transportation grants set aside for Maine in January.

– Scott Taylor
Lewiston: Skate park prep ready

Crews will begin tearing up the basketball courts on the southeast corner of Kennedy Park to make way for a new skate park.

City councilors set aside $500,000 in federal grants to pay for the work. According to plans, the city will relocate the basketball courts, a playground bath house and a swimming pool.

The Skate Lewiston-Auburn Movement hopes to break ground on its $230,000 concrete skate park by May 15.

Deputy City Administrator Phil Nadeau said crews will replace one basketball court right away. The second court will be finished later this summer after the skate park, a new playground and a new bathhouse have been finished. The new swimming pool will be ready by summer, he said.

– Scott Taylor

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