LEWISTON — Houses shook and windows rattled Sunday morning in Lewiston-Auburn from a thunderous unfamiliar sound.

It was not one of the small earthquakes that have shaken Maine recently. It was not a plane nor a helicopter. 

The thunderous noise came from three Marine V-22 Osprey aircraft flying low in formation over the Twin Cities.

The Ospreys are tilt-motor military aircraft that combine the abilities of a helicopter with those of an airplane. They can take off and land vertically like a helicopter and fly long range like a fixed-wing airplane, according to their manufacturer, Boeing.

When flying low with the propellers tilted up, like they were above Lewiston-Auburn on Sunday, the noise is deafening.

The Ospreys were on a training mission in the area when they stopped at the Brunswick Executive Airport (formerly Brunswick Naval Air Station) for refueling, according to Steve Levesque, the executive director of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority Landing, where the airport is located.

The Marines have often used Brunswick as a temporary base for training. Brunswick is hosting a squadron of CH-53 helicopters from the New River Marine Corps Air Base in North Carolina for winter training, Levesque said.

Having been in Brunswick last May, the Ospreys are likely to return next spring.

It is uncertain if the Ospreys stopped at the Auburn-Lewiston airport Sunday. The military has reportedly conducted training sessions at the airport in the past, often at night.

— Steve Sherlock

Agriculture study continues in Auburn

AUBURN — More than 40 percent of Auburn’s land mass is part of an agricultural and resource protection zone, and a study now underway is identifying how to enhance and utilize the property.

How can the city best support its local farmers and attract new, viable agricultural businesses?

Auburn will host another round of public meetings in February to continue the study effort, which is being led by a consultant group and committee made up of local stakeholders.

According to a city news release, on Feb. 1, the consultant, Minnesota-based Crossroads Resource Center, will present economic and agricultural data and trends, both in the region and nationally, to provide the committee and the public with background information.

On Feb. 15, the consultant will lay out the challenges identified by the study, along with potential solutions and recommendations. Both meetings are at 6 p.m. in the Council Chamber at Auburn Hall.

The city’s Agricultural and Resource Protection zoning district has existed since the early 1960s, and contains about 20,000 acres.

According to the city, the intent of the agricultural zone regulations has been “to manage development and to promote food, agricultural, timber and natural resource production and uses.”

But, according to officials working on the study, “the nature and trends of farming and food production have drastically changed, and a different set of growth opportunities for production, processing and supply chain operations may exist.” 

The city is hoping the study can highlight existing barriers for agricultural businesses. 

This week, City Manager Peter Crichton said the 10 committee members involved, who are all invested in the agricultural zone, have been “really engaged” in the process, and that he’s “encouraged” by what he’s seen. 

“The (agricultural) zone area is a big part of Auburn, and it’s a great opportunity I think to kind of re-evaluate what we’re doing . . . with that property, and making agriculture be of even more benefit to the city,” he said. 

— Andrew Rice 

Three V-22 Ospreys fly in formation over Lewiston on Sunday. (Larry Gilbert/Sun Journal)

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