OXFORD — The Oxford County‑owned airport near Oxford Plains Speedway has hired an engineering firm to plan an extension of its 2,997‑foot runway to attract larger aircraft.

Last month, the Oxford County Board of Commissioners selected Hoyle Tanner, a structural engineering firm with offices in New England and Florida, as the Oxford County Regional Airport’s on‑call consultant for the next five years.

In an email, Oxford County Administrator Zane Loper said the county sought bids earlier this year from airport engineering and planning firms before selecting Hoyle Tanner.

The hire “contributes toward funding and the availability of federal grants to improve our airport,” Loper wrote, calling it an important step in the airport’s continued growth.

Stacie Haskell, senior project assistant at Hoyle Tanner, said the firm’s first task will be updating the airport’s master plan and evaluating the feasibility and justification for extending the runway. The updated plan will also outline what facility or terminal improvements may be needed to support increased air traffic.

The firm has a previous relationship with the airport: Hoyle Tanner served as the airport’s consulting firm between 2021 and 2026.

Haskell said the airport’s management staff has already made significant improvements in aircraft support and traffic. The airport now offers fuel and maintenance services and flight instruction.

She said Tony Carter, the airport manager, has tripled the number of based aircraft at the facility and recently oversaw renovations to the terminal.

“He’s really done some great things there,” Haskell said, “and the activity at that airport has really increased.”

Carter said that, when he stepped in his role in 2021, the state of the airport was bleak.

“There was no vision for the airport whatsoever,” he said. “When I came there, being a pilot, I had visions on what it needed to become a sustainable airport.”

The first step was applying for — and receiving — a Federal Aviation Administration grant to renovate the old terminal and replace the incandescent lighting system with LEDs.

Next came repairing the heating system and installing a fire alarm system.

“We put heat in — there was no heat,” he said. “All the boilers had burst because the pipes froze when it wasn’t being occupied, so we lost our boilers and everything.”

Carter said growth has not slowed since. The interior of the terminal has been redone, and the building now has a new pilot lounge, new flooring, energy‑efficient doors and new heat pumps throughout.

Looking ahead, projects that could further boost the airport’s growth include expanding hangar space.

The airport now has three companies — Flight School 207, Mosier Aviation and Max Arrow — operating there, up from the single business before Carter took over.

“Everybody was asking, ‘We need hangars, hangars,’ and if I had built hangars, there would be more planes showing up at the airport,” Carter said.

Haskell said a runway extension would also enhance the airport’s ability to accommodate business jet traffic. She added that extending the runway would open the door for more visitors to reach Oxford County.

More landing capacity would also help tourism take off in Oxford County. Haskell said the airport hosts late‑summer fly‑ins that bring hundreds of visitors and aircraft to the region.

“With a short runway, you’re limited in the types of aircraft that can land,” Haskell said. “And, as you know, Oxford County has a lot of regional development — they’ve got the casino and the racetrack.

“It’s a gathering place and an active gateway to the county. A longer runway contributes to the local economy and helps reinforce the airport’s role in southwestern Maine.”

Carter said he sees Oxford County’s airport the same way — as a driver of tourism and a draw for new business. A larger runway, he said, would open the door for small jets, charter flights and more businesses and delivery services to use the airport as a hub.

“I want to be a home base for the smaller aircraft in the state of Maine,” he said.

This story was originally published by The Maine Monitor, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. To get regular coverage from The Monitor, sign up for a free Monitor newsletter here.

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