AUBURN – The last airport manager completed a 20-year master plan, so Rick Cloutier figures it’s up to him to make the plan happen.

Cloutier, who took over management of the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport in July, said his job now is getting a taxiway built along the main runway.

“If you look at our statistics, our operations at the airport are increasing dramatically – to the point we’re the third busiest in the state,” Cloutier said. The airport needs the taxiway to keep up with that growth.

It’s one of the top recommendations in the airport’s master plan, which was finished and adopted by its Board of Directors in July. John McGonagill, the former manager, resigned at the end of June to take a job doing contract services for the U.S. Department of Defense, said board Chairman Edouard Plourde.

The board didn’t waste any time replacing him. They found Cloutier managing transportation at Community Concepts in Lewiston. He brings 21 years of experience from the U. S. Marine Corps’ aviation operations.

“That involved maintenance as well as everything involved for day-to-day operations,” he said. “Basically, it was just like working for an airline, but on a military scale.”

Taxiway

Work on the taxiway could begin next spring, pending approval from the state and funding from the Federal Aviation Administration.

It would be built alongside the airport’s longest runway, the north-south-aligned No. 4402, where aircraft hoping to land or take off have to wait for taxiing aircraft to clear out.

The taxiway would provide a parking place for aircraft waiting to take off. It also would give landing aircraft a quick exit off the runway.

“Everything would move faster,” Cloutier said.

He said the taxiway would cost about $5.5 million and would be funded by an FAA grant. Before the airport can apply for the money, the Maine departments of Transportation and Environmental Protection must complete reviews of the plan.