Town committee reviews airport master-plan update, discusses hangar and taxi-lane expansion
February 24, 2026 | Rangeley, Franklin County , Maine
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Consultant engineer Dave Neto told a town committee the planned 2028 Airport Master Plan Update (AMPU) will take a long, airport-wide look at land-side needs since the runway work, including hangar demand, taxi-lane phasing and an obstruction analysis.
"The airport master plan update, the intent is really to kinda look at more long term kind of from a from a a land side," Dave said, describing the work as a follow-up to the runway extension and prior layout plans. He said the update will attempt to resolve conflicting drawings from earlier ALPs and include an obstruction analysis to identify any trees needing removal and potential navigation easements.
Why it matters: the committee is weighing how to expand hangar capacity and whether newly planned taxi-lane work can be financed through FAA Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funds. Neto gave the committee preliminary phasing and cost context and advised using a targeted Airport Layout Plan (ALP) update — a "pen and ink" change — to secure FAA agreement before committing to final designs or bids.
Neto outlined a phased scheme that would extend an existing short strip of pavement to the west, construct initial taxi-lane segments and add T-hangar clusters to the north of that extension. He said there appears to be more local interest in T-hangar development than in box hangars and sketched options for 4-unit or 6-unit T-hanger groupings.
On costs, Neto noted roughly $800,000 in AIP funds was listed and that recent taxi-lane construction of about 400–500 feet had approached $1,000,000, including earthwork and paving. He said the master-plan update itself typically takes about a year, including public information meetings and advisory-committee input.
Neto also explained FAA funding limits for private hangars: "FAA does not. FAA will contribute, for the the if it's a private hangar, they pay for the the taxi lane, the center, 25 feet or 35 feet depending on, you know, what size you have. They only will pay for that. Any apron or, additional pavement between that taxi lane or taxiway to a private hangar, that is that is, not eligible for FAA payment." He added that apron work for public-use facilities or a town-built hangar could qualify for FAA participation.
The committee discussed configuration details such as hangar orientation to prevailing winds and aircraft size. Neto said current planning assumes ADG Type 1 aircraft (up to 49-foot wingspan); participants noted existing T-hangars are roughly 45 feet, and one proposed 10-pack layout showed 48-foot units with 14-foot doors.
No formal action was taken at the meeting; the group lacked a quorum early in the session. The committee asked Neto to revise the ALP drawings removing one planned 70-by-70 box hangar in favor of T-hangar layout options and to provide those revised plans to staff (Joe) for distribution. The committee plans to return the item for further discussion and formal action at a future meeting.
"The airport master plan update, the intent is really to kinda look at more long term kind of from a from a a land side," Dave said, describing the work as a follow-up to the runway extension and prior layout plans. He said the update will attempt to resolve conflicting drawings from earlier ALPs and include an obstruction analysis to identify any trees needing removal and potential navigation easements.
Why it matters: the committee is weighing how to expand hangar capacity and whether newly planned taxi-lane work can be financed through FAA Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funds. Neto gave the committee preliminary phasing and cost context and advised using a targeted Airport Layout Plan (ALP) update — a "pen and ink" change — to secure FAA agreement before committing to final designs or bids.
Neto outlined a phased scheme that would extend an existing short strip of pavement to the west, construct initial taxi-lane segments and add T-hangar clusters to the north of that extension. He said there appears to be more local interest in T-hangar development than in box hangars and sketched options for 4-unit or 6-unit T-hanger groupings.
On costs, Neto noted roughly $800,000 in AIP funds was listed and that recent taxi-lane construction of about 400–500 feet had approached $1,000,000, including earthwork and paving. He said the master-plan update itself typically takes about a year, including public information meetings and advisory-committee input.
Neto also explained FAA funding limits for private hangars: "FAA does not. FAA will contribute, for the the if it's a private hangar, they pay for the the taxi lane, the center, 25 feet or 35 feet depending on, you know, what size you have. They only will pay for that. Any apron or, additional pavement between that taxi lane or taxiway to a private hangar, that is that is, not eligible for FAA payment." He added that apron work for public-use facilities or a town-built hangar could qualify for FAA participation.
The committee discussed configuration details such as hangar orientation to prevailing winds and aircraft size. Neto said current planning assumes ADG Type 1 aircraft (up to 49-foot wingspan); participants noted existing T-hangars are roughly 45 feet, and one proposed 10-pack layout showed 48-foot units with 14-foot doors.
No formal action was taken at the meeting; the group lacked a quorum early in the session. The committee asked Neto to revise the ALP drawings removing one planned 70-by-70 box hangar in favor of T-hangar layout options and to provide those revised plans to staff (Joe) for distribution. The committee plans to return the item for further discussion and formal action at a future meeting.
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