Airport Board Chair Retires

• January 19, 2018

At its monthly meeting in January 2018, Auburn-Lewiston Airport changed leadership when long-standing Chairman Edouard Plourde from Lewiston retired from the Board. Mr. Plourde served on the Airport Board of Directors since April 1999 and as its Chairman since January 2005. In that time, Mr. Plourde led one of the State of Maine’s three busiest airports. He oversaw construction of a parallel taxiway for the main runway, the construction of a new, larger terminal building and a 27,000 square foot hangar nearby, and most recently the expansion of the terminal aircraft parking ramp. Mr. Plourde led the effort to bring the reconstruction one of the last Lockheed Super Constellations to the airport, thereby bringing an international corporation and as many as 300 skilled workers with a payroll averaging $1,000,000 per month to the region. Through his leadership, the airport added over 100 acres of additional lands, took over the flight continuation servicing business and added 8 employees to the airport staff. Mr. Plourde was thanked for his service to the community with an engraved gavel presented on behalf of the Board by Airport Director Rick Lanman, AAE with an audience of past and present Board members along with a small gathering of airport tenants.

“We are grateful for Ed’s service to his community,” Lanman said. “He has worked tirelessly through some tough times to improve and strengthen Auburn Lewiston Airport. We are better and stronger having had him at the helm of our Board.”

With Mr. Plourde’s departure, new Board Officers were elected. The new Chair of the Airport Board of Directors for the coming year is State Representative Bettyann Sheats (Auburn), Councilor Bob Hayes (Auburn) was elected Vice Chair and City of Auburn Finance Director Jill Eastman was elected Treasurer. All will serve one year terms.

Other members of the Board of Directors include Councilor Zach Pettengill (Lewiston), City of Lewiston Finance Director Heather Hunter, LA Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Representative Richard Theirault, LA Economic Growth Council Representative Rebecca Conrad, and Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments Representative Jennifer Williams.

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