LYNDON — A group of pilots at the Caledonia County State Airport expressed measured optimism Monday evening over a state proposal to sell the airport to a private company — though transportation officials still haven’t shared many concrete details about the plan.
Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn said last week that Beta Technologies, the South Burlington electric aircraft manufacturer, has expressed interest in taking the Lyndon airport off the state’s hands. The agency is seeking approval from the Legislature to sell the facility, a request lawmakers may grant in this year’s omnibus transportation bill.
On Monday, state transportation officials met with local residents inside the airport’s terminal building to garner comments on the plan. About two dozen people turned out for the meeting, including a number of current and former state lawmakers.
Top of mind for many of the pilots were assurances that the local aviation community could continue to operate at the facility as it has for decades, should it no longer receive funding from the state and federal governments. Many agreed with state officials that, at the same time, the sale could be a good opportunity for them and their neighbors.
“We need real guarantees,” said Robert Jauch, who owns a hangar at the airport. “Because this would be great for the community.”
Dan Delabruere, director of aviation and rail at the transportation agency, told Jauch and others that the state would negotiate an agreement with a new private owner ensuring continued public access to the airport. The new owner also would have to honor any existing leases at the time of sale, he said.
But state officials said they could not answer questions about how airport operations would look different under a private owner, and Flynn declined to share details on Beta’s proposed plans when asked by the local pilots.
Some pilots said they were frustrated by a lack of investment at the airport in recent decades (according to Flynn, its runway has not been resurfaced in more than 30 years — a point of contention for several pilots Monday evening). Other state airports, such as Newport and Highgate, received state investments during that period, some pilots noted.
“We’ve always been put to the back of the line,” said Kevin Blais, who said he moved to the area so that he could be part of the aviation community at Caledonia’s airport.
Flynn said last week that the main reason the state wants to sell the airport to a private company is that such an entity would be able to make critical infrastructure investments there more quickly than the state.
“I’m just a guy — my name is Joe Flynn. And I’m pretty honest — well, very honest,” the secretary said Monday evening. “And I’m going to tell you that my goal here — the agency’s goal, the administration’s goal — is, with the Legislature’s concurrence, for this airport to succeed.”
Several people at the meeting Monday noted that Beta executives including Kyle Clark, the company’s CEO, visited the Caledonia airport last year for its 50th anniversary celebration and spoke highly of the local aviation community.
State officials including Sen. Russ Ingalls, R-Essex, a member of the Senate Transportation Committee, said they think Beta is interested in the Caledonia airport because it is close to schools including Northern Vermont University and the Lyndon Institute, an independent high school. Beta already hosts technical students through internship and other training programs.
In response, Joe Benning, a former state senator from Caledonia County, recounted a conversation he said he had with Clark about the local airport.
“There’s no question that he has an interest in this property,” Benning said.
“He recognizes not just the educational institutions you were talking about, but also the little tiny mom and pop facilities that are surrounding this airport,” the former senator said, drawing nods from the crowd.
Both the Senate and House transportation committees are slated to take testimony on the potential airport sale this week.
