Airport cleanup bill tops $100,000

OXFORD - Repair work at the Oxford County Regional Airport has topped $100,000, commissioners learned Tuesday.

The county leases part of the property to Oxford Aviation, an aircraft refurbishing company that filed a lawsuit last summer claiming the county was slow to repair leaks in the roof that led to mold growth and sickness in some employees.

According to initial figures, repairs total $102,535.66, with $63,082.10 going toward mold remediation and remodeling, and $11,185 toward roof repair. Other repairs include carpeting, wallpapering, pest control and electric work.

"This is going further than what we thought for expenses," Chairman Caldwell Jackson said at Tuesday's meeting.

Jackson said he will meet with Eric Grondahl, clerk of the works for the county, to review bills for the repairs.

Malcolm Ulmer of the Maine County Commissioners Association Risk Pool said the damage occurred over a period of years, with water leaking through the roof and at ground level. He recommended the county begin sending a maintenance worker to the facility at least once a week to check for problems.

Richard Leeman, also of the Risk Pool, said the mold contamination occurred due to a variety of conditions, including heat and stagnant water.

"The bottom line is it just went on way too long," Leeman said.

James Horowitz, president of Oxford Aviation, also sent a letter to the county on Nov. 14 requesting $23,799.65 in reimbursement from the county.

"Oxford Aviation will accept payment for its cost at our burden labor rate provided that we incur no further litigation expenses related to this invoice and that payment is received within 10 days," Horowitz states.

According to the invoices, Horowitz is seeking compensation for lost time due to employee sickness and moving the offices; the payroll of employees during the remediation work; the movement of computers and technical support; and damage done by contractors to an airplane, credit card machine and telephone.

The projected 2009 expenditure for the airport's capital reserve fund is $50,000, compared to $10,000 approved for 2008. According to the county budget, the increase is due to the current reserve being depleted by renovations at the airport.

The county is also expected to pay 2.5 percent of a $1,490,663 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to rehabilitate the airport's 3,000-foot runway, add runway lights, remove trees, relocate signs and do earthwork.