ROCKLAND – An early morning special meeting for the Knox County Commissioners on Monday, August 1, via Zoom saw a limited agenda. Commissioner Richard Parent was not in attendance. First on the agenda was a presentation from Boutique Air, represented by its vice president of business operations Brian Kondrad.  

The review of Boutique Air followed a July 5 Commissioners’ meeting, at which they heard presentations from two other airlines interested in replacing Cape Air as the Knox County Airport’s carrier. 

Every two to five years the Department of Transportation selects a carrier to supply the needs of a regional airport. The current contract was awarded in 2018 to Cape Air and is now up for bid again. Three carriers submitted proposals for that award and the Knox County Airport had asked for public comments to help make a recommendation to the DOT.  

Kondrad explained that Boutique Air was started in 2009, and services 25 cities in the United States including the Northeast. The company has 215 employees and pride themselves on safety, convenience and reliable air service.  

Boutique flies Pilatus, PC 12 aircraft and can seat eight to nine people. The Pilatus is a single engine turboprop aircraft manufactured in Switzerland.  

Boutique has interline agreements with American and United Airlines. It currently flies into Boston’s Logan Airport. Kondrad attributed his company’s increase in passenger numbers to the fact people like how comfortable the aircraft is and how quiet it is.  

Kondrad kept his presentation to 10 minutes, which was in line with the presentations presented by Cape Air and Southern Air at the previous commission meeting.  

Commissioner Sharyn Pohlman asked if the Pilatus was a single engine aircraft, and Kondrad affirmed that it was. It was brought forward at the last commissioners’ meeting by Airport Public Advisory Committee member Jeff Northgraves that Knox County Airport is currently certified for twin engine aircraft and if they give that up it can never go back to twin engine aircraft again.  

The difference is that twin engine aircraft can fly over water whereas the single engine cannot.  

If Boutique Air would win the bid from the Department of Transportation for essential air services it will be their first appointment in Maine. They are currently not in consideration for Augusta.  

Following Boutique’s presentation, the Commissioners moved on to making a recommendation to the DOT for essential air service for Rockland.  

Jeremy Shaw, manager of the Knox County Airportm had already forwarded a letter from Augusta’s mayor Mark S. O’Brien. That letter, addressed to the DOT, stated that the City of Augusta City Council and the airport support the bid from Cape Air for essential air services.  

Rockland City Manager Tom Luttrell also voiced support for Cape Air over Boutique and Southern. 

Shaw said that of the 18 letters the airport had received as of July 22, all were in support of Cape Air over the other two carriers. Shaw said that one letter asked that Cape Air provide service to LaGuardia, in New York, as part of its service from Rockland. 

Pohlman made a motion that Shaw finalize and recommend to the DOT in a letter in support of Cape Air for essential air services for the Knox County Airport.

The amendment passed 2-0. 

In other business the Knox County Commission voted 2-0 on an act to award the bid for solar energy electric generating facility development services based on the APAC Recommendations. 

That recommendation was for ReVision Energy (https://www.revisionenergy.com/) of Portland. ReVision will begin work in the spring of 2023. 

After a brief executive session commissioners appointed Zach Greene as the county’s new IT director. Greene will assume his duties immediately.