Airport business, jobs creation, innovation economy on rise
Executive Director’s Report
Happy New Year! As 2019 kicks off, it’s a good time to reflect on the past year’s accomplishments and look ahead to the promise of an exciting new year ahead. The redevelopment project has now been underway for more than a decade and it’s been nearly eight years since the Navy disestablished the base. In that time, more than 1,800 jobs have been created by 120 business entities. More than $3 million in annual property taxes have been generated from redevelopment activities. Airport traffic continues to grow by more than 10 percent per year as aviation businesses and pilots discover Maine’s newest and friendliest airport.
A few of the top accomplishments of 2018 include:
- Installation of a 1.5 megawatt solar PV generation facility that went online about a year ago and supplies roughly a third of the electricity requirements at Brunswick Landing.
- Creation of 400 new jobs and the addition of 20 more businesses at Brunswick Landing.
- Transfer of the former Navy sewer system to the Brunswick Sewer District.
- Reception of an additional 24 acres from the Navy.
- Lease in Furtherance of Conveyance of the former Navy Public Works compound to MRRA.
- Opening of the University of Maine at Augusta’s Unmanned Aerial Systems school at Brunswick Landing.
- Brunswick Landing designated as an Opportunity Zone.
- Transfer of 65 acres of recreational property to the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust and the opening of a new mountain bike trails system Neptune Woods.
Looking ahead at 2019, we are excited about several significant projects that will have an impact on the former base properties.
- Construction of a new road to connect Brunswick Landing from Gurnet Road to reduce traffic congestion on Bath Road and Cook’s Corner.
- Construction of a 15,000 SF general aviation hangar on the site of the former Navy fire station building.
- Conveyance of the last MRRA-owned parcel and demolition of the water tower at Topsham Commerce Park.
- Construction of an additional 40,000 SF of office space at Brunswick Landing.
- Grand opening of the TechPlace composites layup facility for advanced materials production and parts manufacturing.
- Expansion of the anaerobic digester to help meet our of 100 percent renewable energy from on-campus sources.
- Continued renovations by new subtenants Bamforth Marine and Priority Real Estate Group on the former Navy Public Works facility, recently leased to MRRA by the Navy.
We thank you for your support. Have a great 2019 and make sure you get outside and enjoy the Maine winter!
Featured Property: Building 231 Air Traffic Control Facility
The former Navy control tower on the west side of the airfield is available for lease. The building has about 15,000 SF, including a 100-foot tower, which offers tremendous views of the airport and surrounding Midcoast region. With direct access to the airfield and several hundred developable acres close by there is room to expand or even build an accompanying hangar. It is well-suited for aerospace R&D and special projects, but also for back-office operations with its secure location, available IT infrastructure and backup power generator. It can be leased for $12/SF NNN. Contact us for more information or to schedule a showing.
Brunswick Executive Airport Hits Record Number of Air Operations
BXM had its busiest year ever in 2018. We finished the year with 20,923 total operations, which is a 15.5% increase over 2017. Our goal is for 5 percent annual growth in traffic. We also had a strong year in aviation fuel sales, another airport performance metric. More than 290,000 gallons were sold in 2018, our second best year and strongest non-air show year for total annual fuel sales. We now have 30 airplanes based at BXM and we expect to add several more in 2019, hence the need for a dedicated general aviation hangar, which will be constructed this year. Once finished, FlightLevel Aviation will move its planes into the new building, giving us more space in Hangar 6 to attract aerospace businesses. We also continue to market Hangar 5 and Hangar 4 (once it’s ready to be occupied).
Brunswick Landing Could Provide Boost to State’s Space Program
The Maine Space Grant Consortium has its eyes on Brunswick Landing as a possible mission control center for launching small space satellites, also known as cubesats. Under its preliminary plan, Brunswick Landing would serve as a ground control facility, similar to NASA’s Houston Mission Control center, while the more remotely located Loring Commerce Center, site of the former Loring Air Force Base, would be the launch site. bluShift Aerospace, a Brunswick Landing company that manufactures biofuel-based rocket engines, figures to play a future role in these efforts. bluShift’s developing rocket technology is designed to launch smaller payloads, such as cubesats of around 50kg into orbit. Read more about the space program in the Times Record »
New Businesses Continue to Expand at Brunswick Landing
We added more than 20 new companies to the business lineup, including TechPlace in 2018. We now have more than 120 entities doing business at Brunswick Landing. New businesses for 2018 include: Bamforth Marine, Embrace a Vet, Kennebec River Biosciences, Turtle Rock Farm, HERE Engineering, UMA-UAS School, American Classic Aviation and Flying Club, Bath Iron Works, Pegasus Landing, Sitelines, Maine Careers Center, Center for Diagnostic Imaging, Liberty Property, 119 Orion LLC, and Quahog Bay Bedding.
TechPlace Attracts More Innovation; Opens Shared Composites Shop
TechPlace is now home to 38 companies. New businesses to open at TechPlace in 2018 include: Clamar Floats, Fiddlehead Designs, Lean East, Noble Wellness, Captive Drone, Ocean Renewable Power Co., Running Tide Technologies, Veterans Assembled Electronics, Web Tech Strategies, and Introspective Systems. TechPlace’s growth is creating to the demand for space elsewhere on campus as companies grow out of TechPlace. Companies to graduate from TechPlace include 
STARC Systems (leasing more than 20,000 SF); HERE Engineering (leasing 5,000 SF); and bluShift Aerospace with 2,000 SF and acreage in the former fuel farm for rocket testing. This month, TechPlace will officially open its composites layup facility. Companies may use the facility for prototype work and manufacturing of parts. The facility includes two ovens and a new paint booth. It is located adjacent to the Composites Engineering Research Lab. Bowdoinham native Steve Savoie, proprietor of Savoie Composites Solutions, is managing the facility.
Public Works Complex Bustling with New Development
In October, MRRA received a Lease in Furtherance of Conveyance (LIFOC) from the Navy for the former Public Works facility, which included Buildings 53, 584, and 590, along with about five acres of land. MRRA quickly put the property into productive re-use by subletting the buildings. Bamforth Marine has expanded from its downtown Maine Street store into Buildings 584 and 590. The Priority Real Estate Group of Topsham is leasing Building 53, a nice 10,000 SF office building that formerly was home to the Navy Caretaker offices. The Navy has since moved an office to Hangar 6. Priority Group is renovating Building 53 for its new tenant – Sitelines. Also included in a separate LIFOC is Building 19 (former Navy Carpentry Shop). It is home to Harpswell House, a slate products manufacturer.
MRRA Donates 64 Acres to the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust
Neptune Woods and about five miles of new mountain biking trails opened in late October near the housing area off Neptune Drive. MRRA conveyed a 64-acre parcel of recreational-use designated land to the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust for the creation of this new trail system. The bike trails are fairly flat, like most of the terrain at Brunswick Landing, and are ideal for novice mountain bikers. Additionally, the parcel includes part of the former Navy Fitness Trail system. Eventually, these trails may become part of the effort to create a perimeter trail system around the entire former NASB property. Learn more and download a trail map on the MRRA website.
Fresh Produce, Lunch Items Available at Weekly Farmers Market
The Midcoast Winter Farmers Market opened for the season in November. The market moved from its previous home at the Topsham Fairgrounds to Turtle Rock Farm’s production facility, the site of the former Navy Car Wash across from Wayfair. The Midcoast Winter Farmers Market is open Fridays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 39 Burbank Ave. Turtle Rock is offering a light luncheon menu during market hours. The market itself is located in recently constructed greenhouse and features a dozen or so vendors. Read Times Record story for more info about the Winter Farmers Market.
Brunswick Landing Street Renamed in Honor of Admiral Harry Rich
The Brunswick Naval Museum held a street-naming dedication ceremony for Admiral Harry Rich Drive on Wednesday, December 18th. The Admiral, a 92-year-old native Mainer, attended the ceremony and spoke briefly, thanking everyone for attending and for the honor. John Briley, President of the Museum, spoke as did MRRA Executive Director Steve Levesque. Admiral Harry Rich Drive, formerly known as Anchor Drive, is the second road on the left after entering Brunswick Landing. It connects to Neptune Drive and the housing areas. Read more about Admiral Rich and his extensive career with the Navy.
Construction Begins on New Entry Point and Road
A new road, about a quarter mile in length is taking shape on the east side of Brunswick Landing near the housing areas. The road will connect Admiral Fitch Avenue and Gurnet Road (Route 24) from the east. A secondary entrance to Brunswick Landing will be created near the Cook’s Corner Mall and should help alleviate some of the traffic jams in Cook’s Corner and the Bath Road entrance to campus where congestion is frequent during rush hours. The $2.2 million project is being done by Crooker Construction. MRRA is kicking in $200,000 with Town of Brunswick and the Maine Department of Transportation funding the remainder of the project. Read more about the construction project.
