Airport seeks trailer variance

The Lutheran Air helicopter will be stationed in Portland beginning Sept. 1, but the accommodations for its crew will be different than planned.
Because of delays in the process toward renovating a breezeway into an office/living quarters, Portland Board of Aviation wants use a trailer as a temporary workspace for the crew until the project is complete. The board voted Monday to request a variance from the Portland Board of Zoning Appeals to allow use of such a trailer within city limits.
Mike McKee, president of the board of aviation, planned to visit the Jay/Portland Building and Planning Office on Monday to make the official request for a variance. City ordinance typically allows trailers to be used only in designated trailer parks.
During the process of getting estimates for the breezeway renovation, which is capped at $40,000, local officials learned state permits would be needed to make the changes. The permitting process, which originally was not believed to be necessary, is expected to delay the project several months.
The aviation board and Lutheran Air finalized a three-year agreement June 17 to station a helicopter — Lutheran Air 1, which is currently based in Fort Wayne — at the airport beginning Sept. 1.
“We’re still expecting the helicopter in September,” said McKee. “We want to do everything we can to accommodate Lutheran Air, so this is the best solution, short term.”