Knox County Commission approves KRCC appointees, airport nomination timetable, hangar lease transfer and budget committee addition

Knox County commissioners met Tuesday, Feb. 18, and unanimously approved a set of administrative actions including appointments to the Knox Regional Communications Center (KRCC) executive board, a call for nominations to fill seats on the Airport Public Advisory Committee (APAC), a lease assignment for Hangar 56 at the county airport, and the addition of Roger Peabody to the county budget committee.

The meeting, called to order by the chair, opened with routine consent items that the commission approved 3-0. The commission then moved through several discrete action items and short discussions on committee representation, nominations procedures and hangar management.

The most discussed item involved appointments to the KRCC executive board. The commission approved appointing Jason Peaslee as the EMS representative, Michael Root as the fire representative, and Kurt Andrick as the law enforcement representative for terms beginning Jan. 1, 2025; the transcript indicates the appointment term runs "to February" but does not specify the year or exact end date. Commissioners noted a letter questioning whether two representatives from the same town (Rockport) should both serve on the countywide advisory body. One commissioner said, "The point of having advisers on any people from the same town or the same area, it defeats the whole purpose of having a county wide organization. So I'm really not pleased that we have 2 people from the same town on there." Another commissioner and other meeting participants said the KRCC users group recommended the slate and that few volunteers were available to fill the roles. The commission voted 3-0 to approve the appointments.

The commission approved an act calling for nominations to fill seats on the Airport Public Advisory Committee and adopted the nominations timetable and press release after clarifying that the call should be for three seats (the packet originally said four). Commissioners and county staff discussed the timetable: APAC notified the commission Jan. 13, the commission called for nominations on Feb. 11, APAC will submit nominees to the commission on March 10, the commission will accept public input April 8, appoint new members April 8, and APAC plans to install new members at its May 12 annual meeting. At the time of the meeting two people had stepped forward for reappointment; nominations from Owls Head were still pending. The commission approved the amended call for nominations and timetable by voice vote, 3-0.

The commission authorized the chair to execute a consent and assignment to transfer Hangar 56 lease from Daniel Uphold to TLW Investment Trust (Thomas L. Walsh) and approved the chair to sign the request for lease assignment. County staff explained the building itself had already been sold to Tom Walsh's organization and said the lessee intends to make hangar space available for larger aircraft, rather than for owner-occupied storage. Staff said leases between private hangar owners and third parties are treated as private business arrangements so long as they follow the county's minimum rates and standards. The commission approved the lease assignment 3-0.

On the county budget committee, the commission voted to add Roger Peabody as a budget committee member after receiving a letter of nomination from the town of Warren. Commissioners discussed process for filling vacancies and noted the county is still seeking representatives from multiple towns and unorganized territories. County staff listed vacancies (transcript text): Islesboro (spelled in transcript as "Ilaho"), Matinicus (transcript: "Matinegus/Matinegas"), North Haven, St. George, Friendship, and the unorganized territory identified in the transcript as "Cree/Free Haven" (town-name spellings as in the meeting record). Rockland was reported to have two vacancies; several other towns also lack representation. The commission approved Peabody's appointment 3-0 and discussed public outreach to fill remaining vacancies.

Other administrative matters noted in the meeting: commissioners acknowledged receiving reports from GIS and the airport, discussed a request to identify a representative to a regional workforce board, and briefly referenced a letter about the county jail's board of visitors. The meeting closed after the commission approved adjournment by voice vote.

Votes at a glance — all votes recorded in the meeting were unanimous (3-0): • Consent agenda (minutes, warrants, department reports, reserve withdrawal): approved, 3-0. • Appointment of KRCC executive board representatives — Jason Peaslee (EMS), Michael Root (fire), Kurt Andrick (law enforcement): approved, 3-0; term listed as beginning 01/01/2025 and ending in "February" (end date not specified in the record). • Act calling for nominations to fill APAC seats and approving the nominations timetable and press release (amended to three seats): approved, 3-0; APAC timeline: nominations called Feb. 11; APAC submits nominees March 10; commission takes public input April 8; appointments April 8; installation May 12. • Consent and assignment to transfer Hangar No. 56 lease from Daniel Uphold to TLW Investment Trust (Thomas L. Walsh) and authorize chair to execute the request: approved, 3-0. • Addition of Roger Peabody to the county budget committee (nomination from Warren): approved, 3-0.

Discussion vs. formal action: The transcript distinguishes discussion and concern about duplicate town representation on the KRCC (a commissioner called it potentially counter to a countywide representation goal) from the commission's formal approval based on the KRCC users group's recommendation. The APAC item included a short procedural clarification and an amendment to reflect three open seats rather than four; the commission adopted the amended timetable. The hangar transfer was described as a routine administrative lease assignment; staff noted the building sale to the assignee's organization had already occurred separately. The budget committee item included both the formal appointment of Peabody and a wider discussion about multiple vacancies and outreach to towns.

What the record does not specify: the precise end date in February for the KRCC appointments; the names and contact details for APAC nominees beyond the two reappointments mentioned; and a detailed business plan for Thomas L. Walsh's intended use of Hangar 56 — staff said the assignee had not provided a formal plan in the meeting packet.

Next steps and public notice: APAC will forward nominees March 10, the commission will take public input and appoint members April 8, and APAC will install new members May 12. County staff indicated they will continue outreach to towns lacking budget committee representation and will publish the APAC call for nominations as authorized by the commission.