By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

FRYEBURG — The airport in Fryeburg is in the process gaining a new name: the White Mountains Regional Airport.

Last week, the topic of renaming the Eastern Slope Regional Airport came up during the Fryeburg Select Board meeting.

Select Board member Tom Klinepeter asked about the cost of renaming the facility.

“The cost is nothing,” according to the Airport Manager/Administrator Allison Navia. She was present to answer any questions.

“What we are doing for the re-brand? We are paying homage to the original airport. All it takes is a resolution. I take the resolution and submit it to” the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

“It is fairly easy to change the name of the airport at no cost,” Navia said.

Klinepeter expressed his continued concern about the cost.

“New signs, advertising, the website is going to be updated,” he said.

Navia said the airport authority will cover those transitional things.

Select Board member Gregg Huang-Dale commented.

“I looked at the history of the other airport. It goes back to the 1930s,” he said, asking, “How do you see that switchover? What will be the benefits? Is it inviting more people?”

Navia fielded his questions.

“It makes it more accurate. So, when pilots are searching for the airport, White Mountains Region is more accurate to where we are. There isn’t technically of a region of the eastern slope. We are in western Maine but called eastern slope regional,” she said.

The name change will make it less confusing “when airports are communicating with us,” she said.

Fryeburg Town Manager Katie Haley said she had called the town attorney to get the final word on whether or not town meeting approval is required to do the name change. As of Tuesday afternoon, Haley had not heard back from legal counsel.

The airport name change will pan out either way: The select board has authority to vote on it and does so, or the select board votes for the item to become a warrant article for upcoming town meeting.