Minutes - 19890522 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council meeting to voice their concerns this evening. This process has afforded citizens an opportunity to speak up and it concerns him when he sees people the County considers responsible making statements which indicate they believe that the $oard of Commissioners do not have a good view of spending taxpayers money. He indicated that the Commissioners did go after the State and Federal funds because it was necessary to look at the safety issues at Horace Williams. He mentioned that it may have been that the schools and homes were built there because people expected the University to close the airport. He received about 500 letters with only 3 wanting an airport. He believes that it is very clear that the citizens of this county do not want an airport, especially in light of the fact that the University does not plan to shut down the one they have. He stated that he would vote against an airport and he would like to do it tonight. He also indicated that he would like to forego the Public Hearings. He challenged each of the many citizens who, care about the environment and this county to understand that to protect the earth means money must be spent. If money is not spent, nothing can be protected. Commissioner Hartwell stated that he visited site 11 after it was chosen as the most likely site for an airport. He clocked the distance from the interchange at Buck Horn Road and Interstate 85 and found it to be three miles. The runway would be one mile long with the site being a total of 2 1/2 to 3 l/2 miles. The second thing he found was that there were 17 homes that would fall beneath the runway. He also saw well drilling rigs which indicated that there would soon be more homes in that area. He indicated that while this site ranked the best on the list, it was still a very intrusive choice. The next issue he addressed was the site itself. He stood on a knoll that would lie under the runway. To the northwest he could see Bushy Cook Road and to southeast he could see Seven Mile Creek, both of which were not more than 1/4 of a mile away. That means there is very little flexibility at the site. After a parking lot, building, apron, taxi strip, and runway are put in this area, it would be completely used up. It would allow no room for engineering choices. The airport would have to be laid out according to the dictates of the land available. Finally, there were two cleared knolls with a tributary into Seven Mile Creek that runs through a deep ravine. Construction of a runway across that ravine would be problematic. For all of those reasons, he concluded that there was not a suitable site. He suggested that the upcoming Public Hearings be used as an opportunity to hear some of the citizens motivations. He mentioned that it was clear to him that a very small percentage of the citizens who have participated in this process understand the difficulties in the central part of this county. He feels that they look at 2.9$ unemployment countywide and think that everything is okay. This employment figure does not mean that employment is full or that underemployment is not a terrible problem, particularly in the central part of the County. There are still hundreds of people unemployed since the closing of the last mill. Unemployment among black males, age 25 to 35, is well over 10~ and probably as high as 16-18~. This is a really serious issue. A public hearing would allow a discussion on this issue. He stated that it is his opinion that some people who have actively opposed an airport do understand the necessity for getting on with a strong, modern economic base in this county. There is a need for the sort of jobs which will enable a person to buy a home, raise a family, pay his taxes, educate his children, hold his head up and not have to have a Ph.D in order to do it. He mentioned that many of the people with wham he had met would be willing to pour energy and expertise into implementing the strategies that are called for in the Economic Development Plan. That would be very significant for this County. He is not interested in putting an airport at Site 11 but is interested in continuing the public discussion at the upcoming Public Hearings.