20070612 Commissioners vote to go ahead with airport expansion

Commissioners vote to go ahead with airport expansion

By a vote of 2 to 1, the Carroll County commissioners decided this morning to move forward with plans to expand the Carroll County Regional Airport.

10:25 AM, June 12^th, 2007

Live - remote - blogging the commissioners’ deliberations of the proposed expansion of the airport…

9:56 AM, June 12^th, 2007

Cindy Parr made a brief presentation on the four alternatives as to the proposed expansion of the airport.

At the conclusion of Ms. Parr’s presentation, the president of the board of commissioners, Julia Gouge asked for deliberations.

Commissioner Mike Zimmer led off with a discussion of the safety, quality of life, money and the environmental impacts of the proposed airport expansion.

Before his discussion of those issues he commented that he was satisfied with the process in which the proposed expansion has been considered.

In the end he has come decided upon the no-build option.

Commissioner Dean Minnich then spoke…

He despaired at the misinformation that has been disseminated. He shared that the county is not planning to build Friendship Airport. He commented that improvements to Rte 97 have continued and will be forthcoming.

He said that ever since his first election campaign for commissioner issues of economic development have been discussed…

He noted that the airport is not the lynchpin for economic development but it is a piece…

He lamented that there isn’t anything that we can do that will not have an adverse impact on someone.

He also expressed satisfaction with the process.

He said that he is inclined to favor Option Three.

Commissioner Julia Gouge then spoke. She said that by looking at the outlying area it leads one to conclude that the county will not be building another BWI.

She focused upon the safety aspects of the expanded airport.

She noted that even if the no-build option is chosen the runway will have to be refurbished in the future…

She noted that the airport has been there a long time and anyone who has purchased a home near the airport has known that there is an airport there…

At that board of commissioners’ president Gouge entertained a motion. Commissioner Minnich motioned to adopt Option Three. Commissioner Gouge seconded the motion.

Commissioners Minnich and Gouge voted yes and Commissioner Zimmer voted no.

At the point Commissioner Gouge noted that the next step is to proceed with an environmental study. Commissioner Minnich noted that noise is a component of the environmental study.

10:25 AM

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