THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 3, 1994 TAG: 9406030699
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: D1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940603 LENGTH: ELIZABETH CITY
City Council members and a couple of Pasquotank County commissioners learned Wednesday night that a runway and several taxiways at the airfield, which is overseen by the Coast Guard, are deteriorating rapidly and could fail within five years if they are not fixed.
{REST} The Coast Guard plans to maintain the larger of two runways and fix up a bow-tie pattern of taxiways necessary for its operations, said Capt. Norman V. Scurria Jr., commanding officer at the Coast Guard Air Station.
But the Coast Guard will not fix the north-south runway used primarily by small private planes or the taxiway that runs directly in front of the municipal terminal, he said.
``As a business decision for the United States Coast Guard, that's the right answer,'' Scurria said Wednesday. ``The bottom line is, it's going to take some money. The Coast Guard hasn't got it.''
Without state and local government initiative, Scurria said, the airport as it currently functions will cease to exist once the unattended pavement fails.
Scurria estimated a cost of $3 million to $4 million to fix the aging runway and taxiway. He said officials could consider less expensive options, such as carving new access to the main, east-west runway.
But that would present a new set of problems. Scurria said crosswinds on the main runway, especially in the winter, could be dangerous for smaller craft.
Officials reached Thursday said they expected a strong effort to ensure that the municipal side of the airport continues to function. With thousands of commercial and personal planes touching down every year, the airport has had a growing impact on local business, officials said.
``It's a viable part of the economy of this area,'' said U.E. ``Smitty'' Smithson of the seven-member Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County Airport Authority, which runs the municipal airport. ``From this point on, it's becoming more so.''
Elizabeth City Manager Ralph Clark said the City Council will wait for the authority to report on the best way to handle the situation.
``There are lots of options that we have to look at,'' Clark said. ``Between us and the county and the state and the Airport Authority, we're going to come up with a plan to keep that airport open.''
Coast Guard officials learned how badly the airfield was deteriorating after a private study was completed in fall 1993, Scurria said. Damage to the secondary runway is already so serious that Scurria limited traffic to planes under 12,500 pounds, a level that most small private jets still meet.
Repairs to the areas the Coast Guard will maintain will cost more than $5 million over the next several years. Scurria said the Coast Guard also will work with authorities to help keep the municipal side running.
Smithson said the Airport Authority will work to save the facility.
``Somewhere hopefully we can come up with the funding,'' Smithson said. ``It isn't like we've got to have it tomorrow or next week, but we've got to start planning.'' by CNB