THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 21, 1994 TAG: 9407210536
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
The Dare County Board of Commissioners took their case for a new airport to Capitol Hill Wednesday in an effort to ``lay the groundwork'' for congressional support.
Board Chairman Robert V.Owens Jr. said the commissioners met with members of the House Armed Services Committee, including North Carolina Rep. Martin Lancaster, D-3rd, to discuss building a new Dare County Airport on the mainland near the Dare County Bombing Range.
``It went pretty good,'' Owens said in a telephone interview. ``We just simply wanted to meet with them, and discuss what we had in mind for the new airport. We didn't have any success in talking to the military, so we chose to go the governmental and political route.''
On Monday, the Dare County Commission approved a five-year Land Use Plan that opposed expansion of the airport at its current location on Roanoke Island.
Last month, a Washington, D.C.-area military consulting firm told the commissioners that plans to move the airport to a tract of land near the Navy bombing range were unacceptable.
On Wednesday, the board met with Rep. Tim Holden, D-Pa., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, to discuss the airport.
``Rep. Holden is an old friend,'' said Owens. ``He is a friend of the committee chairman, who is also from Pennsylvania. Basically, we're just talking to friends of friends at this point.''
Owens said Lancaster listened to the commission proposal, but did not immediately offer his support.
``He was noncommittal at this point,'' said Owens. ``That's what we expected. The meetings we had were just to break bread with them.
``We're just laying the groundwork right now. We hope to meet with them again either in Dare County or here in Washington at some point in the future.''
Owens said the board's next step will be a meeting with state officials, including North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt, Rep. Marc Basnight, D-Dare, and Department of Transportation representatives.
``We don't have a set timetable,'' said Owens. ``We're simply trying to respond to what the people want. At the hearing Monday, a majority of people said they wanted a new airport, but they didn't want expansion at the current site. We're simply trying to respond to that.''
Commissioners also met with officials of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, concerning the agency's payment in lieu of taxes to the county. Owens said the agency cut its payment to the county in half, which he said causes budget difficulties.
``The agency pretty much set its own value on the property,'' said Owens. ``We discussed the problem with people here in Washington. We're continuing to work on that.''
KEYWORDS: DARE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS DARE COUNTY AIRPORT
HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
by CNB