CHANGE MY LOCATION
Residents’ ire continues over proposed airport expansion
SEE THE LATEST ON THIS STORY
Related Topics: Westminster
)
Jim Julius, of Westminster, parks his Cessna Cardinal after landing at Carroll County Regional Airport in Westminster Tuesday. Julius flew to Winchester, saving him more than two hours of travel time by car.
Westminster (Map, News) - Dozens of residents continued to express their anger over a proposed airport expansion during a presentation Monday of a study touting the project’s economic benefits.
“I’ve only been here five months, and I’m starting to get worried that it’s a dumb thing we did” to move near Carroll County Regional Airport in Westminster, resident Ed Mitchell said.
Economist Anirban Basu presented his findings after interviewing businesses that fly into the airport and nearby residents to quantify their concerns about lowered property values and increased noise if Carroll commissioners decide to lengthen the runway from 5,100 to 6,400 feet to accommodate larger planes.
“Carroll County would forgo significant, positive economic and fiscal impact were the expansion not to move forward,” Basu said.
“Carroll County is able to enjoy all of its economic and fiscal impacts, while paying only one-tenth of the project cost” as the federal and state governments provide the majority of the funding, he said.
Basu said he analyzed economic literature to determine the relationship between noise levels and land values and found that housing values suffer at 65 decibels or greater. For comparison, Basu showed a chart that pegged a dishwasher at 60 decibels and a vacuum cleaner at 70.
Carroll should expand the runway and charge fees to corporations that fly into the airport to finance the soundproofing of nearby homes and mitigation of environmental impacts to surrounding wetlands.
“Economic gains to the broader community are more than sufficient to offset any harm to adjacent communities,” Basu said.
But residents, some of them members of the Carroll Joint Neighborhood Association, an anti-expansion group, criticized Basu’s findings as ambiguous and incomplete as they did not include projections for increased traffic, for example.
The association has collected about 1,000 signatures against the project.
Resident Jeff Silverman said the expansion would unleash commercial development around the county that could stress roads and schools.
The Industrial Development Authority, a commissioner-appointed group, paid $13,700 for the study.
kvolkmann@baltimoreexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
8:25 PM MST on Tue., Apr. 29, 2008 re: "BWI struggles as international magnet"
Report as inappropriate
6:51 AM MST on Fri., Jun. 8, 2007
re: "Airport meeting disappoints"
Report as inappropriate
5:21 AM MST on Fri., Jun. 8, 2007
re: "Airport meeting disappoints"
Report as inappropriate
8:59 AM MST on Tue., Jun. 5, 2007
re: "Airport expansion plan doesn’t fly with some county residents"
Report as inappropriate
11:23 AM MST on Fri., Jun. 1, 2007
re: "Nine write to county officials on airport plan"
Report as inappropriate
11:22 AM MST on Fri., Jun. 1, 2007
re: "Nine write to county officials on airport plan"
Report as inappropriate
5:09 AM MST on Fri., Jun. 1, 2007
re: "Nine write to county officials on airport plan"
Report as inappropriate
1:11 PM MST on Thu., May. 31, 2007
re: "New anti-expansion group demands delay of airport vote"
Report as inappropriate
12:09 PM MST on Thu., May. 31, 2007
re: "New anti-expansion group demands delay of airport vote"
Report as inappropriate
10:47 AM MST on Mon., May. 28, 2007
re: "Airport’s runway plan threatens asphalt plant"
Report as inappropriate
6:41 AM MST on Sat., May. 26, 2007
re: "Qatar Airways, others, offering new flights to Dulles"
Report as inappropriate
1:59 PM MST on Wed., May. 23, 2007
re: "FAA taking steps to reduce airplane noise after complaints"
Report as inappropriate
5:36 AM MST on Mon., May. 21, 2007
re: "Anti-expansion group submits petition"
Report as inappropriate
1:14 AM MST on Wed., May. 2, 2007
re: "FAA taking steps to reduce airplane noise after complaints"
Report as inappropriate
Examiner Reader said:
The most obvious reason why Maryland cannot attract international business is that the state beurcacrats, most of who come from the hick town Baltimore, refuse to even acknowledge the Nation's Capital which is enaces by Maryland by three sides. The state may have changed the name of the only state-run airport to include Washington, but that's as far as the politicians go. In Maryland, everything is about Baltimore, despite the true economic engine of the state being Montgomery County, which is struggling to compete with Northern Virginia, a region with a huge international business center. Maryland has failed in so many ways. It's a hick state through and through.
3 agree | 4 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Mr. Rau makes some good points, however his references to noise and property values at the Greensboro airport are not a good comparison to the situation in Carroll County. Greensboro is an international airport with regular commercial passenger flights. That is not and will not be the case here.
178 agree | 199 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
This airport issue is NOT about accepting the FACT that Westminster is growing. It actually has little to do with the growth of Westminster. Did the last expansion "boost" enormous growth for Westminster? Corporations can currently use CCRA without an expansion. Remember - its already a safe airport at its current size - this airport has a good safety record now - let's get other current issues cleaned up before even considering adding more!
204 agree | 182 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Jodi Siu said:
There are also Carroll residents that want to see the expansion. I think it is a great thing! It will be safer for our many pilots in the county and quieter for those close to the airport. Growth is a good think any people should accept the fact that Westminster is growing.
313 agree | 241 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
George Grubby said:
I have no tolerence for public official or citizens who speak out against abusive spending and taxes untill they stand to be on the receiving end of such funds. Yes, most likly if we do not accept these funds they will go somewhere else, however it is that attitude which fuels the perpetual motion of ever rising taxes. I urge or commisioners to live up to their conservative principals and say no to the temptation of federal money and not to forfiet values for value.
221 agree | 223 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
lisa said:
I moved to carroll county to get away from the noise. Please leave things the way they are. the citizens of carroll county should speak not the government
195 agree | 200 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
I also sent a letter. Why was I not mentioned as one of the nine? Is the opposition being hidden? NO AIRPORT EXPANSION. The citizens are against the Expansion. Commissioners, represent the people.
211 agree | 205 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
I ran across your stories on the internet while looking for help for our town's opposition to the airport expansion. I live around the Crisfield-Somerset Cty Airport in Crisfield, MD. Our county (Somerset) had an Environmental Assessment done by URS (May 2007)- as a result of this study the county wants to take 3 homes/33 acres of trees/8 acres of wetlands. WE ARE IN AN UPROAR over this. We are a very small town with a very small airport. We do not need an increase in the amt of planes, in size of planes & noise. 80% of residents around airport are retired or close to it. We have 700 signatures on our petition, we sent copies to FAA, URS, local, state & federal politicians. As a result of this, a public hearing is planned for us to speak against this expansion. You should be afforded the same opportunity as us. Contact your commissioners. We have just taken the next step closer to winning, but who knows what are real chances are. I wish you all luck. M. Atkins
224 agree | 206 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Perhaps the Commissioners need a pay raise. 45K would make anyone fight the system. Lets get three new Commissioners and give them a pay raise to lead this County for the people. We voted for these and we need a new batch.
209 agree | 188 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
To set the record straight: My family has been near the airport for almost 50 years. We didn't "buy" a house near the airport. We were here before the airport. I have spoken to many others who say they were told by the county there were no plans for expansion. One woman said she even went to the planning department and checked before she bought her house. If the county wants to expand the airport, they should not have allowed (and continue to allow) so many housing developments near the airport. Where is proper "Land Use Planning"? The County's claims that "airport users" will pay for the expansion costs is nonsense. It is the taxpayers who will pay. There is no hard and fast line between the Carroll County Airport Enterprise Fund and county taxpayers' general fund. Watch the numbers. This year the new hangars show up in the "Privately Funded" column. Watch what happens next year. Mysteriously, those numbers will drift back into the "County-funded" column.
465 agree | 215 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Anti-NIMBI said:
Wow, what can I say; if not having airplanes fly over your deck while you sip your martini is important to you, maybe next time don't buy a house near an airport.
432 agree | 239 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Las Vegas resident said:
Recently the FAA has imposed a new flight path over a large amount of homes in west Las Vegas. They said there would be no compromise or restrictions. I came across this article and it tells me the FAA are hypocrites! Being the fastest growing city for the last 25 years the quality of life has gotten worse with traffic, crime, and now massive jet planes flying over my house from 6 A.M. to 1 A.M. You are lucky to get some kind of compromise with the FAA.
217 agree | 208 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
The citizens of Carroll County truly need to be heard and taken seriously in this issue. This proposed expansion is not in the best interest of the county's loyal citizens. This proposed expansion has no justification to economically sound. This proposed expansion has no benefit for the county's own citizens who strive to make Carroll County a great place to live! Keep Carroll County Beautiful!
233 agree | 212 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
residents being ignored said:
If i came to your house and did loops around it on my dirt bike you would call the police and i would be in trouble for noise and property damage.what police do we call for your noise and property damage? i cant stand the noise or turbulance in the past 3 years,nothing has been done about it,the cracks in my ceilings and walls are getting bigger,it wakes me up in the middle of the night.we can not open our windows here.not to mention the health and saftey issues..no one has paid for any sound proofing yet.before this plan is even thinkable you should take care of the damage that is already caused to tinicum.BEFORE IT GOES ANY FURTHER.
239 agree | 218 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree