Kelsey Volkmann, The Examiner
2007-06-04 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

WESTMINSTER, Md. -

Residents who oppose a proposed airport expansion, calling it a threat to their rural way of life, plan to protest today and Tuesday with a march in downtown Westminster and a rally in front of Carroll County government offices.

“Everywhere I go, I ask people what they think of the expansion, and if they know about it, they don’t want it,” said Victoria Oneda, spokeswoman for Concerned Citizens United, a new residents group that is fighting a proposal to lengthen the runway at Carroll County Regional Airport in Westminster.

Half of the people Oneda asks about the proposal haven’t heard of it, she said, so the county should hold a forum where residents can ask questions.

Last June, Commissioner Dean Minnich answered questions from residents at a meeting hosted by Carroll Joint Neighborhood Association, another anti-expansion residents group.

CCU met for the second time Saturday and formed committees tasked with generating publicity and establishing the organization as a nonprofit, according to Edmund Klebe, an expansion opponent.

“Several legal firms have said [nonprofit status] would be needed in order for them to represent the group on a pro-bono basis,” Klebe wrote in an e-mail to The Examiner.

“The [American Civil Liberties Union] has expressed interest in working on the matter due to the many violations of the spirit, if not the fact, of the [Federal Aviation Administration] guidelines for public participation in the development of [an airport] master plan.”

Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the issue June 12.

If you go ...

» What: Airport expansion protest rally

» When: 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. today and Tuesday

» Where: March starts at Pour House cafe, 233 E. Main St., Westminster, and ends at Carroll government offices, 225 N. Center St., Westminster

kvolkmann@baltimoreexaminer.com