Airport questions
Thank you for reporting the N.C. Legislature’s ratification of Senate Bill 1925, which essentially gives UNC the power of eminent domain, allowing them to acquire or condemn property in Orange County in order to build a new municipal airport. We are alarmed at the recent decision and believe that the government is over-reaching its authority by transferring this power to UNC. We cannot fathom how the tiny (if any) commuting convenience of the AHEC health-care professionals represents “the greater good†and, on its face, this recent decision seems to violate our private-property rights under the Constitution.
On a practical matter, an Orange County municipal airport for the purpose of AHEC seems like an extraordinary abuse of taxes at any level — federal, state or local. AHEC will shortly have access to a private terminal at RDU. Yes, UNC will have to pay fees and taxes to RDU, but it certainly can’t compare to the cost of acquiring land, building and operating hangars and runways and staffing a new airport in Orange County. Plus, as suggested by the Orange County commissioners, there’s the impact on our own land-use plans including property taxes, economic development and the environment. Certainly an airport in Orange County would not be much closer than the 20-minute commute the AHEC professionals will have to RDU.
We realize that UNC has decided to shut down Horace Williams Airport in order to build their new Chapel Hill North campus and now wants to replace it. This hardly qualifies as “the greater good,†and the preservation, development and land-use strategies for Orange County would not benefit from this disruption. If another municipal airport is needed (there are already many in addition to the private RDU terminal), certainly a commercial location near RTP would offer a better logistical and economic option.
As citizens, taxpayers and Orange County residents, we are seriously opposed to granting this authority to UNC. We recognize that our growing community will face challenges where personal property rights may be forsaken for the benefit of the greater good — but only in rare situations where no alternative exists. Furthermore, we believe that only accountable, elected officials working closely with their constituents should be allowed to make these rare and difficult decisions.
We look forward to your continued coverage of this issue. We are seeking options to have this bill repealed.
Bonnie Hauser
on behalf of Orange County Voice
(formerly Concerned Citizens Against the Abuse of Eminent Domain)
Farms at risk
Longtime farm families will have their land taken from them (up to 2,500 acres) by the use of eminent domain if the proposed Site H for the relocation of the Horace Williams airport moves forward. The state and university have circumvented the Orange County commissioners in their pursuit of a site other than the recommended site at RDU.
My understanding is Duke offered property and the Burlington airport would also be available, so all told there are at least three alternatives to taking land from families, endangering our watersheds and destroying the rural buffer the county has worked so hard to preserve.
The reason given for the change of venue from RDU is the inconvenience for some legislators, pilots and clinicians. While that is unfortunate, it does not seem worth upsetting our food supply, water supply, taking land from homeowners/farmers, building additional roads to handle the traffic, etc.
Mari Trosclair
Chapel Hill
This is a done deal, friends. The State can do whatever they want, and they want an airport next to their Alma Mater. It will go wherever they want it to, whenever they want it. Sorry.
Bonnie, the bill does not give UNC the power of eminent domain to condemn for an airport, that power was given to UNC in 1961. What the bill does is grant the same power the Board of Governors now has to a new airport authority.