Board Votes 3-2 Against County Airport Expansion
Commissioners Doug Howard and Dave Roush voted for the Carroll County Regional Airport expansion.
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In front of a packed room Thursday, the Carroll County Commissioners voted 3-2 against expansion of the Carroll County Regional Airport.
Commissioners Doug Howard, District 5, and Dave Roush, District 3, voted for the expansion, while Commissioners Robin Frazier, District 1, Haven Shoemaker, District 2, and Richard Rothschild, District 4, voted against the project.
The decision was years in the making, beginning with the previous board of commissioners constructing a master plan that included the expansion of the airport.
The estimated $74 million expansion would have included the purchase of 13 acres of land to increase the size of the runway, expanding the airport to accommodate larger C3 planes, including corporate jets.
Thursday’s decision means that the Carroll County Regional Airport will remain a C2 airport that can continue to accommodate smaller planes.
Commissioner Howard said the larger airport was needed to relieve Federal Aviation Administration traffic at BWI.
"I think a state-of-the-art facility would be an asset to the county," he added, saying that it would create jobs for the county.
According to a previous article posted on Patch, if Carroll County decided to move forward with the planned expansion, the county would ultimately pay for 2.5 percent of the $74 million. Ninety-five percent would be funded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the other 2.5 percent would be paid for by the state.
Commissioner Rothschild said, "From a convenience perspective, there’s no compelling advantage… If we wouldn’t do it with county money then we shouldn’t do it with federal money."
However, Rothschild said he was still open to looking into a C2 expansion.
Even with the breakdown in costs, Commissioner Frazier said Thursday she didn’t think it would get the use that the county needs to afford paying for such a project.
"During the campaign I was against the airport," she said. "Those companies that have those jets are smart, but I don’t think where the location of Carroll County is will necessarily bring those corporate jets here."
But Commissioner Roush, who voted for the expansion, disagreed, saying that this money--if not used for this project--would be used for similar projects elsewhere.
"I would like to remind everyone that the money is coming from a fund called the Airport Improvement Program funded by fees paid by air travelers. That money is there to improve airport access and safety, and if it’s not going to be spent at Westminster it will be spent somewhere else on similar projects."
Edmund Klebe
3:53 pm on Thursday, January 26, 2012
1. Perhaps Commissioner Howard should reassess whom he represents? Does he represent the FAA and MAA, or does he represent the citizens in Carroll County in general and specifically the citizens in District 1?
2. Commissioner Roush's comment is a mere mindless repeating of former commissioner Minnich's contention and also ignores the concept that evil will always exist, but should still be opposed.
3. The article is INCORRECT in implying that the present airport can only accommodate single engine planes. The designation of C-II versus C-III refers to a differentiation by aircraft weight, approach/landing speed and wing span.
Kym Byrnes
3:32 pm on Friday, January 27, 2012
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! For clarity, the article does not say that the Carroll County Airport cannot accommodate C3 planes at all, it simply states that the airport will remain a C2 airport. In several of the commissioner open meetings, where industry executives and experts spoke, it was suggested that C2 planes are generally smaller than C3 planes, in terms of size, weight, power and/or wingspan.
John
4:13 pm on Thursday, January 26, 2012
Congratulations to Commissioners Rothschild, Frazier and Shoemaker. They understand "responsible government". Shame on Commissioner Roush for saying that since taxes have been collected the money should be spent regardless of whether or not the actual project makes sense. "Extra" taxes can always be put back into the federal government's general fund to help eat away at our 13 trilion dollar and growing deficit.
David J Iacono
8:40 pm on Thursday, January 26, 2012
Good call on this issue.
JC
10:10 am on Friday, January 27, 2012
Kudos to the commissioners! This was a fiscally responsible decision, in light of the fact that since the state of Md didn't understand they needed to plan ahead, & are now forcing the counties to pay for teacher's pensions.
Ed
2:22 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2012
Why shouldn't the counties pay for their pensions? The counties pay the regular salaries and they are the ones that negotiate the pensions. But now, the counties will be asked to pay for half the pension costs but they still will not have a say in how the fund is managed because that is being done by the state. It would make more sense to do a gradual shift in teacher pensions from the state to the locals, say 5% a year for 20 years, with the counties having to slowly merge the fund into the ones used for their own county employees. Then, in 20 years, the state would be out of the teacher pension business and the locals would hgave total control of fund management..
JC
2:40 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2012
I agree, there is no reason the counties shouldn't have to pay the pensions. But to have it dumped in their laps as the state is asking is rediculous. But I expect nothing less from the current administration.
Ed
10:14 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2012
I agree about the dumping aspect, hence my idea for a 20-year plan. For the record, though, this idea was first brought up by the Ehrlich administration. The difference is that with him, the Dems in the GA would never have given it a chance. We will see what happens with a Dem making the proposal.
Scott LaCoss Jr
11:00 am on Friday, January 27, 2012
I agree that this was a fisically responsible decision, I just have a hard time swallowing the fact that thos tax dollars won't be saved, they will just be spent elsewhere, improving some other airport. On a positive note, I won't have to look at the guy standing out on center street holding the sign saying "Honk for a no VOte on the Airport Expansion"
Edmund Klebe
11:54 am on Friday, January 27, 2012
Scott: answer a question for me. When was the AIP last audited? If the AIP is derived from ticket taxes and fuel taxes, why does it have to be appropriated by congress? What makes the AIP so sacrosanct, whereas the Social Security Trust Fund, the Medicare Trust Fund and others have been constantly raided?
JC
4:10 pm on Friday, January 27, 2012
After all this, I'd still like to know about fire protection at the airport. Even though there are several volunteer departments near it, none are equipped in order to handle a plane crash with rescue. This is not a slight against them, but if the county wants to continue with the airport & the increased traffic, they should be providing the protection.
Ed
2:14 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2012
What kind of fire protection do you expect? Only four air facilities in Maryland have their own dedicated firefighting equipment and staff: BWI for busy commercial traffic, Martin State Airport because of large Air National Guard planes, Andrews Air Force Base and Patuxent Naval Air Station. Tipton Air Field is part of Fort Meade, which also has its own FD, but I'm not sure if they have any specialized airport units since the military no longer uses it for flights; it was turned over to general aviation a few years back.Every other airport similar to Carroll depends on the regular local fire service for fire and crash response, and the vast majority are served by volunteers like those in Carroll.
JC
2:38 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2012
I expect there to be a level of protection commensurate with the size of the planes using the airport. If the runway had been extended, larger planes would of course be landing there. You cite other airports that have their own firefighting protection, but how many other airports are there in Md that have as long a runway as was wanted here, but do not have adequate protection? Relying on volunteers for common house fires is one thing, but for an airport to be protected, you need 24 hour staffing with more equipment then there is here.
Ed
10:10 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2012
Actually, the fire pretction is based more on potential human risk. While in theory the longer runway could accomdate a 737, the purpose at the local airport was to allow corporate jets with more powerful engines and longer flight capabilities the ability to land here. It's never been about regularly scheduled commercial flights, and even that doesn't automatically require an airport fire department. For example, at various times over the last few decades, there have been attempts to establish regular passenger flights at Cumberland, Hagerstown and Salisbury,mostly on prop or tubo prop commuter planes (typically with seating for less than 30 passengers) and yet none of those airports has an on-site department. Yet that type of service has never been envision at Carroll. By the way, the biggest aviation "disaster" in recent history in Carroll happened about 25 years ago when a four-passenger plane crashed near a cul-de-sac in Eldersburg, killing all four passengers. The despite the fact that much more air traffic comes into the Westminster airport, which has had very few accidents over the years.
JoeEldersburg
1:44 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2012
I completely disagree with this decision and think it plainly cements this Board of Commissioners as both anti-economic growth and anti-large business. They don't get the big picture and are cutting off their noses to spite their faces. Making a political stand on the expenditure of federal (FAA) money is very short-sighted and will have long term ramifications for our county. This was a perfect example of why irresponsible Tea Party centric thinking undermines our ability to move forward. This decision trumps any and all work done to polish the county's already lame economic development landscape and says boldly to any large business we might try to attract to the county, "We're stupid and just don't get how things work in the real world!"
JC
1:51 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2012
Good grief, what's the Tea Party got to do with it? It is simply a matter of "we won't have the money for it", hence, it is sound financial planning. The fact is, that because of poor planning on the part of the state of Md, all the counties are going to be sacked with more & more expenditures that they did not plan on, so they have to cut back on more & more things.
JoeEldersburg
3:23 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2012
Good grief, what's the State of Maryland got to do with FAA funding? Wake up, this has everything to do with the Tea Party and it will actually cost the county more to do the upgrades to stay a third class airport...talk about stupid! Didn't you listen to what Robin Frazier or "Raving" Rich Rothschild said about government spending...they don't understand capital investment and think all debt is the same. This is the Tea Party and all 5 support the Tea Party, even if 2 understand negligibly how business works (Howard & Roush).
JC
3:29 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2012
Joe, spending is spending, & they can't do it if there will be no money. You must support Obama, huh?
JoeEldersburg
4:15 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2012
No, not that it matters, but I'm a registered Republican. And most assuredly, all spending is not spending, nor is all debt the same...but this is definitely a Tea Party supported fallacy. When the government borrows to invest in our economic interests it's far different than borrowing to finance debt service or balance the budget as our congress has done to finance operations in the wake of the Bush tax cuts. US tax revenues have been cut to the point where our borrowings are a threat to the quality of life of all "working" Americans. The top 1% are taking the rest of our country on a wild ride with the aid of unlimited super PAC's that represent "people" to the supreme court. The Tea Party is just too uniformed to realize that they are being used to undermine their own interests for the benefits of the rich. If people started seeing the Tea Party for what it is, the American version of the Taliban, we might start waking up to the reality that the government is not our enemy and tax cuts do not create jobs. The facts are readily available, but some people just seem to believe fairy tales.
JC
4:49 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2012
Oh my goodness Joe, you are so misinformed. Loss of tax revenue & the "top 1%", are not what's ruining this country. That would be massive, uncontrolled spending, done by partly by the Bush administration & mostly the current one. All the Tea Party stands for is fiscal responsibility, which is in large part cutting spending. And you are partially correct, government in itself is not the enemy, but a bloated, out-of-control government (as we have now), is. And, tax cuts DO create & continue jobs. Tax increases CUT jobs. Out of control spending (which, so as to veer back to the subject at hand, is our state's main problem), costs jobs & puts us in debt for generations.