Dropping a hot potato in the commissioner's laps

by David Grand
April 11, 2007

That's how I'd describe the dilemma they find themselves in, having to choose (after a public hearing) between expanding the airport's runway for the county's financial gain, by being able to handle larger corporate jets and serve as a "reliever airport" for BWI (general aviation planes only), or adopting the position of residents in the surrounding area to leave well enough alone.

And try as they will to find some middle ground that would satisfy both interests, I fear it'll be as impossible to find as congressional Democrats and the President reaching a compromise on the conduct of the war.

The Sage Policy Group's report submitted to Carroll County's Industrial Authority in March laid out the pros and cons of the issue, concluding (1) that "the impacts on the broader Carroll County community will be highly positive, translating into substantial investment, job creation, income generation and tax base formation; (2) that the impact on the affected community is likely to be negative; and (3) that government expenditures should be made to offset the most significant negative impacts of the airport.

In hindsight, I should've known back in 1994, when the runway was expanded to 5,100 ft., that it was only a matter of time until it would be stretched like a rubber band ever closer to my home on Pinch Valley Road.

And as I drove eastward down the road shortly afterwards, I saw a number of vacant houses that the county had bought because of their close proximity to the airport. My next door neighbor bought one at a bargain price and had it moved to behind her home as rental property.

The next ominous sign that told me my suspicions were well founded was when I received a Master Plan Update for the county's Regional Airport, titled Pinch Valley Road Relocation Alternatives, of which there were three. And whoever it was that came up with 'em must've thought we all had excellent eyesight and were capable of understanding their wordy and confusing explanations, which even a Rand McNally map maker would have trouble comprehending.

Among the unanswered questions that I and others have are: How will we be compensated for our lower property values that are as sure to follow the expansion as night follows day? Would it be by the county lowering the property tax rate for that section of the county, and/or would the state lower its assessed value of the affected properties? And how would the county go about soundproofing homes that are at or slightly below FAA's 65 decimals guideline?

But that's easier said than done, for the costs of suppressing the noise from those bigger planes, by installing acoustic barriers (such as sound panels, blankets and tiles) would be prohibitive and cause taxpayers living elsewhere in the county to howl like banshees over such expenditures.

Who knows, what the commissioners will finally decide to do? Surely, they'd never exercise the right of eminent domain and confiscate our property, or consider for a moment buying us out at the current market value. But some numb-nut, whose name I won't mention, might suggest doing one or the other.

No, the most likely scenario will be, that after a lot of agonizing, and pressures from the "bean-counters" in the COB, as well as from the private sector, they'll decide (wisely I would say) that expanding the airport runway another 1300 ft. just isn't worth all the grief and turmoil it would create. At least that's what I'm betting my money on, based on the fervent hope that the below quote isn't always true.