1993 - 12-06-93 Regular Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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005 9oos .15 Pn~~ Authority member Jerry Lawrence was present and answered questions of the Board. After some discussion commissioner Garner moved to add to the agreement that the County will get indirect cost from handling these financial services and approve the agreement subject to the Airport Authority approval. Upon a vote, the results were as follows: Aye: Dossenbach, Garner, Matthews, Paschal, Reives, Stafford and Wicker Nay: None The Chairperson ruled the motion had been adopted unanimously. Commissioner Garner asked to make the following statement concerning the airport. "The airport still is a bone of contention among a number of people in the county and because of so many things that have come out as this thing has progressed, I simply would move that this Board direct the Airport Authority to purchase no more than 250 or 300 acres of land for the new airport". He further stated, "this motion is based on the following facts: (1) in a January 23, 1991, meeting at the Sanford Airport, with commissioner's Wicker, Reives, Stafford and Matthews, it was agreed that approximately 300 acres of land would be what was needed for a new airport; (2) most County airports, and recently constructed reliever airports, are less than 300 acres - the only one over 300 acres is the airport at Rocky Mount-Wilson and it's designated as a jet port. Roxboro is a 115, Lewisburg is 250, Smithfield is 217, and Elizabethtown is 225 acres; (3) the cost to survey, appraise, purchase and develope 300 acres would be considerably less to the tax paying public verses the 500 to 1,100 acres we have heard batted around; (4) money thus saved could be used later to more fully and completely develope the facilities as the need arises; (5) it leaves in private ownership and thus on the tax books a large tract of land; (6) present landowners could sell later at a higher price to private investors who may wish to develope business, industries and so forth adjacent to the new airport; and finally, fellow Commissioners, I submit to you that passage of this motion will say to the citizens of Lee County that the Commissioners shall and will exercise oversight and control of development in Lee County. A perception I can assure you does not now exist as it relates to the new airport". Commissioner Garner further stated, "those are facts - a couple of speculations: (1) street talk now is there is to be an interchange at US #1 and Ferrell Road. This had never been mentioned before - were any of you aware of that - if the new airport takes place; (2) there is speculation that the closing of Lee's Chapel Road, across the railroad track to Lower Moncure Road, will certainly take place. I've had some folks in that area who are really concerned about that because they come that way to go to church, the grocery store, the fire department uses that road, and several other number of reasons. It seems to me that maybe 300 acres of land can be bought on the other side of Lee's Chapel Road and except for straightening it a little bit would not necessitate 5