Camden

Camden / Currituck Boards hear concerns on OLF

Barco - The Currituck County Board of Commissioners listened to citizen concerns regarding the Navy’s proposed Outlying Landing Field during a January 12, 2009 update meeting.

In addition, commissioners reinforced the need to educate all Currituck residents on the importance of the topic. The Navy has identified the Hales Lake area of Camden County, bordering on Currituck County, as a potential site of a new Outlying Landing Field (OLF).

During the update meeting, which was held in the Cooperative Extension Center conference room, representatives of the Camden and Currituck Citizens Against an OLF presented reasons why they oppose construction of an OLF and asked for continued support from commissioners of both counties.

The commissioners also received an update from Greer Beaty of French West Vaughan, a marketing firm hired to help raise the statewide and national profile of the anti-OLF effort. Both boards directed French West Vaughan to increase local marketing efforts in order to raise more support from county residents.

“We need to do a better job of educating everyone in Currituck,” said Currituck Commissioner Vance Aydlett, Jr. “This is a county issue.”

This viewpoint was echoed by the entire Board of Commissioners, as all members stressed the need to generate citizen awareness throughout Currituck, and not merely in the Moyock area. Other concerns raised by the Board included the effect on county schools, air pollution caused by jet flights, and possible effect on operations and planned expansion of the Currituck Airport.

Owen Etheridge, Chairman of the Currituck Board of Commissioners, promoted
the idea of a bi-county delegation to Washington D.C. to meet with Navy officials and federal government representatives. Etheridge and Commissioner Paul O’Neal also urged citizens to contact their state and national representatives on the issue.

The citizens group also invited the commissioners to a Community Forum public meeting, which will be held on January 31, 2009 at Moyock Middle School from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information about the Community Forum, call 771-5253.

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© 2009 NE NC News.