"Study: Airport growth has pros, cons"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Study: Airport growth has pros, cons 
By Marjorie Censer
The Carroll County (MD) Times


Expanding the Carroll County Regional Airport would likely upset nearby
residents, but the economic benefits would be too great to pass up,
according to a new study.

Anirban Basu, chairman and CEO of the Baltimore-based Sage Policy Group, is
slated to discuss the results of his organization's study at a public
meeting Monday.

The county budget director's recommended six-year capital plan includes
about $85 million for a new terminal building, runway expansion and
corporate hangars at the airport. However, the commissioners have not
decided if the projects will move forward. The Federal Aviation
Administration is slated to contribute more than $70 million for the runway
expansion.

Sage's report found that an expansion would spur increased airport use and
additional fuel sales. It also concluded that an earlier report issued by
the Lancaster, Pa.-based Martin Associates understated the economic benefits
of an expansion because it underestimated the number of new jobs that could
be created and the potentially positive impacts on nearby industrial parks.

Basu declined to discuss the results of the study before Monday's meeting,
but said his organization looked at the economic impacts of other airport
expansions across the country and conducted interviews with current and
prospective users of Carroll's airport.

The second piece of Basu's study considered whether community concern about
the expansion is justified by examining the impacts of other expansions on
property values and interviewing a dozen area residents to collect their
concerns.

The study reported that those who live near the airport are justifiably
worried about increased noise.

"The community's concerns regarding the impact on their quality of life and
impact on housing values are perfectly legitimate," the report said. "The
bulk of available research indicates that there is a statistically
significant negative relationship between airport noise and property
values."

The study recommended that the county invest in providing soundproofing to
affected homes, paid in part or in full by fuel surcharges or other airport
user fees, and in resources to mitigate environmental harm.

The Carroll County Industrial Development Authority contracted with Sage for
$13,500 to prepare the study, according to county spokeswoman Vivian Laxton.
The county has not received the invoice, she said, so the study could cost
less.

Basu said he'll answer questions from the public after presenting the study
results on Monday.

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http://www.californiaaviation.org/dcfp/dcboard.php

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