Commissioner Hood Richardson Keeps a Vigilant Eye on the OLF | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: Commissioner Hood Richardson has been an advocate for the property rights of the citizens of rural Northeastern North Carolina in regards to the heavy handed location of an Outlying landing Field (OLF) in this region. We are reminded of this in this press release submitted to Beaufort County Now, by the County Commissioner on September 15, 2010, and presented here below in a correspondence to Admiral John C Harvey in Norfolk, Virginia :

Press Release    September 25, 2010

Admiral John C. Harvey, Jr.
Commander US Fleet Forces Command
% Public Affairs Officer
1562 Mitscher Avenue - Suite 250
Norflok, Virginia 23551-2487

RE: OLF Northeast North Carolina

Dear Admiral Harvey:

    I continue my objection to the location of an OLF in North Carolina. The two most important issues are: (1) fairness and (2) quantity of land used.

    Fairness goes to Virginia municipalities allowing development too close to the two practice fields presently being used at Fentress and Ocieana. Since 1940 the Navy has had ample opportunity to provide
buffer buy outs and the municipalities have had the use of zoning to protect Naval facilities that are important to their local economy. North Carolina has not had the opportunity to participate in any of these development decisions or to benefit economically.

    The quantity of land required is large and for the most part is removed from the tax base. There is no opportunity for future development within the buffer. These are huge negative impacts on these small agrarian counties.

    These fairness and economic impact factors indicate to me that the OLF should be constructed in Virginia. There is ample land available that is already owned by the Federal Government at the decommissioned Fort Picket site.

    Please do not impose this unfair burden on North Carolina.

    Sincerely yours,

    Hood L. Richardson
    Candidate for NC Senate District 1