Wendell News Outlet

Mr. Krammer, I apologize for misspelling you name (and more than once at that). Mr. Johnny Whitfield (I hope I spelled his name correctly) at the East Wake News was kind enough to alert me of my mistakes.

He is a good newspaper man. In just a few questions he figured out that I don't necessarily think the airport is the best answer to our situation. I told him that "I think it is our only answer because our town is not working together. The land owners, developers, planning department, and various boards are not working together." Mr. Whitfield asked me if I knew about the recent attempt by our town to work with land owners to create a bussiness park in the Eagle Rock area. I had not. Wendell's government is really trying hard to take this town in a positive direction, but all the property owners involved would not agree to the idea. I told Mr. Whitfield that if Wendell was a publically traded corporation, we would be prime for a hostile take over."

Eminent domain is not the best answer, but it may be this towns only answer.

I look forward to Mr. Krammer's comments and hope that more people would join the discussion about the airport idea.

Airport or no airport? After listening to the presentation about the Phase Two Airport Feasibility Study for Eastern Wake County, I am searching for the compromise that Mr. Crammer hopes can be found on this issue.

What is this airport to the Town of Wendell? It is a parking lot for airplanes. The fee to park a plane in Wendell is paid to the Town of Wendell in the form of property taxes. A positive financial result for the town would be that the surrounding property is no longer desirable for residential development due to the noise and proximity to the airport. Then commercial developers would buy the surrounding lands as they become available over the years and create a business corridor along highways 264 and 97. Why is this beneficial to the town? Businesses generally pay more dollars per acre in taxes than residences. Businesses keep a town or city alive financially. The reason to build the airport is to slow down residential development and increase commercial development.

I have already submitted two pages of questions to Mayor Broadwell that need to be considered before our town responds to the Phase Two Study. One of the questions is “Will Wake County lower their portion of property taxes on airplanes parked at the new proposed airport so that the “parking fees” are as low as RDU’s?” We need to be a competitively priced parking lot if someone is to park a plane in it.

The compromise.....if we could only take advantage of highway 97 and it’s access to highway 264 via Lizard Lick Road and create a business development corridor. But this would take cooperation among the property owners and developers. People would have to voluntarily relocate for the good of the town. Property owners would have to refuse to sell out to residential development. Commercial developers would have to be willing to pay as much for land as the residential developers; or possibly find some other partnership that is a win-win situation. Developers would have to be willing to absorb road expansion fees. Our town would have to work together to market itself to the greater Easter NC market. Everyone involved would have to be willing to make a little less profit in order to make a great little town. Could this really happen?

Honestly, it will be easier to piss everyone off and build an airport than to really work towards a good compromise.

Six randomly chosen houses sold in Jones Landing, 2007:
Average house size: 1203 square feet
Average tax paid: $553.00

Six randomly chosen houses sold in Olde Wendell, 2006 & 2007:
Average house size: 2372 square feet
Average tax paid: $1195.00


Hypothetically, all houses contain two adults and two children. All families in all houses cost the Town of Wendell, on average, $1641 a year for services provided.

In your own household, can you spend $100.000 a year when your income is $47,000 and still stay solvent? How long would you last?

Can the town of Wendell keep allowing houses to be built that generate less than half of the tax money they spend on its occupants and still stay solvent? Sure they can, by raising the property tax rate!

A discussion of a proposed Budget Development Calendar for the fiscal year 2008-2009 is on the agenda for tonight’s regular Board of Commissioners meeting. Although they won’t be discussing the specifics for the new budget be aware it’s the beginning of the process that may, or may not, increase your property taxes. Currently Wendell has the highest tax rate in Wake County and I’m sure we won’t lose that unenviable position.

You snooze! You Lose!

Mr. Gunderson’s response to my article regarding the proposed development of a General Aviation Airport, smack in the middle of Wendell, was greatly appreciated. Although I don’t share his point of view, I’m sure there is a compromise position that would satisfy us both. The placement of the airport about a mile or so from the center of Wendell is my biggest objection. Think about it, we would have an airport with propeller driven planes, small jets and helicopters taking off and landing every day.

Let’s look at some of the information contained in the airport feasibility study found on the Wendell website. The following are excerpts taken directly from that report: (I have also interjected a few personal comments)

1 -Eastern Wake County is currently underserved in terms of access to the national air transportation network. (We are? I hadn’t noticed!)

2 – Registered Aircraft in Wake County:
60 Fixed wing jet/turbine
17 Fixed wing multi-engine piston
457 Fixed wing single engine piston (Planes using leaded gasoline that pollutes the air)
21 Helicopter Turbine
3 Helicopter piston
Total aircraft = 558

3 – Estimate that 20-60 aircraft would initially be based at a new airport depending on location.

4 – 400+ acres of land required. (If they need more then they can take it via the process of “Eminent Domain” which refers to the power possessed by the state over all property within the state, specifically its power to appropriate property for a public use. You get paid for the property, but you have to sell, you have no choice!)

5 – This location would have the “most stream impacts; moderate wetlands impacts.”

6 – General Aviation Airport Services:
Fueling, tie-downs, aircraft maintenance and or repair, aircraft charters/rentals, hanger leasing, rental car leasing, flight training, ground school. Aircraft painting, avionics repair.

7 – Reasons not to move forward: (building of airport)
Potential noise impact to surrounding environmental and impacts to wetlands and streams. Potential need for use of eminent domain to acquire some of the property.

These are some of the “benefit’s” the people of Wendell will acquire with the construction of a General Aviation Airport within its borders. Do we really want them? On Monday, January 28th. at town hall, a “presentation concerning Phase 2 Feasibility Study for establishing a new General Aviation Airport in Wake County” will be made. Don’t you think you owe it to yourself, your children and your grandchildren to be there? Come, listen, and make up your own mind about this project. As for me, I am opposed to the construction of an airport at the location they have selected. Why does it have to be in Wake County? There are many more rural areas outside Wake County, and in eastern North Carolina, that would be better suited and less intrusive of the population.

Some closing thoughts and questions:
Who stands to benefit financially from this project? Do you?
Would you want the government to exercise eminent domain and take away your property for the good of the community?
Homes and businesses would generate tax revenues if placed on the proposed airport site: do we really need jets and helicopters zooming in and out over our heads?

Change

For the last few days I have been thinking about Mr. Crammer’s opinion about a regional airport located in Wendell. As a parent of children in an elementary school here in town, I am sure that I am looking at this from a different perspective than he is. I am aware of the large percentage of families that receive free and reduced lunches. From first hand experience, I understand that families that are under financial stress are often spread thin in many other domestic areas of their lives. This percentage is growing here in eastern Wake County.

Trying to understand why this is happening is difficult. My perspective is that since the decline of the tobacco industry, this region has not had a reason to attract new businesses and industries until recently. The opening of highways 264 and the 540 now makes Eastern Wake County geographically commutable to both the greater Raleigh area and Interstate 95. Eastern Wake County now has something to sell that will attract businesses and industries....location, location, location.

Mr. Crammer stated that he moved to Wendell for “peace and serenity”. I think that many of our residents, including myself, moved here for similar reasons...”small town charm”. We don’t want our little town to change. The reality is that change happens and it cannot be stopped. Which type of change is worse, an alarmingly high poverty rate or the urban sprawl that comes with economic prosperity?

Mr. Crammer describes a regional airport as a “fire breathing behemoth, belching toxic fumes; congestion and noise conditions you have to shout above to be heard”. This is an accurate description of many things in our society including home heating furnaces, industrial furnaces, cars, trucks, trains, and yes, planes and helicopters. With each of the mentioned “fire breathers” the question is “What is the affected zone and are the positive consequences worth the negative consequences?”

Mr. Crammer used the Van Nuys Airport locate just outside of Los Angeles, CA as an example of a regional airport trying to deal with it excessive noise problems. Here is a link to the Van Nuys Airport’s webpage http://www.lawa.org/vny/generalDescription.cfm and a link to the airport’s brochure http://www.lawa.org/vny/pdf/Where%20Progress%20Takes%20Flight%20Brochure.pdf
This airport is over 80 years old. It is the world’s busiest regional airport. It has an economic impact of over one billion dollars a year to the local economy. I am sure that 80 years ago when the airport was first planned, nobody thought it would ever get to be this big.

Fortunately, eastern Wake County can benefit from this airports experience. We can plan for a regional airport to be an economic engine for our region. We can plan for a noise affected zone and use this area as commercial and industrial zoning. We can plan for increased traffic demands. Environmental impact studies can be done. The Environmental Protection Agency, the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Army Corp of Engineers, and other agencies will have to be involved to make sure that our regions water supplies will not be negatively affected. Right now we are in a position of negotiation. Now is the time to raise concerns and work together to find the answers or compromises.

Change is happening. We can not stop it. We can only guide it along and try to make it work for us. Unfortunately, individuals resist change. We don’t like it and we will fight it as best we can. When we fight change, we lose the opportunity to guide it along. I hope Wake County and the Town of Wendell chooses to guide its change towards a more economically brighter future by embracing and planning a well thought out regional airport and surrounding area. The decisions surrounding this airport will have an economic impact on the entire region for the next hundred years as it did in California’s Van Nuys Regional Airport.


Gill Gunderson
Wendell, NC

This article is not a particularly comfortable subject to write about but it’s time for all of us to face up to the facts at hand and deal with them. The subject matter of this article is the preponderance of economically-disadvantaged students in the Wendell schools.

At the onset, let me state some facts taken directly from the website (www.ncreportcards.org/src) of the state sponsored NC Schools Report Card. During the 2006-2007 school year:

Wendell Elementary had 41% to 60% economically-disadvantaged students attending. The school “did not make adequate yearly progress”. The “school met 16 out of 21 adequate yearly progress targets” “At least 60% of students (were) at grade level”

Carver Elementary had 61% to 80% economically-disadvantaged students attending. The school “makes adequate yearly progress”. The “school met 19 out of 19 adequate yearly progress targets” “At least 60% of students (were) at grade level”

As I read these facts I said to myself if 60% of the students were at grade level, 40% were not. Then I thought about the pervasiveness of economically-disadvantaged students within the Wendell schools and wondered were they having a negative affect on the rest of the students. Finally I came to the realization that no matter what your families’ income, a child is still a child; all children need nurturing, education, acceptance by their peers and a good education. The education of all the children suffers, not one group more than the other. It is not fair to all the children in these two schools to have their educational lives begin with a built in disadvantage. We are all guilty of not stepping up and protesting this situation. Don’t you think it’s time to try and make amends by voicing our concern?

On February 11, 2008 at 7:00 PM the Wendell Town Board will make a decision that may add to the burden our schools already carry. A request for approval to build 45 town homes for low-income families will be presented for their consideration. This request was previously approved by the board of commissioners but due to the vigilance and persistence of the Wendell Community Coalition it must be re-heard and brought up for another vote. That’s where we can all make a difference! Come out and protest the addition of possibly another 90 to 100 economically-disadvantaged students to our schools. Why should these new children be made to suffer a lesser education and add to an existing problem? Remember, there are no winners, all the children will suffer!

FYI....Posting the following email from Neuse Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks
-------------------------------------------------------------------
First off, many thanks to all who attended the MWW orientation at the
Duke Law School yesterday evening (January 15).  We had a great
discussion and we hope it inspired you to come to an upcoming
training.  The first official MWW training will be JANUARY 22, 2008 AT
THE BRIER CREEK COMMUNITY CENTER IN RALEIGH FROM 7-9 PM.
Please visit www.muddywaterwatch.org for directions.

In the meantime, we are asking you to help spread the word about Muddy
Water Watch.  Distributing fliers, posting information on blogs, and
sending out emails to various list serves you may belong to all help
tremendously.  If you would like fliers sent to you, please contact
Britt at britt@muddywaterwatch.org.  You can also contact her if you
would like Upper Neuse Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks to speak about MWW at
a group event you may be attending.  Below is a short description of
MWW that you may use if you'd like.  Again, we appreciate everyone's
support in this project!

MWW DESCRIPTION AND BACKGROUND

For many years, concerned activists and educators have been working to
halt the damage that is being done to our water sources from sediment-
laden stormwater runoff.  Unfortunately, it is an issue that has made
little headway.  However, in the wake of an unprecedented population
boom, North Carolina Riverkeepers are proactively taking a stance
against sediment pollution by implementing Muddy Water Watch Citizen
Patrols (MWW).  This state-wide effort, organized and managed by the
Neuse River Foundation and Upper Neuse Riverkeeper, Dean Naujoks, will
involve all 7 Riverkeepers in North Carolina training citizens in
their watersheds to actively patrol construction sites looking for
poorly maintained erosion and sediment control measures.  By
proactively approaching this problem, there is hope that the health of
our rivers, streams, creeks, and estuaries can be restored and
maintained, and that perhaps the culture of development will slowly
start changing into one that is more concerned about the long-term
effects that sediment is having on our natural resources and our
citizens.  Please visit www.muddywaterwatch.org for more information
about the project and about upcoming workshops.

Dean Naujoks
Neuse Riverkeeper

Wendell residents, are you ready to embrace a General Aviation Airport located just east of Marshburn Road in Wendell? If so, it appears your wish will be granted! For those of us who don’t believe Wendell should be saddled with this fire breathing behemoth, belching toxic fumes; congestion and noise conditions you have to shout above to be heard ; we had better wake up and smell the coffee!

After reading the Airport Feasibility Study published on the Wendell web-site (http://www.townofwendell.com/) I became concerned. The town I moved to 18 years ago, for peace and serenity, is now faced with one of its greatest decisions: does Wendell want to become the home to a General Aviation Airport?

What follows are a few of the negative aspects of allowing an airport to be built in this town. Hopefully some proponent of the airport will respond to my article with what they consider the positive side of the issue so as to present a balanced view of the proposal. There are always two sides to every issue and we all need to hear both before making up our minds.

1- The Noise Factor!
It would be possible to write a small book with all the complaints about the noise created by aircraft taking off; landing; circling and practicing maneuvers. Rather than state my own beliefs, I have copied some of the proposed noise control conditions promulgated by the City of Los Angeles, for its Van Nuys General Aviation Airport to give you an idea of what areas they see as the noise problems:

These proposals are to “Promote programs and measures that reduce aircraft noise near residential areas by addressing such factors as the number and type of aircraft and helicopters, the location of aircraft and helicopter facilities on airport property, hours of operation and flight patterns as permitted by local and federal law:

A. Construct or modify noise walls using the most advanced state of the art technology in a manner that can alleviate noise to the lowest levels possible where feasible.

B. Reduce unnecessary noise impacts, restrict aviation dedicated land uses to those that comply with California Department of Transportation Airport Noise Standards

C. New noise sensitive building uses should be soundproofed with an interior aircraft noise level of 45dB CNEL in all habitable rooms of noise sensitive structures and provide a noise easement from the developer to the City.

D. Encourage development of effective noise barriers in airport areas when and where appropriate.

E. Encourage media and public service helicopter operations to be conducted at a time and in a manner that minimizes the noise impact on over flown residents.

F. Establish flight track, time of day and altitude criteria for future helicopter operations.

G. Conduct studies with the goal of eliminating all jet and helicopter operations between the hours of 10 pm and 7:00 am the next day.

H. Establish a maximum daytime noise level for all aircraft of 77 d.b.a., based on takeoff noise levels for each aircraft. This measure would effectively eliminate all Stage 2 jets and some Stage 3 jets.

I. Analyze separately the application of a maximum daytime noise limit to Stage 2 and Stage 3 jets to properly assess the costs and benefits of these measures.

J. Establish a system of differential landing fees for aircraft using Van Nuys Airport with higher landing fees for noisier aircraft and lower landing fees for quieter aircraft.”

Sounds like there must be a lot of noise to contend with, doesn’t it?

2 - Air Pollution Created by Aircraft
Following is an indication of current concerns about the use of lead based gasoline in general aviation aircraft.

“Friends of the Earth” has filed a petition with EPA, requesting
the EPA find pursuant to section 231 of the Clean Air Act that lead emissions from general aviation aircraft cause or contribute to air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare and that EPA propose emissions standards for lead from general aviation aircraft. Studies increasingly show that lead in any quantity threatens the public welfare.

Lead emissions from general aviation aircraft constitute a substantial proportion of all current lead air emissions. As a result of the use of leaded aviation gasoline, humans and ecological receptors at or near general aviation airports may be exposed to elevated levels of lead.''

With the development of the Little River reservoir, just north of the proposed airport in Wendell, the question arises whether or not aircraft from this airport would be allowed to take-off over, or approach the proposed field to land, in the vicinity of the reservoir. If restricted from doing so this would greatly reduce the airspace the aircraft would have to maneuver for a take-off or landing.

3 - Toxic Materials as a byproduct of an airport
Following are a few of the more insidious toxic materials and problems generated during the care of aircraft.

Runway/Taxiway Deicing
• "Pavement deicing on runway and taxiway surfaces ensures that there is adequate traction for aircraft during taxiing, take off, and landing. Typically, deicing fluid contains propylene glycol and corrosion inhibitors to protect sensitive aircraft components. These chemicals can be harmful to the environment if not handled and disposed of properly."

Aircraft and Ground Vehicle Fueling - Maintenance
• "Fuel supplies arrive at the airports by pipeline or truck and are kept in large above ground storage tanks. Proper procedures and training for fueling and spill response play an important role in eliminating discharges of fuel into the storm-water system. "

• "The maintenance and cleaning of aircraft and ground vehicles has the potential to contaminate storm-water if performed in areas that drain to the storm system or if spills and leaks are not cleaned up immediately."


In conclusion, I feel there must be some beneficial aspects to having an airport square in the middle of Wendell, but what they are escapes me for the moment. Won’t somebody tell me how wonderful it will be to see and hear the jets, helicopters and piston driven planes as the fly over our homes dropping their lead based pollution; creating ear-splitting noise and in general making our lives so much better? I’m not looking forward to the experience!