Bertie Back In The Bullseye?

by Cal Bryant - May 28th, 2007 - Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald

After years of effort, it appears the U.S. Navy’s plans to build an Outlying Landing Field (OLF) in Washington County have been derailed. By a vote of 397-27, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act on May 17. That legislation included 23 lines of language repealing the authorization to construct an OLF at the site identified by the Navy in Washington and Beaufort counties.

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However, does that put Bertie County back in the bullseye for an OLF?

One interesting detail in the proposal the Navy put together on the sites they looked at was the number of people who were directly impacted by the acquisition of land for each site. The proposal to build in Bertie County included by far the highest number of people displaced and was touted by the Navy as one reason they would prefer Washington County.

With all of the numerous airports closed as a part of the military cutbacks under President Clinton, it seems bizarre that not one of those already existing airports will serve as an OLF for the Navy. In those sites no displacement of people is needed. The airport aleady exists. There was one mentioned in Viriginia in earlier articles about this issue. Senator Warner was actually advocating use of the existing facility in his state.

Why would the Navy not look there first?