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Greensboro, North Carolina News & Record, August 18, 1998
FedEx public hearing draws a passionate crowd

Sentiments over the proposed FedEx hub and third runway for Piedmont Triad International Airport have run deeply these last few months, and they spilled out in a torrent into the public record Monday night.

More than 500 homeowners, business executives and neutral observers filled a ballroom at the Airport Marriott Hotel to discuss the proposed airport projects with the Federal Aviation Administration and consultants leading a study of the projects.

The three-hour public hearing represented the initial stage of a two-year study to determine whether the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority should be allowed to construct a $300 million package hub for FedEx and build a runway parallel to the existing north-south runway.

What made Monday night's hearing so crucial is that federal law requires consultants to account for each person's comments as they proceed with the study. That means ample opportunity to influence the study's outcome.

Debate between supporters and opponents of the FedEx project was spirited and, at times, angry. Opponents, many of whom live northwest of the airport and would be affected by FedEx planes, frequently shouted out comments at business executives and politicians speaking their support of the project.

After Greensboro Mayor Carolyn Allen read into the record a resolution the City Council passed in support of FedEx, one homeowner shouted out, "We need a new mayor!"

When John Greuling, the Greensboro Area Chamber of Commerce's vice president for economic development, got up at the end of the hearing to deliver his remarks, homeowners shouted at him and, rising en masse, and walked out of the ballroom.

"I just had to do it," said Pauline Austin, who led the exit. "I just had to do it."

Business executives and politicians from across the Triad turned out for Monday night's hearing to show their support. Willis Overby, a Stokes County commissioner, said he and others in Stokes County support the FedEx project for the 1,500 jobs it'll bring.

"With our factories closing and unemployment rising, we rejoice in the possibility of additional employment."

Said Nido Qubein, chairman of the High Point Chamber of Commerce: "I cannot think of a reason why we'd not rise tall and encourage such a fine corporate citizen as FedEx to come to our community. We'd be somewhat foolish to resist it."

And Lee Hampton, a vice chancellor at Winston-Salem State University, which has 3,000 students, said 80 percent of his students receive financial aid and could benefit from a nearby employer that actively recruits college students. "The opportunity to partner with FedEx is much anticipated," he said.

While business and political leaders praised the FedEx project, an equal number of homeowners criticized it as a divisive element that would do more harm than good to the community.

Among homeowners' concerns: noise from planes flying between midnight and 4 a.m.; water and air quality; the property values of their neighborhoods; and the safety of having an air cargo hub near more than 10,000 residents.

"You can talk about economic bliss all day long, but you can't compensate for the misery of the people," said Andrea Walls, whose home would lie within a half-mile of the proposed new runway.

Of particular concern for residents is how the FAA study will measure noise. Typically, noise levels get averaged out over the course of a day. But that, residents say, doesn't account for a single loud airplane at night waking them up.

"Telling our small children, who are awakened at night crying in their beds because they can't sleep and are frightened by the roar of overhead jet engines, that the noise is not so bad if you average it out over a 24-hour period won't get them to sleep at three in the morning," said Mark Miller, whose home is near the airport.

And not all the opponents come from northwest Guilford County. Stan Payne, who lives in north High Point, hears planes fly over his property now. He said the FAA needs to take into account residents who live south of the airport and not just north of it.

"I consider FedEx's southwest takeoff and landing scheme unwanted," Payne said. "I can't support -- and will resist -- any scheme that simply shifts aircraft noise from one neighborhood to another."

Laddie Irion, the consultant in charge of the FedEx and runway study, said each person's statement would be analyzed. Comments often help consultants pinpoint areas that need closer study.

Consultants are expected to spend the next few weeks collecting comments from Monday's hearings. After that, they will begin designing their study of the FedEx hub and runway.