Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / Sept. 29, 2000, edition 1 / Page 2
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Page 2 Controversy continues over FedEx hub Nancy Houston Staft Writer The FedEx hub. Friends claim it will bring good jobs and economic growth to the Triad. Foes claim it will bring noise, air, and water pollution. Both agree it has brought controversy since construction of the one million square foot regional sort ing facility, along with a third run way, was proposed in April 1998. While the community counts the costs in human, economic, and environmental terms, the final deci sion rests with two agencies: the Air port Authority and the Federal Avia tion Administration (FAA). The Airport Authority, cre ated by the N.C. General Assem bly in 1941, is an independent body designed to promote the develop The Week at Friday Sept 29 Women's Soccer v. Hollins 4pm Union Movie "Heathers" The Underground Saturday Sept 30 Football v. Davidson Ipm Campus Sidekicks Meeting 2:30-4:3opm Boren Union Pool Party 9pm Ragan Brown Field House Sunday Oct 1 Campus Meeting for Worship l-2pm The Hut Men's Soccer v. Savannah College of Art & Design Ipm Avanti Reunion 6-7:3.0pm Commons and Gallery Monday Oct 2 Gu-ilfordian Meeting 7:30-B:3opm Commons Old Time String Band meeting 0-9pm Boren Tuesday Oct 3 Bible Study Group 8-9:3opm Commons Wednesday Oct 4 Senate Meeting 3:30-spm Boren Phillip Harnden on "The Spiritual Pilgrimage of Fritz Eichenberg" 7:3opm Art Gallery Thursday Oct 5 Union sponsors Pumpkin Chuckin' 4pm Lake Scrabble Club 7pm-12am Boren Christian Fellowship 8-11pm Commons Student Activities presents Laura Fuentes in concert 9pm Underground Union sponsors Off Pool at Breaktime w/Guilford I.D. lOpm-lam ment o£ the Piedmont Triad Inter national Airport (PTI). The cities of Greensboro, High Point, and Win ston-Salem, along with Guilford and Forsyth counties, appoint represen tatives to the seven-member group. The agency governs the air port with many of the same rights as a city or county. Since the mas ter plan for PTI, dating back to the 19605, has included construction of a third runway, the FedEx hub meshes with the agency's stated goal of enhancing the airport. In the end, it is the FAA that would grant approval of the project because the airport applies to the FAA to fund construction of the new runway and other im provements. The final environ mental impact study, originally scheduled for completion this fall, The Guilfordian News has been delayed until the spring. Guilford College trustee Stanley Frank served on the Airport Authority from 1962-97 as the Guilford County appointee, taking a three-year break from 1991-94. As chairperson for over twenty years, Frank recruited businesses to the air port. I n 1973, when the G uilfo r d County Board of Commis sioners faced a re quest to re zone land adjacent to the airport from agri cultural to residential use, Frank cautioned against it. "It was pretty well established that the airport authority would build a parallel runway," Frank said. Yet the board voted three to two in favor of re zoning. In the 25 years that fol lowed, the area sprouted hundreds of new homes in neighborhoods such as The Cardinal, Oak Bend, River Hills, and Edinburgh. Now, those residents argue that the pro posed changes to the airport would make their homes intolerable. They have founded the Piedmont Quality of Life Coalition (PQLC) to oppose construction of the hub. For those op posed, the equation is simple. The Triad is al ready thriv ing with a healthy job growth rate and unem ployment at half the na tional aver age. The po tential ben efits of added jobs do not outweigh the risks to the environ ment and disruption of lives. For proponents of the hub, the equation is also simple. While recognizing that there will "certainly be some intrusion," Frank said, "people would like no growth, but without growth, you will not expand the economy." Frank is not alone. Tfen of the eleven Guilford County Commis sioners favor construction of the hub. County Commissioner, Jeff Thigpen, also an Assistant Director of Admis sion at Guilford College, said, "This ; mrnxr hm'" "1 i ?A A ■ "f* *■ | g * ; P"- ■ v *** v** V- -.: ; T -v / 3-v,, i * v = •£••• x._ y • i ..:'; :. iwimm%oOTiK*BT mm&HM 7™' T~ ~ xfTX 1 \ I |v \ ** \ *'•• \ •'• ' VA/* wmw '' J /£*** \ • : 15 : v ,w September 29, 2000 is a struggle to weigh the needs and concerns of a particular part of our community along with the needs of the region." The data abounds, both for and against a FedEx hub, but for some members of the Guilford Col lege community, the debate raises questions positive." Europeans know, she said, that "beauty and quality of life are worth preserving because there is not so much space available." Hoppe's husband, Michael, a member of PQLC, fears what will happen if the Triad becomes a manufacturing-transportation-dis tribution cluster with FedEx as the lead anchor. "In North Carolina, Charlotte is known as the finan cial center and the Triangle is known for research and higher education. The Triad will become known as the armpit of North Carolina," he said. Concern about FedEx is not limited to it. She urges first-year students to stay in formed and involved even though they will graduate before the new facility opens. "Our concerns are for Greensboro and its long-term envi ronmental costs. The water shortage and noise pollution are our biggest worries," she said. For more information, visit the News & Record website dealing with the FedEx issue, www.news record.com/news/indepth/fedex/. The website includes links to related organizations. about atti tudes. En glish In structor Carol Hoppe, af ter living in Europe for many years, questions whether, "whatever is onward and up ward is permanent residents of the area. Senior and Forever Green Co president Ali s s a Fogg peti tion e d against the hub in her sophomore year and continues to oppose
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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