Land Needed For Runway Security At HGR
A cluster of old farm buildings near
Hagerstown Regional Airport (HGR) in Maryland is thwarting efforts
by the federal government to obtain land to expand the airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration, US Transportation Security
Administration and US Secret Service agree the structures of the
Brumbaugh-Kendle-Grove farmsteads, located less than 500 feet from
the runway, need to be removed.
Government officials call the buildings a threat to airport
security, according to the Herald-Mail. However, the farmstead has
been designated a historic place by the Maryland Historical Trust,
and local preservation advocates are requiring the government to
use all other options before demolishing the historic
settlement.
"We simply want those laws to be followed. This is a really
unique property and it would be a shame to see it destroyed," said
Pat Schooley, secretary for the Washington County Historical
Advisory Committee.
The county, receiving federal assistance, has acquired parcels
of land to create a "buffer area," according to airport manager
Carolyn S. Motz.
"It's very common; it's what airports do," Motz said.
Historic structures and land status complicate the issue.
Federal National Historic Preservation Act guidelines require
government agencies to preserve the sites.
This particular area includes a late-19th-century brick house,
an 18th-century smokehouse and a rare pierced-brick barn, that was
given historical designation in 2001.
County and federal officials say possibilities to avoid
demolition include finding someone to live in the house, using it
for a museum and relocating it.
The airport commissioned a survey of the Brumbaugh-Kendle-Grove
property in 2004. The survey found that the farmhouse is not
livable in its current condition. Any repairs or remodeling to make
it safe would be costly.
The airport survey was quoted by URS Corp., a California-based
engineering firm, estimated the cost of rehabilitating the house at
$350,000.
Federal programs are in place that could finance the
refurbishing and allow for a rent free caretaker, but the FAA
opposes that option because it would hinder future development.
Complicating the situation is a federal grant that paid for 90
percent of the cost of the land in 1999 for development. If
officials decided to allow a curator to live in the house, the
funds would have to be returned.
"If someone wanted to move the house, we'd be delighted," Motz
said, adding the FAA will only pay for part of the costs to move
the structure.
Total cost estimates by URS Corp to renovate and relocate the
house were around $650,000.
Officials are stymied, and say there may be no solution right
away.
"I understand security risks, I really do," she said. "And it's
probably going to take someone who is willing to move this house to
save it. I just hope we can find someone who will pay for it."