Rutherford County, NC Told To Pay Back Part Of AIP Grant

Following an investigation that lasted some five months, the FAA has directed Rutherford County, NC to return $131,500 of an AIP grant used to purchase 10 acres of land owned by a former County Commissioner.

The FAA opened the investigation after a group of private citizens asked it to do so. The agency found that the tract of land adjacent to the airport which was purchased by the Rutherford County Airport Authority was overvalued. The land was purchased for $300,000, but an independent appraiser places the value of the land at only $168,500.

The Daily Courier newspaper reports that the North Carolina DOT did not properly justify the final settlement price. NCDOT said only the "the property owner (former Rutherford County Commission Chairman Julius Owens) would not take less." The FAA also said that the Airport Authority could have used its power of eminent domain to remove obstructions on the property when the purchase price could not be negotiated.

The situation arose when trees along the glideslope to the runway grew too tall and became a navigation hazard. In its report, the FAA said that while the county may have been able to trim those trees using a local ordinance, "it may have been prudent to acquire the Owens’ property since it was planned for acquisition by the airport in the future for approach protection.”

The county told NCDOT that it could not answer specific questions about the land purchase because airport authority board members who had signed off on it were replaced shortly after it was approved.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.rutherfordcountync.gov