THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 2, 1995 TAG: 9503020484
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JERRY ALLEGOOD NEWS & OBSERVER
DATELINE: HAVELOCK, N.C. LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
Disgruntled supporters of the Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station aren't giving up the fight for 11 squadrons of Navy jets, despite a Pentagon recommendation that the aircraft go to Virginia.
``We see this as a beginning, not the end,'' said Havelock City Manager Joe Huffman. ``We're going to do what it takes.''
The eastern North Carolina base was designated two years ago as the new home for 160 F/A-18 Hornets scheduled to relocate from a Florida base that is being closed. Planning was under way for the aircraft, 4,000 military personnel, their families and millions of dollars in facilities.
But Cherry Point sustained a setback Tuesday when Defense Secretary William Perry recommended that the jets go to Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach.
Huffman said Cherry Point backers weren't surprised by Perry's announcement; they had indications it was coming. ``It's certainly a disappointment,'' he said.
He said the city will organize a strategy to present the strengths of the area and to counter what he called misinformation presented by Oceana backers. About $25 million already had been spent for roads, schools and utilities to accommodate the expansion, he said.
Local officials say they have received no explanation for the change, but they attributed it to intense lobbying by Virginia politicians and business officials. Critics had claimed Oceana could handle the jets and expansion at a fraction of the costs needed at Cherry Point.
The relocation of F/A-18s and other units to Cherry Point was expected to bring as many as 12,000 to 15,000 people to Carteret, Craven, Onslow, Jones and Pamlico counties.
Garner said developers were building new subdivisions to handle the influx. Carteret County voters had approved the issuance of $29 million in bonds for new schools, partly as a result of the anticipated growth. He said much of the expansion will continue despite uncertainty about the F/A-18s.
Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. said the state will vigorously fight the diversion of Navy jets to Virginia Beach.
``Cherry Point was the best place for the F/A-18 squadrons in 1993 and still is today,'' he said.
Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., said he and Hunt will work together to reverse the recommendation.
KEYWORDS: BASE CLOSINGS MILITARY BASES by CNB