
DATE: Tuesday, October 28, 1997             TAG: 9710280301

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JOHN MURPHY, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:  109 lines

FRIENDS, FOES FIGHT OVER JET PLAN NOISE, SAFETY AND ECONOMIC CONCERNS RAISED AT HEARING.

City and state officials Monday night made a strong case for the Navy's plan to land 180 jets at Oceana, inviting the service to bring on the Hornets.

But a significant group of residents, some who thought they were alone until Monday night, asked the Navy to leave them with something else: peace, quiet and safety.

More than 300 people attended a public hearing at the Virginia Beach Pavilion, one of several being held on the Navy's plan to move jets from the soon-to-close Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Fla. More than 60 people spoke, about a third of them after the hearing was scheduled to end at 10 p.m.

A Navy official said the turnout at the meeting was by far the largest of any of the hearings in three states over the past week.

Led by Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera Oberndorf, a parade of local and state politicians argued for bringing all 180 jets to Oceana. Oberndorf pointed to the Beach's quality of life for Navy families and the $65 million in proposed road improvements around Oceana.

She and other officials aimed some comments at North Carolina officials, who recently asked to extend the public comment period past the Nov. 18 deadline.

``We object, and we ask that their request be denied,'' Oberndorf said. ``Any extension is unwarranted and would cause greater discomfort to the personnel who will be relocated.''

Responding to many complaints about the increased noise that the jets would bring, U.S. Rep. Owen B. Pickett reminded residents that there would be little difference between the new noise levels and those experienced by Virginia Beach in 1991, when operations were at their peak at Oceana.

Pickett also boasted of Hampton Roads' quality of life for the 12,500 Navy personnel and their families who would arrive with the F/A-18s.

``This is not an exercise of where to park airplanes; it's a personnel matter,'' he said.

For some residents who spoke Monday night, that same quality of life would be threatened by the jets' presence.

Carol Sherman, a resident of Great Neck, said she appreciates the Navy. But she questioned Oceana expansion plans. She was particularly concerned about the 23 schools that would fall in high-noise or accident-potential zones. The Beach has said it will modify the schools to protect children against the noise, but she said children spend time on the playground as well.

``What are we going to do about the noise outside the school walls?'' she asked. Her comments were met with applause.

Hal Levenson of Virginia Beach, who operates an office in his home, said, ``Please know, there are many of us in this city whose homes and businesses and schools are situated in the flight path, who are the suffering silent minority on this issue. Many of us may be silent out of a sense that the proposed move is a fait accompli.''

Sheri and Ron Imel, who moved to Virginia Beach five months ago, have organized a citizens coalition to protect residents who will be affected by the Navy's plan. ``The city of Virginia Beach benefits, but the people who are adversely impacted get nothing,'' Sheri Imel said.

The Imels ask that Virginia Beach or the Navy buy their home, which would sit in an accident-potential zone. ``We're going to make a fight,'' Ron Imel said.

But Richard Minuto, a retiree who recently moved to Virginia Beach from Pennsylvania, said, ``For those who don't want the noise, send all the planes over my house.''

Minuto suggested that rather than complain about the noise, residents should remember the price of freedom.

The Navy is seeking input on its draft Environmental Impact Statement, a 1,600-page document outlining the five options for relocating the 180 Hornets from Cecil Field.

The study, released last month, concludes that the best option is to move all jets to Oceana. It offers other scenarios, however, that would split the jets between Oceana and Marine Corps air stations in Beaufort, S.C., or Cherry Point, N.C.

Under the Navy's favored plan, the number of flight operations at Oceana would double; 39,000 more residents and 23 schools would fall into high-noise or accident-potential zones; and 12,500 people would move to Hampton Roads, including 2,700 students for the region's public schools.

Last week, the Navy held three public hearings in North Carolina and one in Beaufort, S.C.

In North Carolina, political leaders criticized the Navy's plans, arguing that transferring all the jets to Virginia Beach would be disastrous because of the noise, traffic and other environmental impacts on the community.

In Havelock, N.C., population 23,000, the impacts would be much less, they said. North Carolina officials have asked that the Navy endorse a plan to move at least 60 of the 180 F/A-18s to Cherry Point.

The move of the F/A-18s was necessary after the Base Closure and Realignment Commission recommended in 1993 that Cecil Field be closed. That requires the Navy to move 11 fleet squadrons (132 aircraft) and one fleet replacement squadron (48 aircraft).

The draft Environmental Impact Statement outlines the effects and costs of each option. After the public hearings, residents will have until Nov. 18 to comment on the Navy's plan. The Navy will incorporate the comments into a final Environmental Impact Statement, due to be released in early 1998.

A final decision on where to move the jets will not be made until spring 1998. The Navy anticipates moving all the F/A-18s from Cecil Field by 1999. MEMO: A final public hearing is scheduled for tonight from 7:30 to

10 p.m. at Butts Road Intermediate School, 1571 Mount Pleasant Road,

Chesapeake. The hearing will be preceded by a public information session

from 3:30 to 7 p.m.

PILOT ONLINE: Links to a TalkNet discussion and archived Pilot

stories on the proposed jet move are on the News page at

(www.pilotonline.com). ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Philip Holman

John Shick, left, and Jake Janssen, both of Wellington Woods... KEYWORDS: U.S. NAVY PLANES RELOCATION U.S. OCEANA NAVAL

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