The president of Blackwater Worldwide's recent suggestion that the U.S. Navy prefers a Camden County site for its proposed jet practice field is drawing fire from area residents opposed to the airfield.

Sherry Motes of Summit Farms Trail in Currituck County, who lives near Blackwater's headquarters in Moyock, said she was among the 100 people who attended a community forum hosted by the security contracting firm last week.

During the meeting, Motes said Blackwater President Gary Jackson initially discussed his company's plans for building firing ranges near the border between Camden and Currituck counties. However, he then began talking about the Navy's search for an outlying landing field, she said.

The Navy is eyeing three sites in Virginia and two in northeastern North Carolina — the Sandbanks area in Gates County and the Hales Lake area in Camden — where jet fighters would practice take-offs and landings.

Motes said Jackson told community residents that the Navy was likely to choose the Camden site over the others.

"He said it was solely his opinion that the Virginia sites are never going to fly," Motes said. "(Jackson said,) 'That only leaves the two North Carolina sites. We (in Camden) only have 140 rooftops and Gates has 1,400 (rooftops). A logical person could conclude nothing (except that) Hales Lake"' would be selected for the OLF.

Jackson could not be reached for this story.

Blackwater spokeswoman Ann Tyrrell said she didn't know if Jackson discussed the Navy's proposed OLF during the meeting, one of two the company holds each year with its neighbors. The meetings are closed to the press, she said, to encourage frank discussions.

However, if Jackson did talk about the Navy's OLF site-selection process, anything he said would have been his personal opinion, not Blackwater's, Tyrrell said.

"The company has said all along we have no preference and no involvement (in the Navy's selection process)," she said.

Larry Johnson, a member of NO OLF, said Jackson's comments were disturbing even if he wasn't speaking on behalf of Blackwater.

"He made the statement he believes the OLF is a done deal," Johnson said. "I would like to know where he got this information from. How do you get this kind of information without the rest of us and our congressional delegation knowing?"

Mark Anthony, field command officer for the Navy's OLF project, said Jackson could not have personal knowledge of the Navy's plans for the proposed airfield because no decisions have been made.

"We've just started (looking at sites)," Anthony said. "We're a year away from looking at preferred sites."

Camden County residents and officials are opposed to the OLF in the county because they say it will bring unwanted noise, lower the tax rolls and depress land values,

Camden County Manager Randell Woodruff said he did not attend last week's community forum at Blackwater. He also had not heard of Jackson's alleged comments about the OLF and the Camden site.

Woodruff said Blackwater has publicly maintained a neutral position on the OLF.

"We would prefer they didn't have a position supporting it," Woodruff said. "We feel the Hales Lake site is not suitable and would be detrimental to the county, taking properties of tax rolls and exporting noise from Hampton Roads. (Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia) wants to keep the economic benefits and transport the (jet) noise to Camden."

But Woodruff said Blackwater could stand to gain if the Hales Lake site were chosen. Blackwater, the world's largest security firm, has made millions of dollars from U.S. military contracts this decade, mostly since the outset of the U.S.-Iraq war.

"Other than being able to collaborate with the Navy, it may be their hope for some type of relationship (with the Navy)," Woodruff said.

Motes said Blackwater periodically holds public forums with its neighbors to discuss local concerns. The last one was held about nine months ago, she said.