What a shame to read about our city having to pay $1.73 million in airpark penalties for grants it received when they built our amazing airpark.

I remember going to the planning commission meetings and the county commissioner meetings and hearing everyone talk about how great this was going to be for our area. There were going to be so many great paying jobs for our local residents, and that Elizabeth City State University was going to build a nice facility where it could teach students so they could be hired locally for a great paying job. One of the county commissioners spoke of how he was looking forward to his grandchildren working at DRS.

Now College of The Albemarle is going to build its facility in Maple, not here in our local airpark. And even sadder than that, there are so few local people working at DRS. They now have van pools bringing people from Virginia to work at these great high-paying jobs.

At the time, this was such a great idea. The city was even going to use eminent domain to secure more land and make the airpark even bigger and better. I wonder how much the city would have to pay in penalties if that plan was used.

I am happy to report that the Elizabeth City airpark is at least as successful as the fine airpark in Kinston.

My only hope is that the funds used to pay for the penalties don’t hinder the city and Pasquotank County from building the dog park that we so desperately need.

DARRELL MCKINLEY
Weeksville