A resolution which will be presented to state legislators once ratified by Northampton County commissioners and Roanoke Rapids City Council will pave the way for a commercial hangar and bring a maintenance shop to the Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport.
Halifax County commissioners approved the amendment to the airport authority’s enabling legislation which will allow long-term leases at their meeting Monday night. Roanoke Rapids City Council is expected to address the matter at their meeting this evening, Assistant County Manager Christina Wells told the board.
Wells said the trend today is for land leases to be a bit longer than they used when the airport was initially founded. “People make large investments in their hangars and they need a longer lease to ensure they’re going to get their return on investment.”
The resolution fixes that issue, Wells said, and enables “a great project to come to (the) Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport which is going to be a commercial hangar.”
The owner will enter into a land lease with the airport authority and is seeking a 30- to 40-year lease. “But instead of just helping his personal aircraft he will bring a maintenance shop which, of course … will be a boon to both the airport and economic development.”
Wells said with the proposal comes the potential for job creation and “certainly a potential to grow the airport. It’s one of the projects that if you remember when the department of commerce came and presented the airport strategic plan it was mentioned.”
The airport authority has already approved the resolution, Wells said.
County Attorney Glynn Rollins said adoption of the resolution by all parties involved would show legislators there is unanimity and consensus on the matter. Without that full consent, Rollins said, “I can’t say that it wouldn’t be done but I would suspect that they would rather know that all three local boards … want to have this done.”
Rollins said the resolution increases the time of lease from 25 years to 40 years. “I don’t think we’ll have anyone who objects to that.”
Board Chair Vernon Bryant said he believes it is in the best interest of all three entities to approve the amendment to the resolution.
Wells said once Roanoke Rapids and Northampton have approved the amendment the resolution will be shared with Representative Michael Wray and Senator Bobby Hanig, who have said the matter will be addressed in this session.
Commissioner Linda moved that the resolution be approved and Sammy Webb gave the second. The motion passed unanimously.
UDC agreement
In another matter the board approved an agreement with the North Carolina United Daughters of the Confederacy on the CSA Brigadier General Junius Daniel boulder with a tablet honoring the confederate leader and Halifax County native who was fatally wounded at the battle of the Spotsylvania courthouse.
The memorial was removed from the lawn of the Historic Courthouse on November 5, 2020.
The now-defunct Halifax Chapter of the UDC and the North Carolina Historical Commission had erected the boulder on November 15, 1929.
Rollins said in a memo to the board that the state UDC has determined it owns the memorial as successor in interest to the Halifax Chapter which was declared defunct in 1986.
The action taken by the board acknowledges the state UDC’s ownership claim and hands over the memorial to the organization.
The memorial has been in an undisclosed site owned by the county since its removal.
