Letter: Beaufort desperately needs alternate landing field

Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling recently publicly posed this question: “Is the sound of freedom the new normal for downtown Beaufort?”

The mayor wrote of receiving calls and emails regarding “excessive noise from the (Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort) jets flying over the city.” Subsequently, the mayor was assured the completion of a runway resurfacing project will result in the “jets’ … return to … the runway where the ‘noise’ is not so obvious in the city.”

The mayor concludes his message thusly: “But this (excessive noise) may be the new normal for those who live near the larger field when it is reopened.”

Mr. Mayor, the noise is 100 percent “normal” and 0 percent “new” for nearby residents.

At the same time, those of us who live under the relentless assault by the jets have been told for years how difficult and costly it would be to acquire an alternate landing field. Well, here’s what we do know: MCAS Beaufort is the only Marine Corps air station without access to an ALF. Simply put, the citizens of greater Beaufort are the only American population exposed to the damaging effects, known and unknown, resulting from the operation of Marine Corps Air Station jets.

Several years ago, a group of concerned local residents met with the mayor to discuss the need for an ALF. At that time, he stated he would “sleep on the tarmac until an ALF was acquired.” Mr. Mayor, your sleeping bag and pillow await.

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 10:33 PM with the headline "Letter: Beaufort desperately needs alternate landing field."