Evening star., 1951-06-16
Fairfax Board Heeds
Airport Site Protests.
Votes lis Opposition
By chorles J.. Yorbroush

BY Chorles J. YdrbFough
Fairfax County's Board of Super
visors today stood unanimously
and officially opposed to the Gov
lernment's proposed $l4 million
airport at Burke. Va.
Their fight against the airport
will be without any help from
Ineighboring Arlington. Members
of the Arlington County Board,
by a vote of 3D., today refused to
join Fairfax in the protest.
The Fairfax Boards action-a
resolution voicing that opposition
was the very weapon sought by
militant citizens who jammed
Fairfax's venerable courthouse for
| a hearing last night.
Headed for wide congressional
distribution, the resolution not
only opposes the Burke site. but
protests location of an airport
anywhere in the county. It also
provides for selection of citizen
committee to call on members OF
Virginia's delegation on Capital
Hill.
Location of the 4,500-acre sup
plement to National Airport was
announced in a surprise move by
Commerce Secretary Sawyer on
Wednesday. The area is 171a miles
southeast of Washington.
100 Families Displaced.
Occupancy of the site for air
port purposes would displace about
100 families. Notice of condemna-
tion action by the Government
already has been served on many
of them.
The groups chairman, Judge
Paul Brown of Fairfax Circuit
Court. reached his point quickly.
Carefully avoiding criticism of the
board, he bluntly proposed an al
ternate course of action should the
board decline to enter their fight.
"If we have to-" he said amid a
storm of applause. well take the
case to the Maryland delegation
in Congress"
It is no secret that Maryland
members of Congress would pre-
fer to have the Government take
over Baltimore's Friendship In
ternational airport some 40 min
utes from downtown washington.
Would Lose Mansion. s
Judge Brown, whose l40-year-
old mansion, Birthstone Hill,
would be gobbled up by the air
port. opposed the selection for
other reasons as well-principally
the loss Of tax revenue and what
he termed the depreciation OF
property adjoining the site.
One by one, he was joined by a
score of citizens whose reasons for
opposition ranged from lowered
tax revenue and loss of homes to
assertions that aircraft noise
would cut the milk production OF
COWS and interfere with television
reception.
A single voice rose in favor of
the Burke site. The speaker was
E. j. Locklin. who said he felt the
airport would increase employ
ment.
Some of the comments:
Jones Jasper, who owns land
near the boundary of the site
My hired hand has said he will
quit because he's afraid of air.
planes. Every one knows what
planes do to television reception
Rufus Waple, a landowner and
licensed pilot-Fairfax Courthouse
would be about four miles from
the end of one runway and planes
would be flying 500 feet over this
very courthouse.
Harold A. Stone, whose land Is
north Of the site-We bought that
land to build a home so we could
get away from our present location
near National Airport. My wife
and children are about insane from
the noise of airplanes.
| Hills Lory. who lives near the
end of one Of the proposed run
ways-I can just see my sheer
taking off over the fence wher
those planes start over.
Mrs. Charles A. Lyman, prin-
cipal of the Brookland- Bunker
Hill Schools, whose home is II
Burke-You'd be surprised at tht
sympathetic calls ] have received
from parents. As a major in chile
psychology, I can tell you that ont
of the most difficult things fol
children is a sudden, loud noise
Paul johnson. president of th'
Burke Civic Association-We hav'
100 members, and I have yet II
; find one not opposed to this air
lIport.
Another speaker asserted That
Iif the airport comes to Fairfal
!, County, we'll be the back door
i. the service entrance-to Washing
ston."
/ History Will Call
I AA~..L~H H.@~4