News Release

CHAPEL HILL – During its meeting today (May 26), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Board of Trustees unanimously endorsed the vision for Carolina North, the university’s planned living and learning community. The board also recommended closure of Horace Williams Airport and relocation of Area Health Education Centers’ (AHEC) Medical Air Operations (MedAir) to Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The board said the university would keep Horace Williams Airport open and not move Medical Air Operations to RDU until construction on Carolina North is ready to begin.

The university announced in April 2002 that it would close Horace Williams Airport. In September 2002, the N.C. General Assembly passed legislation requiring the university to keep the airport open until January 2005. In July 2004, the legislation adopted language requiring the university to keep the airport open until an accessible replacement facility could be found for MedAir. The N.C. Senate recently passed a special provision that would allow the university to close the airport, provided that MedAir have access to, or utilize, RDU to serve the needs of patients, physicians and passengers associated with AHEC’s statewide programs.

Following remarks from Chancellor James Moeser and Tony Waldrop, vice chancellor for research and economic development, the board heard a presentation from Talbert and Bright, an aviation engineering and consulting firm, which reported the results of a three-year study of possible alternate airport sites to accommodate MedAir. MedAir serves the AHEC program and uses Horace Williams Airport for flights to clinics and education programs around the state.

Talbert and Bright’s presentation also included an analysis of the costs of moving MedAir to RDU in order to enable development of Carolina North.

All of today’s presentations are available at http://cn.unc.edu.

Following a period of discussion, the board unanimously approved the following resolution:

WHEREAS, Carolina North is the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s planned living and learning campus, designed to expand Carolina’s multiple missions, boost innovation and redefine the University’s engagement with the region and the state, and

WHEREAS, the University’s research enterprise already fuels economic activity for the state, and the University strives to build upon that at Carolina North, attracting private companies to partner with University faculty and transforming research into products and services to improve quality of life, and

WHEREAS, Carolina North will be a catalyst for the economic transformation of our state, generating jobs and tax revenues, and

WHEREAS, the University values the service its Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program provides to the people of North Carolina and is committed to maintaining that service, and

WHEREAS, the University has conducted an extensive study to identify alternative airport sites for Medical Air operations and has determined that Raleigh-Durham International Airport meets the criteria of accessibility, cost effectiveness and timeliness.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Trustees strongly endorses the vision for and urgency of Carolina North as being critical to the education, research and service missions of the University and to the economic well-being of the state, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Trustees affirms and values the services that the Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) provides to the people of North Carolina and is committed to preserving and enhancing the important work of AHEC.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Trustees believes that the continued long-term use of Horace Williams Airport presents an impediment to the start of Carolina North, and that, after carefully weighing the alternatives, we recommend closure of the airport and relocation of Medical Air Operations to Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The Board further states the University’s intention to keep the airport open and not move Medical Air Operations to RDU until construction of Carolina North is ready to begin.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University pledges its willingness to assist a sponsor in a search for a new airport.

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News Services contact: Lisa Katz, (919) 962-2093, lisa_katz@unc.edu