Support of Public Advocate in Solberg Airport's Appeal

[danthemanj]

Support of Public Advocate in Solberg Airport's Appeal:

Solberg Airport needs people to contact Public Advocate Ronald K. Chen Esq.. The Department of Public Advocate needs to know that the land Readington Township is condemning already serves a public purpose as a general aviation facility. This airport (serving the community and region since l941) serves a much greater public purpose as an airport than it will adding another 600 plus acres to the already 8000 plus acres preserved in some fashion in Readington Township. Plus there is other land available for open space in Readington Township. There is no other land for a public use airport. Contrary to what Readington Township states, this taking curtails current airport operations. The FAA considers all this land as "airport" property.

Please ask everyone to consider contacting the Public Advocate's office and asking the department to write a brief as a "friend of the court" on behalf of Solberg Aviation Company's appeal of Judge Yolanda Ciccone's ruling in favor of Readington Township.

SOLBERG AIRPORT uses over 700 acres NOT JUST the 100 acres left behind after Readington’s Condemnation
THIS EMINENT DOMAIN TAKING WILL NOT “PRESERVE” THE AIRPORT...IT WILL DESTROY IT
Normal airport operations are restricted or eliminated. There is no room to modernize to keep up
with aviation in the 21st century.
The economic viability and continued existence of the airport is now in jeopardy

HELP FIGHT THIS ABUSE OF EMINENT DOMAIN
It’s a dangerous precedent that could put everyone’s back yard at risk of arbitrary seizure
PLEASE ASK The Public Advocate RONALD K. CHEN ESQ. to join our legal battle to stop arbitrary “Open
Space” takings.

Contact:
Email: Lisa.Ridge@advocate.state.nj.us or write to the Department of Public Advocate, 240 West State Street, P. O. Box 851, Trenton, NJ 08625-0851.


Question.
What are the effects to the community when Readington Township seizes over 85% of Solberg Airport’s land?
Losing Solberg Airport is a Loss for the Community

LOSS OF COMMUNITY EVENTS
NO Easter Bunny Fly-In
NO Summer Solstice
NO Balloon Festival
NO Santa Claus Fly-In
LOSS OF THE GREAT AIRSHIPS
NORMALLY MOORED
THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER
LOSS OF RADIO CONTROLLED
MODEL AIRPLANE AREA

 

[Phyl]

I hope our pleas help. It would be a terrible loss. A friend of ours keeps his airplane at that airport.

 

[danthemanj]

I think if enough people get together as one voice, that voice cannot be ignored. This Eminent Domain excuse has been misused by towns ever since the Bush Supreme Court started upholding Eminent Domain petitions. The township of Piscataway just took over about 30 acres of farm land from a farmer on the context of Eminent Domain over a year and a half ago and put up a sign of Piscataway Open Space. It was the last farm we had in our township. The land was worth about 18 odd million dollars and the township paid the farmer about 2.5 million for it. The farmer did take the township to court but the township won and started charging the farmer $4500 for every day his family stayed on the farm. The poor man had no choice but to leave.

Reducing the space around Solberg Airport is a BIG mistake. Doing so will increase the risk of aviation accidents. Depending upon the runway you use to land, the space is as it is tight.

 

[lithivm]

Eminent Domain is truly being overused for just about any reason, here in Union they are trying to take all businesses in the middle of town. They have hired a company to take down all businesses and rebuild them uniformly in a new design. The problem is that most of the buildings/stores owners wouldn't mind paying to bring their buildings to match the new specs. The town isn't budging they want to pay pennies on the dollars and use their company choice....


I wish you luck, small airports are disappearing everywhere...

 

[reefitup]

The Jersey Guys were talking on the radio the other day about a bunch of condos that were taken (I thought for ID) and they were building a school or something on it...and the contractors who NJ hired squandered about 8 million dollars away, so I guess NJ just settled with the previous owners of the condo(s) for like 1+ million.

Johnny Boy wants to use the same firm and givem millions more. I'm gonna tell you what.

I can't wait to get out of NJ. I'm not going far. Just far enough to stand at the edge and thumb my nose at it....one of these days... :

 

[Altohombre]

I grew up 3 mins from the airport and actually played sports with Thor Solberg (the son). I hope they don't seize the land. I like Readington the way it is/was.