The Carroll County commissioners agreed Tuesday to spend nearly $700,000 for a security system at the Carroll County Regional Airport in response to an FBI agent?s recommendations.
The agent, who specializes in anti-terrorism, visited theairport three weeks ago and made suggestions to heighten security, said Joseph Varrone, airport administrator, in an interview Wednesday.
As a matter of security, Varrone would not disclose all of the recommendations the agent made or his identity, but the agent did say the airport needs surveillance cameras, he said.
The commissioners moved the funding originally slated for the fiscal 2008 budget to the 2007 proposed budget to pay for a security system, Varrone said.
Commissioner Dean Minnich said he asked the FBI agent if residents should be worried about any security issues, and the agent told him no.
“It?s not fair for people to be scared out of their skins over no issue,” Minnich said Wednesday.
During a public hearing on the budget last week, some residents shared their concerns about safety at the airport now and if it expanded its runway.
Ron Buczkowski, who lives a mile from the airport, said his concern about the airport?s security would grow if a plan to enlarge the runway comes to fruition.
“If 1,500 feet are added to the runway … and if you don?t have dogs and police everywhere, you never know who is going to jump over the fence,” Buczkowski said at the hearing.
Richard Lang, who lives two miles from the airport, said he isn?t concerned about terrorism at the airport and supports a proposed airport runway expansion.
“I don?t think any terrorist is interested in Westminster anymore than they are interested in Ocean City,” he said. “What?s there to gain? They aren?t out to pillage a small village. If the airport were improved, it might bring businesses to the county and those businesses could provide tax relief to the overburdened property tax payer.”
