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Press Release

Elizabeth City/ Golden LEAF Celebrate Milestone at Aviation Park

June 4, 2009

Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Aviation Research and Development Commerce Park completes first phase of infrastructure improvements

(Elizabeth City, N.C., June 4, 2009) – Yesterday, Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County officials and honored guests gathered beneath the wings of a C-130 on a new 2,400-foot taxiway to mark the completed first-phase infrastructure of the $13 million Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Aviation Research and Development Commerce Park. North Carolina’s Deputy Secretary of Commerce Dale Carroll and Golden LEAF Foundation Dan Gerlach keynoted the event.

During the “Take-Off Celebration,” the Albemarle Economic Development Commission (AEDC) acknowledged the contributions of the aviation park’s partners, including the Golden LEAF Foundation, which contributed $2 million toward the infrastructure development.

“Completion of this first phase of the infrastructure is the culmination of an extraordinary partnership between local governments, state educational institutions, foundations and state and federal agencies,” said AEDC Director Wayne Harris. “Absent the contribution of any one of these partners, the aviation park would not have been possible.”

Wednesday’s celebration marked the end of eight months of first-phase improvements to the 63-acre site that included master site planning, infrastructure developments such as water and sewage lines and the construction of a 2,400-foot taxiway that connects the 7,200-foot runway shared by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Regional Airport.

The improvements were on time and within budget at a cost of $13 million, funded through a combination of investment by the City of Elizabeth City, Pasquotank County and the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County Regional Airport Authority, and grants from the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the Golden LEAF Foundation, the North Carolina Department of Transportation Division of Aviation, and the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center, Inc.

“The aviation park is testament to what can be accomplished when local and state governments work together to build a business friendly environment in Northeastern North Carolina,” said Steve Atkinson, mayor of Elizabeth City.”

Pasquotank County Commissioner Chairman Marshall Stevenson added that the commissioners are proud to have been a partner in “creating this tremendous opportunity for high-wage employment for our citizens,” while Airport Authority Chairman Wayne Perry noted that the Elizabeth City Pasquotank County Regional Airport “is delighted to help make possible continued high-wage, private-sector expansion at the airport.”

With the U.S. Coast Guard aircraft as backdrop to the event, it was evident that the new taxiway is capable of accommodating C-130-sized aircraft and larger, a key component to attracting park tenants with ties to the U.S. Coast Guard Base.

The site is now suitable for construction of four 60,000 to 80,000 square-foot hangars and a 15-acre campus for the Elizabeth City State University School of Aviation Science and a College of the Albemarle FAA-certified Air Frame and Power Plant Maintenance training facility. The aviation park will eventually expand to 180 acres, creating as many as 2,000 well-paying jobs.

When ground was broken on the aviation park Oct. 9 last year, Congressman G.K. Butterfield lauded the development, saying the park would be a major catalyst in transforming northeastern North Carolina into a hub of aviation and aerospace development.

AEDC Chairman Matt Wood reaffirmed Butterfield’s enthusiasm.

“The real key to the success of this park is the cooperation it has already fostered between the Elizabeth City State University School of Aviation Science and the College of Albemarle,” said Wood, who also chairs the College of the Albemarle board of trustees. “That cooperation will maximize opportunity for local residents to get the training to land these well-paying jobs.”