HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) -- Experts warn that without a longer runway, Hilton Head Island could lose most commercial air service at the South Carolina resort within 20 years.
The Island Packet reports consultants suggest the runway be extended by more than 1,000 feet to 5,400 feet to handle a new generation of commercial and private planes.
Mayor Tom Peeples doesn't want it extended that far.
Residents worry lengthening the runway would disturb the 122-year-old St. James Baptist Church and mean more noise in the Mitchelville area, site of one of the first villages for freed slaves in the United States.
Peeples says it would also mean years in court trying to buy the land for the extension.
Information from: The Island Packet, http://www.islandpacket.com
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