HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- About 150 people attended a rally to complain about plans to extend a runway at a coastal South Carolina airport.
The Island Packet of Hilton Head reported the protest Sunday afternoon included Hilton Head Island residents, some elected officials and members of a nearby church.
St. James Baptist Church is under the flight path of planes taking off and landing at the Hilton Head Island Airport. They say the plans to extend the runway threaten the church and the coastal island Gullah-Geechee culture.
Consultants hired by Hilton Head Island and Beaufort County last month recommended that the runway be extended from 4,300 feet to 5,400 feet.
That would allow the county-owned airport to better accommodate commercial and private jets.
A master plan is to be developed by October.
Information from: The Island Packet, http://www.islandpacket.com
