Editorial: Latest ruling may end chopper wars

A June 29 Superior Court decision allowing a Medevac helicopter to remain at Somerset Airport in Bedminster is good news for supporters of keeping the emergency rescue service operation in the Somerset Hills community.

It comes as yet another legal setback to a citizens group seeking to remove the operation from town, however. While an appeal appears likely, it remains to be seen whether the Bedminster Branchburg Bridgewater Concerned Citizens Coalition (BBBCCC) will ever gain a legal victory in this prolonged dispute.

Last Thursday, Judge Robert Reed, seated in Somerville, ruled that the Medevac operation does not have to be physically located at a hospital to comply with a state law requiring that it be "hospital based.''

In its legal challenge, the BBBCCC argued that housing Medevac in Bedminster violated this language and the operation should be removed from the airport, which is in a rural residential area.

But the judge said common sense must be applied to the case. His interpretation was that the airport was not in violation because Medevac is still controlled and supervised by the University Medical Center in Newark.

The latest ruling is one of several that have gone against the citizens group this year. In April, Judge Reed dismissed a claim by the BBBCCC that helicopters are not a permitted use under the township's zoning ordinance. He also allowed the airport to proceed with an application to covert an existing hangar into a Medevac administrative complex before the Planning Board.

Unless a higher court overrules the judge's decisions, it appears that Medevac may very well become a permanent part of the community. While we sympathize with those who claim noise from the operation has created a disturbance and hurt property values, we simultaneously agree with supporters that having this life-saving operation based locally is of great benefit to the area's residents and emergency service workers.