Appeals court ruling today in battle over NorthSTAR medevac
June 21, 2007

BEDMINSTER -- A state appeals court is expected to rule today in the ongoing litigation between Somerset Airport and Bedminster Township, according to the New Jersey Judiciary Web site.

The litigation centers on the permanent relocation of the NorthSTAR's medevac helicopter to the airport near the borders of Bridgewater and Branchburg.

The medevac operation moved to Somerset Airport in February 2005 from the rooftop of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Hospital in Newark. NorthSTAR officials have said the move shaves minutes off response times to trauma patients in Central Jersey.

Since the move, many neighbors have been fighting its permanent presence at the airport. The airport's application to keep NorthSTAR there has touched off a legal battle, with four outstanding lawsuits on the matter.

In December 2006, the Bedminster Planning Board denied the airport's application to convert an existing hanger into a base for the medevac operation's paramedics and state police pilots.

KARA L. RICHARDSON
Courier News Staff Writer