course, downtown drives tourism because that’s what people look for when they’re looking for things to do and places to go. One new business opens up every month downtown. But the hospital corridor is a unique area bringing a different type of business.And on the north side of town, we also have businesses popping up. I have about a hundred new businesses join the Chamber every year, and on average, there are four ribbon cuttings a month to celebrate a new business or a new venture of an existing business. So, it’s a great time for our community.” THE IMPORTANCE OF AVIATION Scott Hinton is the Economic Developer for Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County, as well as the Airport Director of the Elizabeth City Regional Airport, home to many light and general aviation aircraft, and a partner with the Coast Guard, which owns its runways and taxiways. “We’re a joint use/military airfield,” Hinton explains. “We have 20 acres on the south side of the airport that provides us access to those runways and taxiways. But everything we do, we look first through the lens of how it will impact the ability of the Coast Guard to provide its services to the public. In our community, there are three large economic drivers: the hospital, the universities, and the Coast Guard, which is responsible for $520 million a year in direct, indirect, and induced economic contributions. The airport and the Coast Guard employ about 3,000 people. So, you can’t overstate the importance of this facility to our community and what it means for our economy.” Because of the airport’s importance, aviation education has become a key component of the city’s DNA. Elizabeth City State University offers the only four-year Bachelor’s degree in aviation of the 17 constituent schools in the University of North Carolina system. “They have 13 planes, right now,” Hinton shares.“And they’re going to 15 planes, next month, with orders, hopefully, for an additional six planes.” 8 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 10
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