For Immediate Release Contact: Thor Solberg

February 20, 2006 Phone: (908) 581-9288

EMINENT DOMAIN SEIZURE WILL COST

TAXPAYERS TENS OF MILLIONS

Town to borrow $22 million to take historic

Airport from family of early aviator

Readington, NJ – The family of 1930’s aviator Thor Solberg announced today that they

intend to fight a proposal by the town to take over their family run airport. The airport

recently celebrated the 70th year anniversary Solberg’s pioneering flight and is owned and

operated by his descendents.

Readington Township plans to vote this Tuesday night to pass a $22 million bond

ordinance to enable it to forcibly acquire Solberg Airport through condemnation.

“We are disappointed that the township seems to have decided to seize the airport

through eminent domain,” said Thor Solberg, son of the aviator and airport co-owner.

“Not only is it fundamentally wrong for the government to seize private property, it is

unfair to ask the taxpayers to pay millions more in higher taxes.”

The family has repeatedly turned down offers from the town and from major developers.

Some people have suggested that hundreds of new homes could be built on the property.

“There is no telling what could happen to this land now,” said Solberg. “But our goal is

to try to keep it the way it is, a community airport, and protect undeveloped areas for

open space.

On Tuesday evening, the Solberg family and their supporters will speak out against the

ordinance at the Tuesday’s committee meeting.

Solberg Airport is rich in historical significance and family tradition. 70 years ago Thor

Solberg’s father completed an historic flight across the North Atlantic, from New York to

Norway. That flight was significant to the security of the United States during World War

II and information gathered on it, helped the Coast Guard uncover a Nazi plan to bomb

the United States using bases in Greenland. However, most people today are more

familiar with its annual balloon festival, which draws over 100 thousand spectators from

all over the country.

In 1939, with a dream of bringing the future benefits of a then-infant air transportation

system to the people of Hunterdon County, Solberg moved to Readington Township to

build an airfield.

Thor Solberg said, “This airport is not just our family’s legacy, but a legacy shared by our

nation and our town.”