Gwinnett commission to keep door open on Briscoe flights

By David Wickert

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Gwinnett officials say they will not rule out commercial flights at Briscoe Field, despite the pleas of hundreds of residents who fear noise and pollution from big jets would hurt their quality of life.

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Vino Wong, vwong@ajc.com Briscoe Field has one runway and ranks as the fifth-busiest in Georgia.

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Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.com Russ Lappana of Lawrenceville speaks against a proposal to privatize Briscoe Field at a public hearing on the idea April 28.

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About 800 people attended a hearing on the subject Thursday night in Lawrenceville. The vast majority wanted county commissioners to rule out the kind of commercial flights that one company wants to bring to the airport.

Though they have not committed to such flights, three of the five commissioners indicated they will not rule them out when they vote on the matter Tuesday. Instead, they plan to seek and study specific proposals from the interested companies as planned.

“What I heard tonight is we need more facts,” Commissioner Shirley Lasseter said after the two-hour hearing.

Facts have been in short supply since the county announced in November 2009 it was considering selling or leasing Briscoe Field, which serves corporate jets and other small aircraft. Last fall three firms expressed interest in running the airport.

None of the firms has announced specific plans. But one – New York-based Propeller Investments – has said it wants to launch commercial passenger service with jets seating up to 140 people.

Commissioners say they have not made up their mind about whether to privatize the airport or whether that would involve the kind of flights Propeller has proposed. The next step would be for the county to request and evaluate specific proposals from each firm.

But that’s been on hold for months as opponents pressed commissioners to rule out large commercial flights.

At Thursday’s hearing opponents said expanding the airport could cause health problems and make their property less valuable.

“Property owners will be directly impacted with lower home values if this expansion goes forward,” said David Mellard, president of the Lawrenceville Neighborhood Alliance. “We urge you to stop this now.”

Others wanted commissioners to keep their options open. They made their own claims about an airport expansion’s economic benefits.

“We will never have a fair and balanced exploration of the facts until we do the research,” said Kevin Hill, general manager of the Hampton Inn on Sugarloaf Parkway.

Commissioner John Heard recently introduced a measure that would allow the county to privatize Briscoe Field but would rule out scheduled commercial passenger service. Commissioners are set to vote on that resolution Tuesday.

Commission Chairwoman Charlotte Nash supports Heard’s motion. But a majority of commissioners is prepared to vote it down.

Lasseter said the competing claims at Thursday’s hearing underscore the need for more information. Commissioners Mike Beaudreau and Lynette Howard also said they wanted more facts.

In addition to Heard’s proposal, Howard said commissioners will vote Tuesday on whether to seek specific proposals from the interested companies.

Howard said that doesn’t mean she supports commercial flights at Briscoe Field. But she said requesting specific proposals will trigger a series of studies that will help county officials make the right decision.

“I don’t know if it’s commercialization,” Howard said. “I don’t know if it’s privatization.”