People with competing visions for Gwinnett County’s Briscoe Field had their first public debate on Thursday night, squaring off in a well attended and sometimes emotional hearing.
About 800 people attended a Board of Commissioners meeting on the possible privatization of the airport. At issue: Whether commissioners should rule out large commercial flights as they consider whether to sell or lease the airport near Lawrenceville.
On one sidewere those who say big commercial flights would increase noise, drive down property values and erode their quality of life.
“I’ve lived in Gwinnett County since 1970,” said Dave Rodriguez of Dacula, who handed out “no” stickers outside 12Stone Church in Lawrenceville, which hosted the hearing. “Whether I stay in Gwinnett depends on what happens in there.”
On the other side were those who say commercial passenger service could create jobs and provide a needed boost to Gwinnett’s economy. They want the Board of Commissioners to keep all options on the table.
“Let’s not dismiss this entire opportunity before we do our homework,” Collins Hill resident Paula Hastings said.
Nothing was resolved. On Tuesday, however, County Commissioners plan to vote on whether to rule out the big commercial flights, the issue at the heart of the debate. That decision could determine whether metro Atlanta residents get an alternative to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in the foreseeable future.
The debate has been brewing since Gwinnett officials announced in November 2009 that they might lease or sell Briscoe Field, which serves corporate jets and other small aircraft. Last spring the Federal Aviation Administration gave preliminary approval to the county’s application to privatize the airport.
Three firms have expressed interest in Briscoe Field. None has unveiled specific plans, but one -- New York-based Propeller Investments -- has talked of building a 10-gate terminal and launch commercial passenger services on Boeing 737 jets seating up to 140 people.
Gwinnett officials have said they have not decided whether to sell or lease the airport, let alone whether that would involve the kind of service envisioned by Propeller Investments. Yet since last summer opponents have waged a campaign to rule out such service.
The debate has been waged mostly through press releases, websites and occasional public rallies. The Thursday hearing was the first chance for the two sides to engage each other fully in a public forum.
Both sides wielded studies they showed the benefits and downsides of big commercial flights. They occasionally exchanged catcalls, though for the most part the discussion was respectful. A clear majority opposed commercial flights.
One of the more dramatic moments came when opponents played the recording of what they said a 737 would sound like over their homes: The noise rattled the cavernous auditorium.
The hearing might not have changed any minds, but it was a sign that a county commission previously accused of making big decisions without public input might be trying to change how it operates.
Commissioner John Heard, who campaigned against commercial flights when he ran for office last year, introduced the measure to rule them out, and new Chairwoman Charlotte Nash supported Heard’s proposal.
But other commissioners have said it doesn’t make sense to rule out anything until the county has specific proposals it can study.
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