A controversial plan that could possibly bring commercial flights into Gwinnett County’s Briscoe Field didn’t make it Tuesday night’s Board of Commissioners meeting agenda.
But that did not stop more than 500 county residents from flying into the meeting to speak mostly against the proposal. Residents on both sides of the debate wanted to come out in force to pressure commissioners, who appear undecided on the fate of the airport. The opposition far outnumbered the supporters.
“We just want them to know we are not changing our mind or backing down,” said Jim Regan, a member of Citizens for a Better Gwinnett, a citizen group that opposes the plan. Residents who opposed the plan -- clad in red shirts – mostly filled the county’s auditorium, forcing staff to open overflow rooms throughout the building.
County officials, who have yet to set a date for a vote, are mulling a proposal from Propeller Investments to launch passenger flights to New York, Chicago, Miami and other cities.
As it stands now. County Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash and Commissioner John Heard have said they oppose commercial flights. Commissioners Lynette Howard, Mike Beaudreau and Shirley Lasseter have not said how they would vote.
Twice since Friday, Citizens for a Better Gwinnett released robocalls aimed at Howard, Beaudreau and Lasseter, while urging residents to attend the meeting. But the calls have been brought into question by supporters of the airport, who have hinted that Delta Airlines, which opposes the airport expansion, is funding the efforts.
“This is simply egregious behavior on the part of special interests backed by large corporations to manipulate public opinion, it is truly unfortunate,” said Brett Smith, managing director for Propeller.
Delta, which is reluctant to split its operations between Hartsfield-Jackson and Briscoe, has quietly lobbied against the plan to add commercial flights to the Lawrenceville airport.
Regan laughed when asked if Delta was underwriting his organization.
"We are community funded. We have no connection with Delta," Regan said. "We have no large individual contributions. Our funding comes from homeowners."
Propeller has said it wants to build a 10-gate terminal and use planes as large as Boeing 737s seating up to 140 passengers. Currently, Briscoe serves mostly corporate jets that seat up to 19 people.
Earlier this month, the New York firm announced that if Gwinnett approves the plan, it plans to partner with Aeroports de Paris, which operates about two-dozen airports around the world, to operate Briscoe Field.
But for the most part, Propeller Investments has been mum on the specifics, and Gwinnett hasn't released the proposal, citing county purchasing policies.
“I am very disappointed that the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners refuse to release the proposal and are deliberately keeping it secret from the public. The public has a right to see and analyze the proposal in order to make an objective decision,” said Debbie Dooley, national coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots. She supports commercial flights out of Briscoe. “Republicans are supposed to be about open [government] and transparency. Apparently, this Gwinnett BOC does not subscribe to those principles and continue to hide behind the purchasing rules and purchasing committee in order to keep it secret from the public.”
Supporters of the plan say that expanding the airport would not only bring hundreds of jobs, to the area, but also relieve North Georgia residents from driving roughly 40 miles south to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
But opponents fear that their quality of life would forever be altered for the worse.
“Historically, airport noise has had a negative impact on home values and impacts the quality of life,” Regan said. “It will add more traffic on already congested roads. This is going to affect hundreds of thousands of people.”
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