A company that has lobbied for more than two years to bring commercial passenger service to Gwinnett County’s Briscoe Field is the only firm interested in running the airport.
Propeller Investments, which has said it wants to launch service to New York, Chicago, Miami and a host of other cities, on Wednesday submitted the only proposal to operate the county airport near Lawrenceville.
The lack of other interest appears to offer Gwinnett a stark choice: Either accept Propeller’s proposal to launch commercial service or abandon for now its plans to privatize the airport. That choice is sure to generate more heat in a county that has been feuding over the airport’s fate for two years.
Many residents see commercial passenger flights as a way to reinvigorate Gwinnett’s economy and provide a convenient alternative to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
“I think the economic impact would be more than significant for the county,” said Jimmy Norton of Fly Gwinnett Forward, a local group that supports commercial flights. “The halo effect could even spill into the region.”
Opponents say such flights will mean more noise and declining property values in neighborhoods near the airport. They say Gwinnett taxpayers could get stuck with the bill if the private venture fails.
“I don’t know how the county goes forward with this,” said Jim Regan of Citizens for a Better Gwinnett, which opposes commercial flights.
Gwinnett announced it might sell or lease Briscoe Field in 2009. County commissioners have never said commercial passenger service is the goal of privatization. But they’ve never ruled it out, either.
In 2010 the Federal Aviation Administration approved the county's preliminary application to privatize the airport. That same year three firms -- including Propeller -- expressed interest in operating Briscoe Field.
But the debate over commercial flights became so contentious that a consultant last year recommended Gwinnett start again with a new proposal process.
Gwinnett recently sought proposals from companies interested in operating Briscoe Field as it is now: a small airport serving small aircraft. But its solicitation also encouraged companies to submit their long-range visions for the airport, including possible commercial passenger service.
Propeller’s managing director, Brett Smith, submitted the company’s proposal Wednesday afternoon and had previously pledged to make it public. But Gwinnett officials notified him this week that making the proposal public would violate county purchasing rules.
On Wednesday Smith declined to discuss the company’s proposal.
But Propeller has waged a very public campaign to launch passenger service on jets seating up to 140 passengers. And Smith has made it clear Propeller is only interested in Briscoe if it can launch commercial passenger flights.
The company’s proposal will now be reviewed by county purchasing employees and by a consultant hired to assist Gwinnett with its airport privatization process. The county set aside the week of March 12 for possible interviews with companies interested in running the airport. But there is no specific timetable for making a decision.
Ultimately, the Board of Commissioners must decide the airport’s fate.
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