Public Hearing on Airport Resolution Set for April 28

A resolution to remove commercial service as an option if Briscoe Field is privatized has been tabled until May 3 to allow time for a public hearing.

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners voted April 19 to table the resolution and has scheduled a public hearing for April 28 at 7 p.m. The hearing location has not yet been confirmed by county officials.

The county has not yet issued a request for proposals (RFP) for any airport related projects, but did issue a request for qualifications (RFQ) last year for firms interested in submitting proposals to privatize the airport.

American Airports Corporation, Gwinnett Airport, LLC and Propeller Investments submitted RFQs.

Brett Smith, managing director of Propeller Investments, supports bringing commercial service to Briscoe Field and .

Fly Gwinnett Forward, headed by Paula Hastings, Mike Royal and Jimmy Norton, to the Lawrenceville airport.

Leading the opposition are members of Citizens for a Better Gwinnett (C4BG). The group has requested passenger jet service and freight operations be removed from consideration.

In a , C4BG spokesmen Russ Lappana, Rick Schneider and Jim Regan called any decision to add passenger jet service “a decision that would negatively impact tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of residents, by creating noise levels approaching the threshold of pain, creating health hazards from jet fuel fallout, increasing traffic congestion on an already overburdened  roadway system, and destroy home values.”