Opponents of bringing commercial passenger flights to Gwinnett County's Briscoe Field have collected about 900 signatures on a petition as they ramp up pressure on local officials who will decide the airport's future.
Citizens for a Better Gwinnett gathered the signatures in less than a week after posting the petition online last Friday. The petition calls on county commissioners to "protect our quality of life by removing any possible consideration of scheduled passenger, charter passenger or cargo service" at Briscoe Field.
The opposition comes as a Feb. 8 deadline approaches for companies to submit proposals for operating the Lawrenceville airport. One company that might respond, New York-based Propeller Investments, has lobbied for more than two years to launch commercial flights at Briscoe.
"We are not opposed to privatization [of the airport]," said Robin Foster of Lawrenceville, who signed the petition. "We simply don't want our quality of life diminished by having increased air traffic."
The future of Briscoe Field has sparked sometimes contentious debate since Gwinnett officials announced in November 2009 that they were considering selling or leasing the airport to a private firm. They say privatizing the airport could save Gwinnett money and spark economic development.
Gwinnett officials have never endorsed commercial flights as part of privatization. But Propeller Investments has said it wants to launch up to 20 commercial flights a day on jets seating up to 140 passengers.
Supporters say commercial flights would create jobs and provide an alternative to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Opponents, many of them from nearby Lawrenceville and Dacula, fear additional noise and declining property values.
County commissioners also are divided. After months of debate, they voted last fall to solicit specific proposals from companies interested in running Briscoe as it is now --- a small airport serving small private and corporate aircraft.
However, they left the door open for commercial flights, inviting companies to share their long-term vision for Briscoe Field. Opponents of commercial flights are suspicious.
"We don't know what 'future' means," said Jim Regan of Citizens for a Better Gwinnett. "Is that tomorrow? Is that in 10 years?"
Propeller Investments officials have declined to say whether they will submit a proposal next month. But managing director Brett Smith has pledged to make the company's plans public if it decides to respond.
Supporters of commercial flights say the new petition, which cites noise, traffic congestion and other concerns, is misleading.
"It's more misinformation," said Paula Hastings of the group Fly Gwinnett Forward, a group that wants the county to explore commercial passenger service. "If I believed what was in that petition, I'd be signing it."
Regan said county commissioners receive an email whenever someone signs the online petition, clogging commissioners' in-boxes with hundreds of emails in the past week.
Commissioner Lynette Howard, who has not ruled out commercial flights, said such "carbon copy" emails are not the best way to persuade her. She said she gives more credence to people who take the time to express their opinions in their own words.
Howard said she's been "bombarded by both sides" of the Briscoe Field debate. Despite the new petition, she said public response she's been hearing is "leaning more toward, 'Please keep an open mind.' "
For information on Citizens for a Better Gwinnett, which opposes commercial flights at Briscoe Field, visit www.better-gwinnett.org.
For information on Fly Gwinnett Forward, which wants the county to explore commercial flights, visit www.flygwinnettforward.com.
Copyright 2012 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
