Saturday, April 6, 2013
All 149 air traffic control towers will continue operating until June 15.
(Editor's note: The following is a press release issued by the Federal Aviation Administration.) The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today that it will delay the closures of all 149 federal contract air traffic control towers until June 15. Last month, the FAA announced it would eliminate funding for these towers as part of the agency’s required $637 million budget cuts under sequestration. This additional time will allow the agency to attempt to resolve multiple legal challenges to the closure decisions. As part of the tower closure implementation process, the agency continues to consult with airports and operators and review appropriate risk mitigations. Extending the transition …
Sunday, July 22, 2012
As promised during their June meeting, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners took the steps to take plans to privatize Briscoe Field off the table.
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Sunday, July 22, 2012
On June 5th, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners voted to reject plans to privatize Briscoe Field in Lawrenceville. They also moved to withdraw the preliminary application to the Federal Aviation Administration pursuant to the FAA’s Airport Privatization Pilot Program. Gwinnett County announced Friday they received a letter from the FAA dated July 5th confirming that Briscoe Field has been removed from privatization program. These actions officially end the possibility of privatization and commercialization of Briscoe Field. What do you think about the airport privatization option now officially being withdrawn. Do you think the decision was the right one for the county? Or do you think Gwinnett missed a golden opportunity?
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners essentially killed all plans to privatize the Lawrenceville airport at their first meeting since the resignation of Shirley Lasseter.
Years of heated debate from both sides came to an end with one word--"Aye." On Tuesday afternoon, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to reject plans to privatize Briscoe Field in Lawrenceville. The crowd of mostly expansion opponents wearing red shirts broke out in cheers and applause after the vote was cast. "The effects of this airport expansion would not only be bore by the people of Lawrenceville, but also the folks in District 3 in Dacula would certainly be affected," said District 3 Commissioner Mike Beaudreau as he explained his vote. Do you agree with the Board of Commissioners' decision? Tell us about it in the comments. Beaudreau said he would now like to look at some of the Citizen’s Task Force on how …
Monday, December 12, 2011
Economic development for the area appears to be a strong goal for Briscoe Field.
As anyone who has traveled through Atlanta's monstrous airport knows, the journey is more than a trip through security and waiting at the gate. Upscale restaurants are common. Many retail stores and day spas are the same as those found at area shopping malls. And there are wall-mounted ads touting entertainment options in Atlanta once people get out of the maze that is the country's busiest airport. This is likely what Gwinnett County commissioners have in mind with the recentRequest For Proposals for county-owned Briscoe Field. Scheduled commercial passenger service is fair game for anyone to propose. True, a college freshman might have his diploma before any cross-country flights land at Briscoe Field. But such service opens the door to …
Thursday, December 8, 2011
County says proposals must be submitted by Feb. 8, 2012.
Updated 5:43 p.m., Dec. 8, 2011 Gwinnett County on Thursday formally began the process of potentially privatizing county-owned Briscoe Field by issuing a Request For Proposals (RFP). And the invitation opens a window for commercial passenger service. In a posting on the county website, county officials said bids from parties interesting in operating the Lawrenceville airport must submit proposals by Feb. 8, 2012, at 2:50 p.m. Also, a related news conference has been scheduled for Jan. 5, 2012, at county headquarters in Lawrenceville. According to the RFP, companies responding to the RFP "may specifically propose the introduction of scheduled passenger service, and/or how the Respondent would position the airport to proceed if and when the …
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
The proposed agenda for the newly formed Airport Privatization Citizens Review Committee has been released.
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Tuesday, November 8, 2011
The Airport Privatization Citizens Review Committee will hold their first meeting today, Tues., Nov. 8, at 4 p.m. at the Briscoe Field offices. The 11 members and Infrastructure Management Group (IMG) will provide counseling in the proposals for the potential privatization of Briscoe Field. Here is the proposed agenda for Tuesday's meeting: Airport Privatization Citizens Review Committee Proposed Agenda November 8, 2011 I. Introduction and Welcome II. Overview A. Committee Role/Goals III. Organizational Issues A. Structure of Committee and Election of Officers (Chair & Vice Chair) B. Meeting Structure – agenda, participation, discussion, decision making and public comment C. Record of discussion and decisions of …
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Commissioners unanimous in moving forward with examining plans for privatizing Briscoe Field.
Showing the political unity that has been advised, Gwinnett's Board of Commissionersunanimously approved plans Tuesday for a citizens review panel and for moving forward with proposals regarding the potential privatization of county-owned Briscoe Field. Meeting in Lawrenceville, the commissioners named eight people to the Citizens Review Committee (there will be 11 total) and empowered Infrastructure Management Group (IMG) to provide counseling in the proposal process. The board also scrapped previous qualifications submitted. "The process has been restarted," Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash said after the meeting. "This Board Of Commissioners has made that decision." The next step will be for the county to issue Request for Proposals (…
Monday, October 3, 2011
County set to reject all proposals received in response to previous request for qualifications related to operation of the airport.
The county’s plan to privatize Briscoe Field may soon be slightly less controversial if county leaders follow consultant and staff recommendations and reject all responses received in answer to the county’s request for qualifications (RFQ) from companies interested in privatizing the Lawrenceville airport. The move follows a report from airport consultants Infrastructure Management Group(IMG) that included a recommendation to separate the commercial service and privatization debate. County leaders met with IMG on Sept. 20 to discuss the report findings. During the meeting, IMG advised the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners to present a united front. "If the county doesn't have its act together politically, bidders are not likely to …
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Gwinnett commissioners and public hear consultants' thoughts on privatizing the county-owned Briscoe Field.
The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners is ready for the next step in the potential privatization of the county-owned airport. But don't expect to book a cross-country flight out of Briscoe Field anytime soon. A public-private partnership on the airport "is not a decision to allow pasenger service," Infrastructure Management Group official Steve Steckler told commissioners Tuesday at an information session in Lawrenceville. The commissioners' hearing with the consulting firm was to hear their thoughts on privatization and the Request For Proposal process. Pros and cons of commercial passenger service were discussed, but it is clear that that is another decision from whether to privatize Briscoe. A private operator could have a "vision" of …
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Foes of Briscoe Field privatization also turn out for hearing with consultants.
The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners had a lot of company Tuesday morning in Lawrenceville for a session on possible privatization of Briscoe Field. Citizens wearing red -- signifying their opposition to privatization -- also were in the room with commissioners and consultants from IMG, the company hired to help the county with the potential privatization of the county-owned airport. County Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash told the crowd that it was not a public hearing or a question-answer session. The potential of commercial passenger service -- and takeoffs and landings at odd hours -- came up quickly Tuesday. IMG official Steve Steckler noted that airports receiving federal assistance are obligated to accept such passenger service. …
John Cook
2:46 pm on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Regarding Bret Smith's requests: District 1 (D1) has not been represented since Nov because she has not been attending meetings. Two years ago Kennerly was arrested; he did not resign, but merely didn't attend meetings for the remainder of his term. Thus D2 was not represented. I heard no complaints then. During the last quarter of 2010, Bannister had already resigned and Kennerly was not … more ›