Gwinnett Daily Post

 

LAWRENCEVILLE — Some trees and other line-of-sight obstructions will soon be removed from Briscoe Field.

The maintenance work was approved Tuesday by the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners. During the morning work session, District 4 Commissioner John Heard clarified the project had nothing to do with the debate over the privatization of Gwinnett’s general aviation airport.

“This does not benefit or demise anything that may come up in the future,” Heard said.

Gwinnett County Transportation Director Brian Allen assured commissioners that was the case.

With the board’s approval, the county will be using a Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program grant and a Georgia Department of Transportation State Airport Improvement grant to remove obstructions that are considered safety hazards, Allen said. The county originally applied for the grants in 2007.

The total cost for the project is about $1 million, with 95 percent of the funding coming from federal dollars. Gwinnett County is paying $26,824 for the work, and $24,072 is coming from the state.

Additionally, the board voted to approve Simpson Trucking and Grading’s bid of about $874,500 to complete the maintenance work, as well as a security fencing project. The work on the airport’s perimeter fence has been needed since 2001, Allen said.