Griffin, Georgia: Airport Authority forming public information committee

Following the county’s decision earlier this month to put the new airport before the voters, the Griffin Spalding Airport Authority is putting together a public information committee to put the facts out.

“The vote is to continue or not to move forward with the new airport,” explained Airport Authority Chairman Dick Morrow. “It would behoove us to get information out to the public. Sadly, there is a lot of misinformation out there.”

Airport Authority member and County Commissioner Raymond Ray said, “it’s a complicated issue the voting public doesn’t understand the costs of the current airport, the benefits and costs of the new airport.”

Ray said, “educated voters have always done a good job. We need to inform them.”

Ray was one of the three county commissioners voting to put the issue before the voters, saying at one point during that discussion on April 7, that he’d vote it down that night if it didn’t go before the voters. On Monday night, he also volunteered to be a part of the public information committee.

“What has perplexed me,” Morrow said Monday night, “is the misinformation out there. Someone came up, very critical of the airport, calling me names, saying how stupid it was to have two airports if we couldn’t make money with the one we have.”

Morrow clarified, “yes, when the new one opens we close the old one. We need to get information out.”

Airport Authority member Carl Pruitt offered to chair the public information committee and fellow Airport Authority member Larry Johnson offered to help. Members of the public are being recruited to participate as well.

Johnson said, “the majority of people tell me we need industry and jobs. They ask, if we’re losing money on the one we have, why build another, or they say they don’t have the information to make a decision.”

He has been telling people, “this is what we have, what it will cost to keep it and that we really can get $60 million for $6 million. “

Johnson said, people ask, ‘are my taxes going up?’ I don’t know. I tell them the city and county decide.”

Morrow said, “this (the public information committee) will be our attempt to get out the facts. We need to make it neutral — just the facts.”

Morrow asked about anyone who wants to advocate for it, and Griffin City Manager Kenny Smith “it’s not in the best interest for elected officials to advocate for it.”

Ray said, “we can’t lobby in one way or the other for a vote. Any individuals who want to advocate are free to do so if they choose.”

One of the selling points Johnson, Pruitt and others have used so far is the $6 million cost for a new airport, compared to the $10 in local money needed to bring the airport up to current requirements or the $25 million in local money it would cost to just close the existing airport.

Both the $6 million and $10 million price tags are the 10 percent local match portions, after 90 percent in matching funds from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program. That program is funded from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, into which were deposited revenues from several aviation-user taxes on such items as airline fares, air freight and aviation fuel.

The $25 million would be all local money, as the matching grant funds come with loan guarantees that the airport will continue to operate. Those eventually fall off, but are replaced as new grants are accepted and utilized.

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