Habersham County celebrates completion of multiple airport projects

Habersham County completed their recent string of airport projects, resulting in a celebration on Tuesday.

“As we look forward to the future, this expansion opens up new doors for economic growth, increased connectivity, and enhanced opportunities for all,” Habersham County Manager Alicia Vaughn said.

Dean Swanson and former state Senator John C. Foster helped lay out the original airport design and were present to cut the ribbon.

The projects were years in the making and according to a Habersham County press release “poise the airport for future growth.”

Some of the projects included the runway overlay, a ramp expansion, and runway object free area (ROFA) projects.

Longtime Mayor of Cornelia and one of the airport’s early pilots Don Higgins was also present at the celebration. 

Current members of the Habersham County Airport Commission, including Chairman D. Higgins, Lawrence Bridges, Chris Limbach, and Justin Schapansky were also recognized. 

Helicopters from the Georgia State Patrol Aviation Division and Air Methods’ Air Life Georgia 2 were pictured at the ribbon-cutting event.

Many other local officials were in attendance including Cornelia City Manager Dibakd Anderson, Damon Carr and Danny Doyle from the Georgia Department of Transportation, Habersham County Commissioners Bruce Palmer and Jimmy Tench, and former Airport Commission Chairman Ken Schubring among others.

“It would be impossible to introduce every person who played a part in this monumental task, going back to the very beginnings of this airport,” Vaughn said.

Dean Swanson and John C. Foster lower the scissors after cutting the ribbon at the Habersham County Airport on Tuesday. Also shown, from left, are Habersham County Commissioner Jimmy Tench, Justin Schapansky of the Habersham County Airport Commission, Clayton Foster, Lawrence Bridges, Don Higgins, Danny Doyle of the Georgia Department of Transportation, and Ken Schubring, former longtime member and former chairman of the Habersham County Airport Commission.

A crowd gathers on lawn of the Habersham County Airport for Tuesday’s brief ceremony celebrating the culmination of the recent ramp expansion, runway overlay, and runway object free area (ROFA) projects.

Helicopters from the Georgia State Patrol Aviation Division and Air Methods’ Air Life Georgia 2 frame Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Habersham County Airport.

Habersham County Manager Alicia Vaughn, Jackie Sherwood, and Stewart Swanson listen as Dean Swanson, right, discusses the origins of the Habersham County Airport.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2024/7/1252251/habersham-county-celebrates-completion-of-multiple-airport-projects