Airport GRAD certification process moves forward

ALBANY — City of Albany Transportation Director David Hamilton invited engineer Jason Chambliss to explain the ongoing process by which city officials hope to have up to 85 acres of land at the Southwest Georgia Regional Airport certified as Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development.

Chambliss, who works with the Savannah-based Thomas and Hutton Engineering firm, said discoveries so far during the GRAD certification process left the city facing options that would impact the size of the development site adjacent to the airport. The discovery of possible Native American artifacts on a portion of the 85-acres tract left the city with the option of proceeding with 64 acres of land that had cleared preliminary hurdles or adding an $11,500 change order to complete a “cultural resources” analysis on 11.2 more acres that will move more than 75 acres toward certification.

GRAD is a Georgia program by which land is certified ready for immediate development through a number of environmental, cultural and geological analyses. Tracts eligible for GRAD certification must be 50 acres or more.

“Even with the 64 acres (minus the 11-plus that must undergo further cultural resources analysis and another, separate 9 acres that might face an additional analytical roadblock), your site qualifies for GRAD certification,” Chambliss told the board. “But the change order would include the 11 acres and get you up to 75 acres, which we feel would be the better option. That’s what we’re recommending.”

Hamilton said City Manager Sharon Subadan had already looked over both proposals and had approved the change order.

“That (decision) falls within the city manager’s authority, but I wanted to bring it to this board so you’d be aware of where we are,” Hamilton told the Aviation Commission.

Chambliss said that preliminary studies conducted by the team helping the city prepare the site west of the airport for GRAD certification had found no major issues outside the ones noted on the two smaller tracts of land.

“With several of the Phase I studies completed, we’ve come upon nothing that would be a show-stopper,” the engineer said.

Also at Monday’s meeting, the final one of 2016, city of Albany Chief Information Officer Steven Carter explained plans to enhance the airport’s website as part of a citywide site overhaul.

“We feel the best way to increase the effectiveness of our social media on the web is to bring multiple city agencies under one umbrella,” Carter said. “We will accommodate things you have that are unique to you, and when we design the site you will be an integral part of that effort. But we’re not taking your autonomy away.

“We will design the site, with your input, then we’ll turn it over to the manager experts in every division (of the city’s hierarchy). This is part of what we hope will be a comprehensive social media strategy that each division will develop.”

Hamilton said the revamped web presence is part of Subadan’s overall marketing strategy for the city.

Thrush Aircraft President/CEO Payne Hughes attended the meeting to discuss board member Dr. Charles Gillespie’s proposal to hang a scale-model aircraft based on the agriculture aviation company’s design in the airport’s terminal building. Hughes said he was “flattered and proud” that the idea is being considered, but he said concerns expressed by Aviation Commission member Sanford Hilsman should be considered.

Before Hughes addressed the board, Hilsman said, “There are questions that must be answered before we consider this. First, from an engineering standpoint, is the terminal structurally capable of doing that? Second, what is the cost? I don’t think we can go forward without the answers to those questions.”

Gillespie pointed out that his request was to “explore the possibility” of locating such a model in the terminal building.

The board voted 4-1 to continue looking into the proposal. Hilsman voted against the measure.