BALDWIN — The Habersham County Development Authority took a firsthand look Thursday at some of the work going on at the county's airport and adjacent industrial park.
Three bids were received Wednesday for Phase 2 of the parallel taxiway extension at the airport, County Manager Phil Sutton told the authority.
"The bids came in quite high," Sutton said.
The original estimate was $5 million to $6 million, Sutton said.
Unfortunately, Wednesday's bids came in at $10 million to $13 million, roughly twice the anticipated budget.
The county's airport project engineer and Georgia Department of Transportation engineer will meet with the head of aviation for DOT to determine how the county should proceed and how much funding to anticipate.
"They're going to want to soldier on with the project," Sutton assured the authority. "They're very determined to get this project done, especially considering the substantial investment that's already been made."
James Irvin of Foothills Land Design briefed authority members on plans for development of pads along Industrial Park Drive, and also provided details of where dirt will be procured to level those pads.
At the conclusion of the tour, Development Authority Chair Dr. Gail Thaxton said she was happy to get an on-the-ground look at the work taking place.
"We've been working off plans at our board meetings and to come and see the real geography, the topography here today, and the progress that's being made from the idea stage to realization is very incredible," Thaxton said.
"There's a lot more to do but when you think back about the progress the development authority has made over the past three and four years, it's amazing," Thaxton said. "So it's good to hear machines moving and dirt being moved, holes being dug, and we just look forward to seeing how these plans progress."
