BALDWIN — Skies were blue, and a single-engine airplane could be heard taking off as about 75 people gathered for the dedication of the new Habersham County Airport Terminal Building near Baldwin Monday morning.
“This is a great, great day here for our county,” said Ken Schubring of the Habersham County Airport Commission. “This building came in at budget numbers. It’s a fantastic building, and it will be a footprint in the base of our community, not only for just economic development but for our pilot family here. It’s an amazing day to have this ceremony.”
Recently, one company purchased a building in the Habersham County Industrial Park specifically because of the proximity to the airport and the work currently ongoing there, Schubring said.
“It’s just great to be able to have a facility like this here,” said Habersham Chamber of Commerce President Mary Beth Horton following the dedication. “It’s state-of-the art, it’s very modern. We need this in Habersham County, and the fact that it’s adjacent to our industrial park is wonderful. We’re really pleased with the work that’s been done here – just another way that we can continue to promote Habersham County.”
The roughly 3,000-square-foot facility was built with $600,000 of Georgia Department of Transportation funds and $269,684 from Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax 6, for a total cost of $869,684.
Habersham is only the second county to build a new terminal with GDOT funds using a design-build delivery method.
Design-build contractor for the project was Blake Rainwater and Associates of Clarkesville, and roughly 70 percent of the work was performed by Habersham County contractors.
“It makes me so happy to hear that we’re using our local folks,” Horton said. “We have so much talent here, and I think it’s proven in the work here at this building.”
Schubring acknowledged Ray and Brenda Reed of Blue Sky Aviation, the firm that manages the airport for Habersham County, and the work of former Commissioner Andrea Harper to prepare the building for Monday morning’s dedication and open house.
“We’re excited about how Habersham County is moving forward, and what this means to the citizens of the county and to the businesses of this county,” said Commissioner Stacy Hall.
Commissioner Ed Nichols paid tribute to the county’s former long-time Airport Manager James Tatum, who was standing in the crowd.
“I’d like to take a minute to recognize Mr. Tatum,” Nichols said. “Mr. Tatum started this airport and spent many, many years here. We wouldn’t be here today without his loyalty and work through many years.”
Brentt Cody of Blake Rainwater and Associates said the firm was proud to be chosen for the airport terminal building project.
“This was an honor for us to be a part of, no doubt about it,” Cody said. “With Blake and I both living in Habersham County and calling Habersham County home, it was just good to tap into the relationships that we already had in place and make some new relationships, too.”
Following is a brief timetable for the project:
- Oct. 2, 2017 – Notice to proceed issued to Blake Rainwater and Associates;
- April 5, 2018 – Grading began, with 16,500 cubic yards of dirt moved.
- June 21 – Slab poured;
- June 25 – Wall construction began;
- July 5 – Walls framed and completed;
- July 16 – Roof truss installation began;
- July 31 – Interior, including HVAC, insulation, sheetrock and ceiling began;
- Aug. 21 – Exterior brickwork and siding began;
- Nov. 19 – Apron paved, with final lift of asphalt scheduled for late Spring 2019;
- Oct. 5 – Concrete sidewalk finished;
- Oct. 29 – Interior completed;
- Nov. 30 – Building completed;
- Dec. 4 – Certificate of occupancy issued;
- Jan. 7, 2019 – Building dedicated.
