About The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 20, 2017)
BUSINESS THURSDAY, JULY 20,2017 • Page 18 A Flying toward the future Airport official explains how Hartsfield-Jackson is tied to the area’s economy BY KATHY MITCHELL FREELANCE REPORTER The future of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was the focus of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce’s general membership meeting July 13 at the Atlanta Marriott Century Center. Why does an airport outside DeKalb County make a difference to businesses in DeKalb? Ray Gilley, president of development authority Decide DeKalb—presenting sponsor of the event— explained, “We would have a tough time convincing businesses that DeKalb County is the right place for them if we didn’t have as a major selling point easy access to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.” DeKalb Chamber President and CEO Katerina Taylor echoed the observation. “Hartsfield- Jackson plays a major role in bringing economic development to the state of Georgia and has a significant impact on business for all of us,” she said. To underscore the magnitude of Hartsfield- Jackson, keynote speaker Roosevelt Council, the airport’s general manager, listed facts and figures on the facility. The world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson, he noted, offers nonstop service to more than 150 domestic and nearly 70 international destinations, including commercial centers in Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, Africa, and South and Central America. “Approximately 80 percent of the United States is within two hours of Hartsfield-Jackson,” Council noted. He added that the airport in 2015 became the first in history to serve more than 100 million passengers in a single year. “We’re very proud of that,” Council said. Bigger things are ahead, according to Council, who outlined a $6 billion capital improvement program— ATLNext—that will unfold over the next 20 years. Roosevelt Council, general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, tells those attending the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce general membership meeting on July 13 that the world’s busiest airport is to get bigger and busier during the next 20 years as ATLNext unfolds. Photo provided ATLNext will involve new runways and upgrades throughout the facility as well as construction of a 440-room, four-star onsite hotel. There are to be two canopies the length of three football fields and the width of half a football field “to protect visitors from the elements; we have a lot of foot traffic. It will take more than 3,500 tons of steel to erect these; that’s enough to build nine full-size airplanes,” he said. Council said upgrading and expanding the airport’s 30-year-old north and south parking decks is part of the plan. “And we’ll be doing this without closing down parking at the airport,” which he said is a major source of revenue, bringing in $140 million a year. The atrium where visitors wait and have access to food, drinks and retail services is being upgraded as well. The area is being redesigned with forest-like atmosphere and will offer a larger array of retail options as well as a variety of entertainment. Retail shops in the atrium and throughout the airport provide opportunities for businesses throughout the metropolitan area. “We’re particular about selecting retail businesses. We want to create an Atlanta culture at the airport, offering visitors a sampling of the best the city has to offer,” Council said. ATLNext also includes expansion of the airport’s cargo area even though cargo is not major revenue source for the airport, said Council, who added, “But it creates jobs and that’s important to us, too.” He noted that Hartsfield- Jackson is metro Atlanta’s strongest economic engine with more than 65,000 people working at the airport and one job in seven in the area tied to the airport. ATLNext, he said, will create many more jobs. Council said the plan includes a goal of involving 37 percent minority- and female-owned businesses. “This is part of the legacy of Mayor Maynard Jackson, one of the people for whom the airport is named. He was the father of inclusion and diversity at the airport and throughout the city,” said Council, who cautioned that the diversity goals do not mean a lowering of quality standards. “We don’t compromise quality, but if you can bring the talent, we will supply the opportunity. “We have a great opportunity to create jobs and growth, especially on the south side of the city, where we hope to see a growth explosion similar to the one that has taken place on the north side. We don’t want to just create jobs; we want to create jobs that can elevate a person into the middle class. We want to create prosperity,” Council continued. “As we grow, you will have the opportunity to grow with us,” he told the gathering of chamber members. PUBLIC NOTICE The City of Brookhaven, GA has submitted an application for an acquisition and demolition project funded by FEMA under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Pro gram. The project will affect historic and non-historic properties that are located in the floodplain. The project will be in the following neighborhoods: South Bamby Lane and Dresden Drive NE. Presidential Executive Orders 11988 and 11990 and the National Historic Preservation Act required that all federal actions in or affecting the floodplain or wetlands and historic properties be reviewed for opportunities to relocate, and evaluated for social, economic, historical, environmental, legal and safety considerations. The public is invited to participate in the process of identifying alternatives and analyzing their impacts. Any adverse effects to historic proper ties as a result of this undertaking will be mitigated. Interested persons may obtain information about these actions or a specific project by contacting Public Works Director, Hari Karikarin by email at Hazard- Mitigation@BrookhavenGa.Gov or by calling 404-637-0500. Comments should be received within 30 days of the date of this notice, July 20, 2017.
