Habersham County officials, special guests, and members of the local flying
community paused gathered earlier this week to celebrate the completion of the recent
runway overlay, ramp expansion, and runway object free area (ROFA)
projects.
The projects have been years in the making and poise the airport for future
growth and increased use by both field-based and transient aircraft, according to county officials.
“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,” said
Habersham County Manager Alicia Vaughn. “Some of those who were
instrumental in the early days of this facility are here today, while some
already have passed on.”
Two men who pulled a measuring tape to lay out the original airport were
present and cut the ribbon on Tuesday, Dean Swanson and former state Sen.
John C. Foster.
Also present were Don Higgins, one of the airport’s early pilots and former
longtime mayor of Cornelia, and Jackie Sherwood, whose late husband
Charles Sherwood was a fixture at the airport.