FAA Warned That It Was Too Close To Fulton County Airport

The planned expansion of a waste-transfer station in Cobb County, GA, appears to be dead in the water following an FAA assessment that the facility would draw birds, increasing the risk of a bird strike at nearby Charlie Brown Airport (KFTY) in Fulton County.

The Bankhead C&D Transfer Station, which is currently allowed to take only construction and demolition waste, had petitioned the county government for a permit to handle household garbage as well. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the county government had originally supported the request, but pulled back after the FAA wrote a letter to the county warning of the potential bird strike hazard.

That letter arrived at the county offices at about the same time as two highly-publicized bird strike events last month, one involving Air Force 2.

Cobb County community development director rob Hosack said while the waste management company wasn't at all happy about the decision, "we felt like Charlie Brown Airport is a huge asset to the region." He said safety concerns were the reason the county pulled its support for the expansion.

The rezoning was scheduled for a final vote of the county commission Tuesday. If it is rejected, the company is precluded from applying for another rezoning for 12 months, though the decision can be appealed in the courts.

Residents had also been opposed to the expansion based on proximity to their homes and possible runoff into the nearby Chattahoochee River.

FMI: http://portal.cobbcountyga.gov/index.php