The proposed county airport project got a lift Monday when Cherokee County Council approved a contract with W.K. Dickson for a crucial economic impact study.

The engineering firm will receive nearly $100,000 for the study, with half of that total coming from the state.

The county's share will come from the county's airport fund and capital projects fund.

The county will be billed when Dickson completes 50 percent, 75 percent and 95 percent of the work, county attorney Joe Mathis told council members.

Mathis said the study will determine the impact an airport would have on job creation and the local economy.

The study should be completed within six months.

Dickson also performed the airport feasibility study, which several council members, including airport proponent Bailey Humphries, said didn't meet their expectations.

Council learned last spring the state has singled out two sites for the proposed airport. One is owned by the Milliken Company and is located behind its Magnolia Plant in Blacksburg.

The other parcel is located on Hwy. 18 three miles south of Gaffney. That parcel is owned by three individuals.